Not eating. Help!

[Hazel]

So I've had Jemaine for 2 weeks now and he won't eat a thing. At first he would eat a cat treat when I offered it to him but nothing else, and now he won't even do that. He's a texas rescue and I recently found out that when he was fed (which wasn't often, quite a few hedgies died:no it was Purina One which I know is awful for them. The rescue agency gave me a different mix of food when I picked him up but he won't touch it. The vet says he is perfectly healthy otherwise and gave me a high calorie food to give him but I have to syringe feed it to him and it's not going over well. It's getting more and more difficult to do because he absolutely HATES it. I have tried so many different things that hedgehogs are supposed to like to include mealworms(freezedried and live), moist and dry cat food, yogurt, fruits, veggies, chicken, scrambled egg, and others but he just won't eat.
Should I just get the Purina One even if its bad? It might be the only food he's ever eaten so it's the only one he knows. I am meeting with a local breeder tomorrow to try more stuff but I am at a loss and it's breaking my heart that there's nothing I can do to help him I was just wondering if anyone's gone through this and if so, what worked to fix it. Thanks!

 

[Eclypse]

Maybe get the the food he was given before, and SLOWLY add in the ther food a little bit at a time.

 

[Melissa]

I say bad food is better than no food. He wont DIE eating Purina One and I know some people who use it in their mix. But he will if he isnt eating anything at all. Go ahead and continue feeding it and wait before switching him. Hes been very stressed with the rescue efforts and probably is still adjusting. When you do a switch slowly add to it.. Count the kibble he eats and then replace with say 10 of another brand and see if he is eating the other brand and keep trying with different types until you find one he likes and then gradually do the switch.

So its not too costly you can go to the pet store or a feed store and see if they have samples for cheap in case he doesnt like that brand. Then you wont have to waste. You can also try emailing or calling some food companies and ask for a sample size and they will most likely send some.. I have done that a few times when trying to find what my gang likes.. I literally had 4 different mixes of foods going at one time because some of my gang didnt like what the others liked.. or they needed somethign different than the rest..

Good luck!

 

[Nancy]

Get him the Purina one but also get a small bag of Royal Canin Baby Cat. I've yet to meet a hedgie that didn't like Baby Cat.

Put some kibble loose in his bed. Often if they won't eat what's in their dish, they will eat what is in bed with them. Count every single piece of kibble you give him so you know exactly how much he is eating.

If he doesn't start eating today, you will need to syringe feed him.

One of my Texan's wouldn't eat for a couple of days and food in his hedgie bag worked for him.

 

[Hazel]

Thanks a lot everyone! I will definitely try everything you guys mentioned. A couple ladies that work with the rescue are helping me now too. I really appreciate it!

 

[Kalandra]

Keep us updated on your little ones progress. I know some people have mentioned that their TX hedgehogs have gone through a bit of separation anxiety. They were so used to being in large groups that finally being alone is, well lonely.

 

[charlie]

If he really hasn't been eating for two weeks, you may need to continue to do a combination of feeding by syringe and Purina One. He needs to increase his appetite again (and that may be by force) so that he is again hungry and will eat his other food. Don't give up, hedgies can be stubborn, we just have to be more stubborn.