Ice cream bad for HHs?

[HedgieMate]

I know I'm not supposed to feed any junk food to HHs and I abided by the rule for six months... until a couple nights ago when our hedgie discovered ice cream!

We didn't feed him ice cream. He just stumbled upon an empty bowl left on the floor. He took a lick at the spoon and went wild! All he licked was a droplet of melted ice cream, but it was an instant love affair for him! :love:

Our hedgie is VERY fussy about food. We have been introducing all kinds of "treats" like dried mealworms, various fruits, yogurt, unsweetened applesauce, etc. -- almost everything recommended in this forum except live crickets and mealies -- but he just refuses to touch them. So it was a surprise to see him licking melted ice cream like mad. :hyper:

Would it be so bad if we give him a wee bit of melted ice cream from time to time as a treat, especially when he is exceptional good??? (FYI: he didn't show any sign of stomach problems the next day.)

[Vampira_666]

I'd personally have to say not to feed it, it isnt good for hedghogs beacuse it contains milk, and milk isn't good for hedgehogs!

NO for the following reasons:

1. Milk is very bad for their teeth; (bread and) milk is especially bad, as it is too soft for proper dental care.

2. Many animals are intolerant of the lactose in milk which can lead to diarrhoea, dehydration and death.

3. Milk is iron deficient so in excess can cause dietary imbalance.

4. Milk will readily curdle if left for any length of time.

5. Milks that have been skimmed or semi-skimmed have had beneficial fat soluble vitamins removed.

6. In drought conditions animals may drink milk rather than water, to their detriment.

7. Milk is an ideal medium for the proliferation of harmful bacteria in the stomach and intestines.

[Nancy]

I don't think a lick of icecream once in a while will hurt him. There is lactose free icecream that would be best and only a very small amount at a time and not often. Have you tried yogurt? Very small amounts of yogurt once in a while is fine also. :)

[HedgeMom]

Absolutely NONE of this applies to a few licks of an ice cream bowl. We're not talking steady diet, we're talking licking dregs.

LIMITED to a once or twice MONTHLY treat of a few licks of melted ice cream (yes, melted frozen yogurt would be better) it's not going to negatively impact the animal as long as the lactose doesn't cause diarrhea.

There are healthier treats available, but if you want to share, please do not do it too often or too much. Any sign of gastric distress and you'll need to cut it out. Also make sure it's only a few licks. No leaving increasingly bigger puddles because ice cream is empty calories. And the ratio of a teaspoon to a hedgehog's size 5g/300g is about the same as a 120 lb human eating a quart.

I'd personally have to say not to feed it, it isnt good for hedghogs beacuse it contains milk, and milk isn't good for hedgehogs!

NO for the following reasons:

1. Milk is very bad for their teeth; (bread and) milk is especially bad, as it is too soft for proper dental care.

2. Many animals are intolerant of the lactose in milk which can lead to diarrhoea, dehydration and death.

3. Milk is iron deficient so in excess can cause dietary imbalance.

4. Milk will readily curdle if left for any length of time.

5. Milks that have been skimmed or semi-skimmed have had beneficial fat soluble vitamins removed.

6. In drought conditions animals may drink milk rather than water, to their detriment.

7. Milk is an ideal medium for the proliferation of harmful bacteria in the stomach and intestines.

[razzle]

But what about cottage cheese? I've heard a lot of hedgies love that (in small amounts).

[HedgieMate]

Thank you all for your input. We'll limit our hedgie's melted ice cream intake to absolute minimum and to once or twice per month.

We tried both yogurt and cottage cheese several times with no success but not frozen yogurt, maybe we'll give it a try.

I used to be appalled by people who feed junk food to their pets. I remember thinking to myself, "How could they? They should know better. It's bad for the pets!" Now I sort of understand why they do it... They just can't resist seeing their pets so happy, even if it may have negative effects in a long run. Instant gratification of making someone you love happy, I suppose. Being a good mom isn't easy, is it? :(

I hope we'll eventually find a nutritious treat that Geoffrey loves to eat... Thanks again!

[HedgeMom]

Try watermelon, Gerber Graduate Turkey Sticks, baked salmon, freeze dried shrimp, dry roasted wax worms or berries.

Baked or poached unseasoned salmon is a huge hit here and there have been strikes when the salmon runs out.

[hemi_mygirl]

I don't think Hemi would like ice cream, but that's an interesting idea for a treat. I know she loves shreddies with a tiny bit of milk once in a while. I usually water the milk right down, though, and give her half a soggy shreddie once or twice a month. She goes right crazy for that.

And have you tried apples or turkey for Geoffrey? Those were two of the first things Hemi decided to really like. She was fussy, as well.

[HedgeMom]

You know, the other option is soy milk. Soy milk is safe for animals.

[HedgieMate]

Thanks for all your suggestions.

So far we've tried chicken, turkey, shrimp, watermelon, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, grapes, cantaloupe, oranges, banana, apple, peas, sweet peppers, squash, yam, broccoli, carrots, pears, kiwi, mango, hard-boiled egg, tuna, various flavours of baby food, yogurt, applesauce, cottage cheese, regular cheese, corn, and dried mealworms... several times each over a six months' period... to no avail. Geoffrey sometimes self-anoints with the new food but refuses to eat them.

So now you know why I got so excited over ice cream! :)

We haven't tried salmon and definitely will give it a try as we eat a lot of fish in our household. I know some people suggest hamburger meat, but since we don't eat red meat, it's a bit difficult to try it. The same goes to Shreddies, but maybe I can find a baby-size package for a tryout. Dry roasted wax worms sounds like a good possibility. I'll see if I can find some as well. If everything else fails, I might even try live crickets and meal worms... as long as I will be able to find a store that sells just a few for a trial.