[RocketHedge]

I apologize if this is in the wrong forum, it was kind of a toss up between this and the “Health” forum.

The situation I have on my hands is this: I currently have two hedgehogs, Max and Rocket. Max is a bit on the chubby side, but I’ve been told that he’s not overweight. On the opposite end of the scale is rocket, who is super-thin. She presents every appearance of being perfectly healthy in every respect, and both she and Max are eating the same diet. The food bowls are kept full and they’re eating a mix of Spikes Delight and Caster & Pollux Organix cat food. So the real question is, how can I get Rocket to pu ton some extra weight? The vet suggested giving her kitten food, but I thought I’d see if anyone else had a suggestion.

 

[LizardGirl]

Higher fat food (so, kitten food), mealworms, waxworms, etc can help boost weight. Some just burn off the calories quickly and need a high fat diet permenantly, like my boy. He is very small and has a hard time keeping his weight up. I give him a high fat mix of cat food, supplemented with insects, especially mealies.

 

[Immortalia]

Sounds like you have a "teardrop" shape hedgie and a "runner type" hedgie. While both are perfectly healthy, "runner types" tend to need a diet that is a bit higher in fat.

What you can do, is to buy a bag of kibble with a higher fat content, and add that to Rocket's mix only, and not Max's. It doesn't necessarily have to be kitten food, just good quality food that is higher in fat will do.

Many of the foods in Reaper's list comes in "regular" with fat around 18%. Halo Spots Stew at 16% also tends to be a popular choice. And as LG said, giving a few more mealies can help as well.