# Rescued a very very young hoglet from pet store; advice?



## Littlefootsmama (May 23, 2010)

I was in our local pet store today purchasing food and I saw that they had a hedgehog. I asked how old it was because it was a very tiny ball and they said "no idea. Got it a few days ago" It was by a cage of parrots and eating dog food. I picked him up and could immediately tell he was too young to be away from his mama: he fits in the palm of my hand and only has a few teefs. I bought him without hesitation and now have him here with me. I have never had a hoglet so young, so breeders I could use any advice or tips you have. Thank you so much!


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

Autumn, you are so great!!!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Get Royal Canin Baby Cat. Count how many you give to see if he can eat them. Petsmart sells a powdered puppy milk called Esbilac. It also comes in goat milk formula. You can syringe the baby that or if he'es got some teeth he is probably able to drink it on his own. Mix it up fresh each time and don't leave it in the cage for more than 3-4 hours at a time. If you can't get powdered Esbilac, the vets sell a powdered puppy formula that you can get. They come in single serving sizes for puppies which will be all you will need for a baby hedgehog. If you get the single serving puppy one, don't mix it all up. There should be an equation for mixing it in smaller amounts. Usually it is 1 part formula to 2 parts water.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Oh wow, how awful! You are such a wonderful person for taking him in! No doubt the little guy would have died there.

Remember to keep him extra warm (not hot, but not just the regular 73*- a heat pad or hand warmer wrapped in a blanket would help, if you switched it out continuously), and keep an eye on how much he eats, to be sure he is getting enough.

And pictures!!!


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Poor little guy! I'm so glad you got him. With LG & Nancy, you know you can't go wrong! I can't wait to hear more about how it goes, what you've named him & to see the pictures. Good for you. I hope you talk to the manager, they need to be a bit more responsible.


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

The poor thing, he shouldn't have been there, especially at that age! Thank you so much for taking him away from that horrible place, best of luck with him, and please keep us posted. Definitely take Nancy and LG's advice, and he'll be just fine. <3


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## Littlefootsmama (May 23, 2010)

Kristina - Thank you! So are you!

Nancy & LG - thank you for the help! He has a few teeth and is able to eat a little kibble, but he enjoys his wet cat food mostly. Should I be giving him the milk instead of water? Or in addition too?

No name yet; pictures soon to come.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

If he is eating canned food and dampened kibble, you really don't need to bother with the puppy milk. Keep track of his weight too.


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## Littlefootsmama (May 23, 2010)

I will watch how he eats and see what I need to do for him. He just ran off with a mushed up chunk of chicky stick. haha!

When he wakes up tonight I will weigh him and report back to you. 


The green food bowl is no longer in there; it was a temporary bowl while I ran to the store.


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## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

Awe, he's so adorable!

He is so lucky to have someone like you adopt him ^-^


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## EryBee (May 23, 2010)

I encountered a baby just like that at a pet store recently. I don't know if you and I are anywhere near each other, but wouldn't it be a coincidence if they were from the same place?


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

He's so widdle. <3 You're wonderful, Autumn, I wuvs you. Under your care, I'm positive he'll thrive and grow up to be as healthy and happy as his big brothers.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Awww, he is little! Definitely big enough to eat the Babycat on his own though, without the need for milk (though it wouldn't hurt to offer it). Hope he settles in well!


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

He is an absolute angel; just like his new MaMa.


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## Littlefootsmama (May 23, 2010)

Thank you everyone for your support; it is keeping me going. I leave for training in the morning and I am taking all three boys with me so I feel a little frazzled right now. I am so happy and lucky to have this new little guy, but I'm not going to lie the timing sucks.

Anyway, thank you again for all your help! He is doing pretty well; he has some green diarrhea right now, but he hasn't had it all day so I'm wondering if it could be from the food -- I gave him some chicky sticks and it seemed to start after that, so I took them out. I weighed him and he is around 93 grams; I talked to some friends and they suspect he is around 3 1/2-4 weeks old.

I need to quick shower and get my butt in bed! I have to be up in 5 hours and I have to drive 3 hours with 3 hedgehogs; yay for me!


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## Littlefootsmama (May 23, 2010)

EryBee said:


> I encountered a baby just like that at a pet store recently. I don't know if you and I are anywhere near each other, but wouldn't it be a coincidence if they were from the same place?


I live in Bay City, MI. I rescued him from Soldan's pet store. Where do you live?



shetland said:


> He is an absolute angel; just like his new MaMa.


 Thank you!



LizardGirl said:


> Awww, he is little! Definitely big enough to eat the Babycat on his own though, without the need for milk (though it wouldn't hurt to offer it). Hope he settles in well!


 Beth is sending me some babycat; he seems to do okay eating moistened kibble for now; I am going to get some puppy milk for him just for nutrition. I want him to start out well.



Sela said:


> He's so widdle. <3 You're wonderful, Autumn, I wuvs you. Under your care, I'm positive he'll thrive and grow up to be as healthy and happy as his big brothers.


Awe thank you so much! You are so sweet!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

He looks older than 3.5 - 4 weeks and for a pet store baby that was probably bred in less than ideal conditions, 93g is a decent size.


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## EryBee (May 23, 2010)

> I live in Bay City, MI. I rescued him from Soldan's pet store. Where do you live?


I live in Madison, WI, and the pet store I saw the tiny hoglet in said they got him from a big supplier in Chicago. I wonder if it's the same.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

EryBee said:


> > I live in Bay City, MI. I rescued him from Soldan's pet store. Where do you live?
> 
> 
> I live in Madison, WI, and the pet store I saw the tiny hoglet in said they got him from a big supplier in Chicago. I wonder if it's the same.


you know which supplier? i was wondering if there are any pet stores in my area that i should be checking.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Nancy said:


> He looks older than 3.5 - 4 weeks and for a pet store baby that was probably bred in less than ideal conditions, 93g is a decent size.


I was thinking the same thing, the babies from my last litter are 4.5 weeks and still have that "baby face" look, this one doesn't. He was probably old enough to have been weaned before selling.


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