# My hedgie has a weird scab...



## crystaldawn (Jun 26, 2015)

Hi there! 

So this is my first time ever owning a hedgie, so I am newbie! I got my hedgie (Zelda) towards the end of May, and I have noticed she had small little bumps on her snout, almost looking like acne but for a hedgehog. It seemed to get worse the longer I didn't clean her cage (using Aspen bedding) so I started changing it within a week (she is quilling so I thought her skin just might be sensitive right now). That seems to have cleared up now.

Anyway, I was giving her a bath last week and I noticed a small sore behind her ear (thought she maybe scratched herself too hard) and now tonight during her bath I noticed one very big scab looking thing (dark) and the bump was still there on her ear, looked at her other ear and a secondary black scab was starting to form. I am really nervous on what this could be? 

I tried to pull it off with a tooth brush and then a tweezer thinking it was maybe dried blood or poop somehow stuck to her, but she would spike up and start popping, so I'm assuming it was either hurting her or annoying her when I tried. PLEASE help! What should I do? Do I bring her into the vet? In her last bath I rubbed olive oil behind her ear, on her snout and over her quills to help her dry skin and quilling, and now this has slowly gotten bigger....


----------



## crystaldawn (Jun 26, 2015)

Here are photos:


----------



## Flamepool (Apr 11, 2015)

It sounds like mites. When hedgies get mites, they get very itchy and irritated skin. They will scratch until they for open sores. You should probably take her it the vet. It could just be very dry skin, but if it is mites, the vet can put her on medicine.


----------



## writergirlmel (May 16, 2015)

Could be mites, could be an infection. At this point, it's been going on for a month, so you need to get her to a vet.

You need to be spot cleaning her cage every day and changing the bedding completely _at least_ weekly. One of the big drawbacks to aspen and similar bedding is that it harbors mites. You can mitigate that risk by freezing it for 24 hours before putting it in the cage. Of course, switching to fleece liners further mitigates such a risk. It's more expensive than substrate initially, but it's cheaper in the long run.

If the vet does diagnose mites, make sure it is treated with Revolution. Some vets still want to use ivermectin, but it's dangerous for hedgies.


----------



## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Take her to the vet. Don't use any more oil on her until you know what the problem is. If its an infection the oil could make it worse.


----------



## Ally's_Oliver (Feb 8, 2015)

Ditto. It's some form of dermatitis. It's causation could be linked to any number of things. A vet visit is absolutely necessary at this point there is nothing you personally can do.


----------



## crystaldawn (Jun 26, 2015)

Thanks everyone! I got her in today at the vet after I read some comments last night. They gave her a flea and tick oil treatment that doesn't contain either tea tree oil or ivermectin. Leave it on for 2 weeks, before giving her a bath, and clean her cage weekly. Since I just changed it last night and she's medicated, i'm going to not change it, since I want to put the shavings in a freezer for a good 3-4 days and then bring it back home. All those mights should be gone by then. Also, the black stuff on her ears is actually earwax that pushed itself out and formed on the top, hoping that comes off within the next day or two with this medication.

Will keep everyone updated on how she is


----------

