# Help! Hibernating or Dead??



## fieldxhockey

I got Quillbert 3 months ago, he was 8 weeks old at the time. He is normally very active and only huffy occasionally. 

The last time I saw him was on wednesday, I had him out and running around for a good hour and later that evening he was running around his cage. I did not see him at all yesterday but changed the food and water, when I came home from work tonight, i found it a bit odd none of the food had been touched and I hadnt seen or heard him since wednesday night (2 days). 

So I went looking for him, and I found him laying in the corner of the cage, uncurled. I stroked his quills and put my finger under his belly to pick him up. Normally he would have curled into a ball when I tried to do this but I got no response at all. After watching him for several minutes he does not seem to be breathing. What do I do??


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## Lilysmommy

Is his belly warm or cold? Do you have a heating set up for his cage or know what the temperature is in it? Put him on your stomach under your shirt or on a human heating mat set on low. Do you have an exotics vet or emergency vet that you can take him to if necessary?


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## fieldxhockey

he belly is not really warm and not really cold, the temperature of my room is set to 71 at all times. 

I will try putting him on my stomach! Thank you!


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## Immortalia

71 is not very warm at all. And a/c air feels much colder than it reads, so that may be your biggest culprit.

Definitely try warming him up and see if there's any response. Be sure to have some food and water ready, you may have to syringe feed to make sure his internal system starts working as well. If you don't have syringeable food, just soak his kibbles in hot water and mush it all up to that it can be syringed. Just make sure it's not hot when you feed, but lukewarm is fine. If you don't have syringes, your local drugstore should have some. For mine, I just went to the counter and asked for syringes and I got one for free.


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## Rainy

Praying for you and your baby. I'm paranoid and bug my vet about everything, but if he doesn't start moving around soon, I would pack him up in warm blankets and rush him to emergency. 

I'm so sorry about your little guy. Sending Harvey-Hugs to you and your baby.


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## Judi

Not to be gross here, but when they actually die, there's usually some seepage from nose, mouth and anus...not always a lot, but some. Also, they'll start to stiffen up.

Besides putting him inside your shirt, you should put a couple towels in the dryer for a couple minutes and get them warm, then fold them and lay them on top of him so he's getting warmth from both sides.

Good luck, I hope he's okay.


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## DexterTheHog

Any news? is he okay?


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## shortnerdy

Any updates on this poor little guy?


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## fieldxhockey

Thank you to everyone for your help. Unfortunately 3 month old Quillbert passed away yesterday morning. The vet is still running tests, but at this point thinks he had a heart problem, which must have given out suddenly.


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## NoDivision

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that. To go so young - poor little guy D:


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## Quinn

Awww Im so sorry. If it was a heart condition there's probably nothing you could of done.


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## JLF1995

I am really sad for your loss! No hedgie should die young, let alone having a heart problem...


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## shortnerdy

fieldxhockey said:


> Thank you to everyone for your help. Unfortunately 3 month old Quillbert passed away yesterday morning. The vet is still running tests, but at this point thinks he had a heart problem, which must have given out suddenly.


Awwwwww  poor little guy. Enjoy your endless mealies on the bridge lil Quillbert


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## Nancy

I am so sorry for your loss. If he was from a breeder, I suggest you contact him/her and let her know because 3 months is way too young for heart problems. It may be a random fluke but it may also be something genetic. 

Hugs


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## MissC

I am so sorry for your loss...if you can, take a bit of comfort knowing he didn't suffer...even that sounds empty now, tho'.


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## mizgoldstein

I am so soo sorry to hear about Quillbert. may he have all the mealies he could ever dream of! stay strong, we're all here for you!


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## LarryT

So sorry for your loss.  
Hugs


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## PJM

I'm so sorry.


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## Rainy

Oh, I'm so sorry about Quillbert. You gave him a wonderful life in the short time that he had. I know that no words can comfort right now, but know that we're all here for you.

 
Hugs!


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## dooter

My hedgehog Needle has been in a hibernation / sleep with eyes open for the past 24 hours. she was cold so I put her on me with a heating pad on low to warm her. Anyone ever take their hedgies to the vet in a condition like this and see them survive? She is about 5 years old. She is still moving but very very little.


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## nikki

If she has been hibernating for over 24 hours she needs to see a vet NOW, this is an emergency and she needs medical help to survive. It is possible but she needs the help right away.


