How much are they supposed to be eating?

[OscarsMom]

Oscar is supposedly 9 months old. (still waiting for the girl to send me his pedigree papers). He has a small ceramic bowl of cat food in his habitat, but seemingly only eats just a few kibbles each night. I realize he's not a 10# cat and won't be going through a bowl a night, but I'd think he'd be hungrier than what it would appear.

He has eaten some meal worms for me aside from his kibble (he's had about 6 total since i got him last thursday). he doesnt seem to care for anything else that i've offered him on a whim (bland chicken and rice i cooked for my pooches, fresh fruit).

So it's pretty much he's stickin' with the kibble, and not much of it at that. Should this be a reason of concern? He certainly isn't having a shortage of poop. LOL

 

[Melissa]

Is he losing weight or anything? If not he's probably just fine. I have heard of hedgehogs eating bout 20-30 kibble a night where I would see mine eat round 200. They eat what they need for their activity level. I would say as long as his weight is steady or going up and his poops are normal it shouldn't be too much of a concern.

Ive noticed that if I only fill the bowl half way I have to fill it once or twice more in the night. If I fill it all the way up they wont touch it for 2-3 days.

 

[OscarsMom]

I've only had him since Thursday, so it's still way too early to tell if his health is poor due to the little amounts he is eating. I literally haven't had to fill his (very small) bowl since I got him. It holds maybe 1/4 cup of kibble. I do hear him munching every now and then, and he's definitely eating, as evidenced by the poop in his habitat. It just worries me he is eating so little. Perhaps it is the stress of a new home. He's certainly not thin, LOL. I'll give it a while longer and see how it goes.

 

[Kalandra]

It isn't uncommon for them to not eat as well for a bit when they first come home. Try weighing him daily. It will help you determine if he is losing weight or not.

 

[Melissa]

I literally haven't had to fill his (very small) bowl since I got him.

He may not like stale kibble, which can get stale after a day or so of sitting out. Try changing it everyday and see if he eats it fresh. Also Julie and I were talking about it a few weeks ago about how if you feed them less they will eat more(hence my explanation above of a whole bowl taking a bit for them to touch). So try a half a bowl of kibble changed fresh every night and see if that helps.

Give him a little bit to get used to his new surroundings. He may be a little stressed from the move. Like already mentioned, weigh him to make sure he isnt losing weight.

 

[OscarsMom]

OK. THanks for the advice. I've got a sweet digital kitchen scale I can weigh him on, right on down to the gram. I'll also change out his food and see if that makes a difference.

Thanks again

 

[Adhafera]

Just watch him and weigh him. If it makes you feel better you could also count the kibbles so you know exactly how much he's eating. I know, some days Luna doesnt eat nearly as much as she does other days, but she'll always eat when she's hungry. As long as he's still pooping and acting normal I wouldnt be too concerned. Especially since he's also just getting used to his new home.

 

[OscarsMom]

Follow up:

I measured him and his food last night. Weighed his food again in the morning. He ate a whopping 8 grams of kibble, plus 4 meal worms. He provided me plenty of new turds in his habitat. I'll weigh him again this evening so I've got 24 hours in between weighings, and then the charting begins. Wooohoooo!