[Kayalu]

Hi! I'm new to this community. I don't have a hedgie yet (waiting for local breeders to have some litters!) but I've owned hedgehogs in the past and I've done about over a year of research so I know what I'm doing but I'm struggling trying to figure out what to feed it. I want to do a mix so I can give it the best of both worlds or just a plain premium cat food. (I know the whole 30% protein, 15% fat and no corn or byproducts in the first ingredients or at all rules) I know commercial hedgehog foods are really not that great but I was surprised by how well the Sun Seed Sunscription Vita Hedgehog Food seemed so I am curious if that would work well with a cat food in a mix? (I don't want to feed it that food alone) If so, what cat food would you recommend for that hedgie food? I've heard lots of things about the Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul food so I would mix it with that but I really want to buy a cat food I don't have to order online to get (something I can just waltz right into Petco or Petsmart and grab) I've also seen lots of lists with options of cat foods on them but will you guys please recommend me some brands you are fond of? Mixes or by themselves? Thank you!

 

[Sonics1AndOnlyGirl]

I remember reading on here that Sunseed is ok to feed in a mix of high quality cat food. Although you hedgie might not like the sunseed. When I first got Sonic the petstore was feeding him sunseed so I feed him the same for 2 weeks. Then I started to switch him to Blue Buffalo. After he tasted the cat food he wanted nothing to do with the hedgie food so I threw the rest out. I'd just stick with buying two brands of high quality cat food.

 

[MochiAndMe]

I'm no expert, but I remember seeing/reading that 37% protein is a bit too high.

 

[JulieAnne]

37% is a bit high but it would also depend on how much the Chicken Soup was b/c you average the two. I wouldn't bother with the hedgehog food. Cat food is MUCH better and a lot of times hedgehogs won't eat it if there is something better around.

And just so you're aware some hedgehogs don't like Chicken Soup either so you may want to start out with a different food in your mix. There is a list of cat foods in the link below .

http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/12-dry-cat-food-list.html

Good luck!

 

[Kayalu]

Awesome, thanks for all the responses guys!

 

[Sonics1AndOnlyGirl]

Also I forgot to mention some other brands you could buy that are at PetSmart are Blue Buffalo, Simply Nourish, Castor and Pollux, or Wellness. Wellness tends to be too rich and can upset hedgie tummies. I was feeding mine a mix of Blue Buffalo and Innova but then Innova had a recall so I threw it out. I plan to add Simply Nourish instead.

 

[Chloethehedgie7]

I have had experience. Vita Hedgehog food is awful!! It may look like "Oh, it's Hedgehog Food!" But no it's more like, "Oh my goodness it's awful ingredients." They trick people into thinking it's "Hedgehog Food" but, the real thing is it's expensive and junk food. You should get the healthy food called "Authority Senstive Soulution Turkey flavor" it is the best of the best! It is full of great food! And trust me, I don't want my little girl eating junk. I want her to have the best. Also, it is VERY cheap on price. So, that is what I recommend. I got a hedgehog named "Ginger" she came with Vita Hedgehog Food, she looked awful. I put her on Authority Sensitve soulution turkey, and she is soooooo healthy now!! It like saved her life! Vita Hedgehog food company is a rip off. They put the food "expensive" and "hedgehog food" to make it look good, but it is junk. I have had an experience. So, I would get Authority or Blue Buffalo.

This is great info,
Katie (chloethehedgie7)

 

[Lilysmommy]

To be honest, I don't think I'd feed or recommend Authority. All of the foods in the line except for one have corn in them (which is a cheap filler/carb and/or protein booster), and even the one that doesn't still has "poultry fat" in it (as do the rest), which is pretty vague. The official AAFCO definition is worded in a way that allows manufacturers to use dead, dying, diseased, or disabled animals for the food - meaning you don't know how long it was dead before being used, you don't know why it died before being used (disease, parasites, etc.), and it could've been an animal euthanized or with drugs in the system. It's best to look for named meats and fats - chicken fat, turkey fat, etc.

Authority wouldn't be terrible to use if there weren't better options available, but it definitely doesn't seem to be all that, in my opinion.

 

[JulieAnne]

The official AAFCO definition is worded in a way that allows manufacturers to use dead, dying, diseased, or disabled animals for the food - meaning you don't know how long it was dead before being used, you don't know why it died before being used (disease, parasites, etc.), and it could've been an animal euthanized or with drugs in the system.

Um... ew...

Lol. Sorry.. had to say it.