[mpuzzuoli]

So my 4 month old hedgehog Pokey had been eating purina naturals since I got her, which wasn't the best for her (corn meal, etc) so I slowly transitioned her into a mix of chicken soup for the cat lovers soul and solid gold (midnight prowl) which she loved at first. Then I noticed that she had thrown up a little one random night and since then she would not touch her kibble. She did not eat for two days so I have been giving her a mix of a tiny bit of her crushed up kibble, boiled eggs or chicken, carrots and some leafy greens, and 4 mealworms a night. Some nights I also give her a side of fruit. She eats all of that fine but sometimes picks around the crushed kibble still. I was wondering if any of you other hedgie parents have a natural diet for your babies and what you incorporate. Or if you have any suggestions on how to get her to eat more kibble again, that will be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Lilysmommy]

Have you looked at these threads already?

http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/23066-raw-home-cooked-diets.html
http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/128865-bindi-s-raw-diet.html
http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/129409-skink-hedgehog-chow.html

As far as I know, Ashley (FinnickHog) and I are the two currently active ones with raw/natural diets for our hedgehogs. Reading over our threads might give you some ideas on what to do and things to consider. And if you have any questions, I know I'm always happy to help & I'm sure Ashley would be as well. My biggest suggestions would be to research a bit more on how to do a balanced diet, and to incorporate more insects, as I firmly believe that's an important part of a natural hedgehog diet (and should be in other diets as well, really).

If you're not sure you're up for ensuring that a natural/home-made diet is balanced, or can't get a hold of a better variety of insects to offer, I would try some other kinds of kibble to see if she tolerates them better. A vet visit to ensure that she doesn't have any health issues causing the avoidance would also be a good idea, regardless of what you decide to do with her diet.

 

[mpuzzuoli]

Have you looked at these threads already?

http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/23066-raw-home-cooked-diets.html
http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/128865-bindi-s-raw-diet.html
http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/129409-skink-hedgehog-chow.html

As far as I know, Ashley (FinnickHog) and I are the two currently active ones with raw/natural diets for our hedgehogs. Reading over our threads might give you some ideas on what to do and things to consider. And if you have any questions, I know I'm always happy to help & I'm sure Ashley would be as well. My biggest suggestions would be to research a bit more on how to do a balanced diet, and to incorporate more insects, as I firmly believe that's an important part of a natural hedgehog diet (and should be in other diets as well, really).

If you're not sure you're up for ensuring that a natural/home-made diet is balanced, or can't get a hold of a better variety of insects to offer, I would try some other kinds of kibble to see if she tolerates them better. A vet visit to ensure that she doesn't have any health issues causing the avoidance would also be a good idea, regardless of what you decide to do with her diet.

Thank you for replying! I was looking at both of your threads and I appreciate you both for posting them! Before she stopped eating kibble I was considering getting her on a natural diet because I just feel its better for her and she loves a huge variety of foods! I also really want to incorporate more insects and I can get a variety. She is kind of small compared to most hedgehogs, she's very active. Any suggestions for insects containing higher fat levels? Again thank you so much for all of the help!

 

[Lilysmommy]

Out of the list of insects I'm using, waxworms are definitely the highest, so those would be a good option. Mealworms & mealworm pupae are pretty high as well. Phoenix worms and blue bottle fly larvae (called 'spikes' as well, I buy them from Rainbow Mealworms, though I just found another source to check out next time I order) are next. If you're interested in trying roaches, you might consider rusty red roaches (I think also called Red runner roaches) - they're a little higher in fat than dubia roaches, around the same level as phoenix worms & spikes.

If you're open to ordering meat online as well, I order whole grinds from Hare Today. Some higher fat meat that you could try her on are duck, mutton, and pork. Chicken and turkey are both around medium in terms of fat. I have Bindi on chicken, duck, rabbit, and salmon - the latter two are both very low in fat, so I can adjust how often she gets different proteins as needed to help maintain her weight. She seems to be holding pretty steady currently though, I'm almost done introducing salmon as the last protein.

Edit: I meant to mention butterworms, in case you want to look more into them. I'm currently avoiding them as we don't seem to have clear information on their nutritional status. I've seen some sources say they're low in fat & some say they're extremely high. Some also claim they're high in calcium, but that's not common for soft-bodied insects & I'm very dubious on that without any explanation backing that up. The high fat claims seem to be more likely to me, which is why I'm mentioning them, they're said to be even higher than waxworms. Another reason I'm a little hesitant on them is they're irradiated before shipping to the States, to prevent them from changing into pupae, then moths, so they don't become invasive. I'm not sure I want to feed them to a pet after they've been irradiated. But they're clearly being bought as there are still sellers offering them, so it may not be an issue at all.

 

[Hedgehog Swag]

After reading so many post about diet and which foods/brands are better than others I felt it was just easier to follow Lillysmom concept of all natural diet. Currently Scrizzie has three live proteins - mealworms, crickets, and dubia roaches. So far she seems to enjoy a variety of veggies and fruit. I took her old litter box and turned it into a dig/food box. Each night I place mealworms and roaches in it along with some veggies and fruit. When she wakes up she heads straight to the box and it is a hoot to watch her move the rocks and bark around looking for food. Early AM she gets some crickets. What you find is the live food is pretty expensive at a pet store but on line it is pretty reasonable and really very little cost difference ordering in bulk.

I think an all natural diet not only is healthier but I think the whole concept of Scrizzie "hunting" out her food creates some mental stimulation as well.