Hefty Hogs

Simply stated, an overweight hedgehog is not a healthy animal. The three most common reasons for hefty hedgies are:

Overfeeding
Most pets get too much food! Be sure you aren't overfeeding your spiny pal. Also, we strongly recommend against free choice feeding. Most hedgehogs eat as long as food is available. Even with quality food choices, this can quickly lead to overweight pets. So, be sure you feed acontrolled quantity of quality food and no more!

For more on this topic, visit Hedgehogs 101.
Poor food choices
Cat food, high-fat foods or other poor choices are likely to lead to weight problems, as well as other health concerns. Also, be sure you aren't overfeeding treats! This is especially important while your pet is dieting.

For more on this topic, visit Diet & Nutrition.
Lack of exercise
Hedgehogs needs lots of opportunities for exercise. Daily out-of-cage play time and a roomy enclosure are important for the health of your pet. Also, be sure to provide a safe exercise wheel for your pet.

For more on this topic, visit No Bored Pets.

If you have an overweight pet, you can start on these recommendations right now. However, don't expect your pet to go from Hefty 'Hog to Slim 'N Trim overnight. After all, he probably didn't become a plump pet that quickly. But by addressing the concerns above, you should start seeing a weight loss before long.

Chronically Chubby Pets

If you have a chronically chubby pet and have tried the suggestions above, remember that weight problems aren't always the result of a single factor. A hedgehog that had been fed a high-fat cat food free choice and receiving limited exercise is, naturally, going to take longer to loose weight than a pet get that only needs to cut back on treats.

That said, we've talked with several pet owners who have chronically chubby hedgehogs. These animals simply won't lose weight. In these cases, you may need to look beyond the usual causes.

Genetics is one possibility. If this is the case with your pet, there may be nothing you can do except assure a quality diet, provide lots of exercise, and remember that hedgies - like humans - come in all sizes.

However, before blaming genetics and declaring nothing can be done, be sure you've eliminated all other possibilities. One possibility we're currently exploring here at PAWPRINT is hyerinsulinemia.

Hedgehogs & Hyperinsulinemia

Simplified a bit, in humans, hyperinsulinemia is a disorder that leads to an overabundance of insulin being released when eating. In a normal person, just enough insulin is released to process the carbohydrates in the food. When this job is done, insulin stops being released and the brain is told "You are no longer hungry."

For a person with hyperinsulinemia, the body doesn't stop the release of insulin, so the brain continues to desire food. This leads to a cycle of eating, not feeling full, and continuing to eat, especially carbohydrate-rich foods.

Also, due to the excessive insulin being released, the body starts conserving energy. This energy is conserved in the form of fat, leading to weight gain. Even when food intake is dramatically cut, a person with hyperinsulinemia often continues to gain weight.

No scientific research has been done on hyperinsulinemia in hedgehogs. However, the description above sounds like many pets, which leads to speculation that some hedgehogs may suffer from this condition. Also, it is known that hedgehogs can have diabetes, which is related to hyperinsulinemia. In fact, hyperinsulinemia and diabetes often appears in the same human families.

The Carbo Connection

Many pet foods - including quality diets made specifically for hedgehogs - contain carbohydrates. Also, some pet hedgehogs get fed lots of high carbohydrate foods that simply wouldn't be a significant part of their wild diet. This includes grains and fruits, as well as certain vegetables such as carrots and potatoes.

These foods are absolutely fine for most hedgehogs. But, if a hedgehog is chronically overweight and being fed high carbohydrate foods, it's possible hyperinsulinemia could be the cause.

Armed with all this theorizing, we began an experiment with the Big Girls, two pudgy hedge-ladies here at PAWPRINT. Neither were excessively overweight, but both were certainly above their ideal size. Of the three foods we offer our hedgies, both of the Big Girls love Pretty Pets Hedgehog Food, but only nibbles at the others.

Since Pretty Pets is the highest in carbohydrates, this initially helped support the thesis that the Big Girls may have hyperinsulinemia. The next step was to see if a change in carbohydrate intake would result in a weight loss.

So, we eliminated Pretty Pets from the diet of these two entirely, reduced the percentage of other processed foods, and added more fresh poultry and feeder insects to their diets.

Within just a couple weeks, both of the Big Girls lost a noticeable amount of weight. When they reached a more ideal weight, the loss leveled naturally. These girls are now being given this modified diet as a permanent feeding program. Thus far, they're maintaining the lowered weights.

Despite our success in this case, two hedgehogs hardly constitutes a valid scientific experiment. Also, if a hedgehog doesn't have hyperinsulinemia, reducing the intake of carbohydrates is unlikely to lead to weight loss. However, for a hedgie that just won't lose weight, reducing carbohydrates in your pet's diet may be worth trying.