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## JimmayAnne

Sorry about your loss


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## paullywog

*Prevention is the best way to save a Hedgy from Hibo Mode*

If anyone else is following this thread because their Hedgy is showing signs of going into Hibo Mode, PLEASE TAKE IT SERIOUS, and please go to the Vet Immediately. Sonic my african pygmy hedgehog who turns 1 this month went into hibernation.. We have been in the process of packing for a move so I moved his cage into the bedroom two weeks ago. I had originally kept him next to the sliding glass door where the Florida Sun Rise would shine brightly through the glass door giving some warmth and a nice view of the cruise ships that pull into port with the calming signal horns sounding low, loud, and eloquently when the tug boats pulled them back out to the channel. So anticipating that he won't have the warmth of the window and that it may be a bit cooler in the bedroom, I went to my local Petsmart to get a heating pad and a small source heating lamp. Sonic's home is decently sized, 2.5 by 3.5 foot, he has a plastic igloo hut for a house (a sad premonition of whats to come), a giant Kaytee wheel that he loves to do his marathon training on, and some random toys in there like a golf ball that he always likes to poop on and then roll it around so the poop gets squished. I took him out daily and he loved his chin being scratched and I let him roam the living room every now and then. Surprisingly he had no fear and liked to climb on top of his other roommate our 140 pound lazy American bulldog who would just sleep through Sonic's curious exploration of his paws and legs. While in Petsmart I grabbed a big enough heating pad to cover half the floor of Sonic's studio apartment-like cage. Well an employee stops me in the aisle and asks what I was using the heat pad for and I explained to him the above situation. He goes on to tell me that I don't need a heating pad for a hedgehog and that it's normal for a hedgehog to hibernate. I tried to tell him that no, it's not normal for a pet hedgehog to hibernate. Then he went on to say that he's been in the business 20 years, I don't need anything, my hedgehog will be fine. I made the mistake of relying on his general and broad statement of his 20 year expertise in the pet store industry, instead of inquiring if he ever worked with hedgehogs, so I didn't buy the heating pad. I'm not sure if the heating pad would've prevented Sonic's hibernation because I didn't have a chance to find out. It might've given him a fighting chance against going into hibernation, especially when a second factor came into play. He was active for a few days in the bedroom. Then the curtains of the bedroom were closed one day while I was gone, all day (which was explained later to me after the fact that prolonged darkness combined with my 72 degree bedroom can possibly aid or proximately caused the hibernation). So when I came home and fed him I noticed a change of routine. Normally when he hears the clinking of his food hitting his ceramic sauce bowl he is awake in a few minutes with a hungry nose in the air headed to the food. But this time he kept sleeping. Of course, I had a fear of what was going on. I tried my best to slowly wake him, used a warm towel, body heat, used a dental syringe from a recent wisdom teeth removal to try to feed him some warm water. But.. nothing. I then called the Vet and thankfully our pet doc is only 3 blocks away. A good 7 minute fast walk which seemed like eternity, I had Sonic clutched close as I thought of all the funny memories, like when I put him on our dogs head and he peed on his eye brow and then crawled down his muzzle and pooped on his nose before walking away like a rock star. Unfortunately, even with all the valiant efforts by the team of pet heroes, Sonic couldn't pull out of the danger zone of hibernation. African hedgehogs don't hibernate in Africa so when Sonic hibernated it might have been too much stress on his organs causing shock. Which in the end may have caused his vital organs to fail like his lungs, kidneys.. or maybe his wonderful heart.. and now, mine too.


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## abbys

She needs a vet NOW if she's been in a hibernation attempt for 24 hours. Keep her under your shirt and in a blanket for body heat until you get her to the vet. But she needs emergency care.

What kind of heating set up do you have? Hedgehogs require an environment between 73-78* at all times.


(P.s., Just a heads up, this thread is over 3 years old. It's best to start your own thread as more people will be likely to look at it.)


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## WillowHedie13

*Help Please*

Hi, I recently had a scary experience with my hedgie Willow. She was hibernating and I though she died, I warmed her up and she was back. But I came home today and she wasn't moving, her underbelly was colder than when she was sleeping. When she was in hibernation I could move her limbs, but now they're stiff and I can't. Is she gone or just hibernating.? Please help.......I dont wanna bury her and she be alive........I watched and havent seen her breathe. Please if you know anything respond.


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## nikki

You need to try to warm her up and see if she responds once she's warm. If you're still not sure you will need to take her to the vet to know for sure. When they're trying to hibernate they breathe so slow that you can't see it.


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## sc2001

Warm her up the best you can and keep her warm. You should probably bring her to a vet. If she does respond and warm back up, please get her a heat source. It doesn't sound like she has one. She needs a CHE or space heater. 

Please keep us updates on your little one. I hope she is ok


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## cnclayton

my little one had the same symptoms the other night, I noticed about 45 minutes after I gave him food he didn't get up to eat. he was also laying out of his snuggle sack uncurled. when I rubbed his back there was no response and his quills were all relaxed. I picked him up and he was really limp, I tried giving him water and all but he would just spit it back up. There wasn't a close enough vet to get him too also it was late at night. I tried warming him up for about 2 and a half hours. he was barley breathing and I watched as he took a really big breath and he tightened up and I knew he was gone...


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