Why mix foods?

[TidewaterSTO]

Hi everyone,
Just a quick question. I apologize if this is redundant; I tried to do a search but couldn't come up with the answer I was looking for. Why is it the norm to mix high quality cat foods (and often one lesser quality food, I realize) for hedgehogs? Is it primarily for variety? Or is this a way to further ensure that they are receiving an adequate amount of protein, fat, and fiber? I'm just wondering if one could achieve the same level of long-term health by feeding a single high quality kibble containing ideal nutrient values for hedgies. Thanks in advance for any insight.

 

[Nancy]

We don't really know exactly what hedgehogs need nutritionally so a mix of foods gives a wider variety and hopefully all their nutritional needs will be covered.

 

[smhufflepuff]

Adding to what Nancy said, it's good to feed a mix because if the kibble you feed to your hedgie is discontinued, is recalled, changes formulation (taste, texture, size, or shape), or is otherwise unavailable, there could be a problem. In general, hedgies do not adapt well to sudden dietary changes. Some will refuse to eat the new stuff - depending on how inflexible they are, this could lead to some pretty serious health problems that will require intervention. Others will eat the new stuff, but they get the mean greenies - messy, tarry, green poops.

So it's easier to feed a couple types of food and, if one goes "bad," you can just drop it from the line-up and keep feeding the others until you find another kibble that hedgie will accept back into the mix.