# Help my baby hedge hog! Don't know what's wrong



## Graciecee98 (Dec 24, 2013)

Hello! I have a baby hedge hog named Kingsley I just got a couple days ago. he was born November 4th 2013. I have the food the breeder have me and he eats, but the thing is he eats VERY LITTLE. He eats at most 8 pieces of the food daily. I've been putting around 15 peeves in his cage and he never finishes it, he is active and loves swimming he still walks around and roams like normal. But even the first day I brought him home he didn't eat a lot. I just thought it was normal until I read they should eat around 30-50 pieces!! He also has very runny poop. It's sometimes green and other times normal dark brown but it's very sticky and soft. When I first brought him home (December 20th) his poop was a bit harder. I don't no if I should be worried or not. He isn't scared.his quills are always laying back and he never tries to pop. He lets me pick him up fine too, I've tired asparagus,apples,lettuce,carrots,chicken and he eats only around 2 pieces then looses interest. Please help!! Tried syringe and he won't let me use it. He only eats when he gets up and it's only like 2 pieces every time he eats then just walks away.


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## abbys (Oct 13, 2012)

He also may not be eating as much because he's also eating the other treats you're giving him, so postpone the treats for now - let him get used to his new home and form a routine.

Also be careful introducing him to all those treats so soon. New foods should be tried one at a time and a little at a time to make sure their tummies can handle it. It's likely his poop is runnier now than when you brought him home because he's overwhelmed by new foods. Stick to the food the breeder gave you, and if, later on, you decide you want to introduce him to new kibble do it by just adding a couple more pieces a day to his current food so he has a few weeks to adjust to it.

Keep observing him to make sure he is still eating every day, but let him stick with his kibble for now so you can see whether it's the other foods causing his poop to be like that, or something else.


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## abbys (Oct 13, 2012)

Also, if you haven't already found this book, it's a fantastic resource and free to download. Must-read for all new hedgie owners!


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## Chloethehedgie7 (Jul 24, 2013)

Also, it may be really bad if he's not eating because he might be sick do to the green stool. I would definitely see a vet. Green stool and runny stool are bad, I would look a lot into that. I hope all goes well and merry Christmas!!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

What food are you feeding him? Agreed with Abbys - I would stop introducing anything new at all since he's already dealing with a lot of new things at once. Hopefully his poop should start to clear up a little bit once he's no longer receiving new foods. One thing you can do is get either small mammal Bene-Bac (pet store) or acidophilus (pharmacy) to sprinkle on his food. If he eats a little of it, it can help re-establish healthy bacteria in his gut.

As far as how much he's eating, that's not really enough, so I don't blame you for being concerned about that. What temperature is his cage? Does he have a light schedule of 12-14 hours of light during the day? I would put more food in each day to make sure he's got enough - 2-3 tablespoons would be more appropriate. With how little he's eating, counting might still be a good idea so that you can still keep track of exactly how much he's eating.

If he doesn't start eating more in a day or two & if his poop doesn't start to clear up, I'd personally schedule a vet appointment in case something's going on.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

As has already been mentioned, stick to his kibble and forgo any other foods or treats. 

Try putting some of his kibble in bed with him. Often if they aren't feeling well or when in a new home, they will eat if it's right there in bed with them.

The yucky poops are probably from being in a new home. If he'es having frequent liquidy diarrhea, that is a concern. Soft greenish poop is most likely just from being in a new home. You can check to see if he'es dehydrated by lightly pinching some skin and then release. It should go right back to normal. If it doesn't he is dehydrated.


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## Graciecee98 (Dec 24, 2013)

He's eating now! He has around 30 pieces a day. His poop is still soft. But not green,and it smells so beyond bad, I gag Cleaning his cage!! I stopped with the treats. I still don't get why his poop smells so bad and is still so beyond soft.


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## abbys (Oct 13, 2012)

Glad to hear he's eating more! Baby poop can have weird smells and softer textures sometimes. What's the protein source in his food (chicken, fish, duck, etc.)? Food with fish as the main protein can make their poop smellier.

Is his stool just soft, or loose like he has diarrhea, and is he drinking enough water? Keep an eye on that because if he gets diarrhea he could get dehydrated very quickly and should see a vet if it lasts more than 24 hours.


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Really strong poop-smells can also be an indicator of a gut-infection... If it keeps up, it may be time to bring a fecal sample to the vet. I don't have experience on how long is enough to distinguish between food-upset vs GI-issues and when it's a wait-it-out vs vet-now issue.


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## Haley (Nov 18, 2013)

Glad he is eating!
Check for dehydration as Nancy described above. 

Did you try the probiotics? 

The wetter poop smells worse, so that issue may resolve in a day or two. Babies do have softer poop, ours was soft until 10 weeks. Also when she quilled it got very soft and some green in it for two or three days.


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