He won't touch any new foods?

[IvorySailboat]

I got Quill from a breeder when he was about 7 weeks old. He's about 7 months now and has been eating the same cat food since birth (I use the same brand as his breeder). Recently I took him to the vet and she says he's a little overweight and recommended trying to mix up his diet more with new foods and insects.

He won't eat anything that isn't the kibble he's been eating his whole life. I bought two new brands of hedgehog food and he won't eat them, I watched him take some in his mouth and drop it again. I tried feeding him mealworms and he doesn't even seem to notice them at all.

He just doesn't understand that other things are also food? I've tried giving him various fruits and vegetables and he'll anoint once and then never touch them again. How can I get him to try new things? It's for his health!

[Mikathehedgehog]

When we switched foods for our last hedgie we did it very gradually. So we took a ziplock bag and poured 3/4 of the regular food in with 1/4 new food and every week we would add a little bit more of the new food until he was completely transitioned. It seemed to work seamlessly!

With our new baby she seems to LOVE the wet cat food I gave her as a treat the other night, maybe he’d like something like that!
Hope this helps

[macymae]

Yes, like Mikathehedgehog said, doing it gradually is a good way to do it. I've read many hedgehogs are very picky when eating. Doing it gradually they won't even realize they are being weaned I recently had to do this with my Macy when I found a healthier food for her compared to what she has been on since I got her from the breeder. I did exactly what Mikathehedgehog did. Good luck!