Hedgehog World - A community for African Pygmy Hedgehog Owners and Breeders - Re:Fruits and veggies

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Feeding and Nutrition

General Nutrition

Stasi

Admin

Posts: 635

Fruits and veggies - 2007/07/24 04:55 I have noticed a trend for newbies to feel that feeding veggies and fruit is a mandatory part of owning a hedgehog. This is simply NOT TRUE.

Can anyone enlighten me to where people are getting this idea? Stasi
Terrapin Hedgehogs
Joppa, MD
www.terrapinhedgehogs.com

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CThogs

Admin

Posts: 1560

Re:Fruits and veggies - 2007/07/24 05:41 You're right-it is coming up more often but I don't know why.

To me, the most important thing is to establish good eating habits by feeding them their food mix and making sure that they are eating that reliably first and maintaining their weight. Then and only then, add some insects and see if they will eat those.

Some are such stubborn or picky eaters that to be adding too many other things or making a lot of changes will backfire and they will not want to eat anything. Ann
Connecticut Hedgehogs

We had a great time at Hedgehog Fest 2008!!!

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aislinsadia

User

Posts: 507

Re:Fruits and veggies - 2007/07/24 07:32 I don't know about anyone else personally, but when I told my vet that I was feeding Cotton just kitten mix (she's still little) my vet went to town on how bad that was for her to just feed her that. So she went and copied off from an exotics book about hedgehogs what kind of diet to feed them- included were several different kinds of diets. And several of them included cat mix yes, but also with a fruit/veggie mix added in as a necessity. The article is from "Exotic Companion Medicine Handbook". *~*Steph*~*
Cotton, Noodles & Cocoa (hedgehogs), Kuruku & Kimiko (kittehs), Sushi & Lily (Ryukin Goldfish), Rosy & Ruby (beagle sisters), and Archie & Rocky (African Dwarf Frogs).

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clutterbuster

User

Posts: 513

Re:Fruits and veggies - 2007/07/24 09:23 I think people have been taught over the years that fruits and veggies are good for you and this mentally carries over to hedgehogs. I once gave Pippi a cricket wrapped in a spinach leave, she ate the cricket and spat out the cud and never fell for the burrito trick again. P-k loves watermelon, and I give her that as a treat when it hot so she continues to eat and be hydrated.

Another place that newbies might be getting the impression that hedgies need fruits and vegetables - and I was guilty - is that 8 in 1 can of treats you get at the pet store that has nuts and dried fruits in it... now I know that dried fruits are bad for their teeth.

The Fromm cat food that I've been trying to supplement their diets with has vegetables in it (along with the main ingredient of Salmon and Duck). Other than that I don't waste time trying to feed them fruits and veggies.

I do gut load the meal worms by tossing in a spinach leaf and a sliced carrot. I figure give the hedgie a healthy fed worm rather than one fed on just oatmeal. don't know if this makes a difference but makes the mommy person feel better.

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