Hallo hedgepeoples!

[spartanwerewolf]

Haven't been around much lately, since being hedgiefree for two years makes it hurt to lurk :( However, we are no longer hedgieless! Brought a new quillpig home just yesterday, in fact. She was sort of an emergency rehome. I've decided to call her Pia (my brother suggested it) and she's just over a year old, and living on my desk

Comments

[waldszenen]

CUTE. I don't have a hedgehog but I love them.

[persephiny]

We use 8 in 1 for our hedgie plus a little Purina which we use for the cat. I see no reason why you can't mix them, but everyone here will recommend some other brand, I'm sure. Just check out the mix standards and make sure it's high quality.

[craze_176]

I'm confused-you say make sure it's high quality but both 8-in-1 and purina are poor quality foods!

[i_am_pondering]

What a pretty girl! I'm glad you were able to give her a good home.

[craze_176]

Orijen is very high in protein and fat, way too rich for hedgies! 8-in-1 is also not a good hedgie food brand, too much corn and fillers and mystery meats in commercial hedgehog food.

Cat food for hedgies must be high quality (orijen is, but it's just too rich) and have protein levels at about 30% and low fat (around 10-20% or even a bit lower) and a few foods fit the bill for that:

Buffalo Blue
Chicken soup for the cat lover's soul lite (what my hedgie eats)
Wellness healthy weight
Natural balance (reduced calorie ultra or any of the limited ingredient diets) http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/catformulas/allergy.html
First mate

It's also recommended to mix at least 2 foods together to get the benefits of each so you're on the right track-just stick to the high quality cat foods with appropriate levels.

[spartanwerewolf]

Lowest fat content we found was Royal Canin weight control food at 9% crude fat.

[sparrow_less]

I've recently started using Natural Balance with the Science diet my vet recommended--make sure to keep fish and seafood out of her diet. Hedgehogs don't normally eat fish in the wild, and I read somewhere that it can cause problems with their digestive tract.

It's hard to pick out the right food for your hedgie friend. :/