# Visor quill question



## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

Hello. I have a few questions about visor quills. I've noticed that Regina's visor quills seem pretty thin. It's almost like the front row of them is bald, and new quills that grow in are always smaller and thinner. I think it's because she's an avid digger and is always shoving her face into the corner of her bag and digging furiously, and I think those very front visor quills take the brunt of it. I was just wondering if anyone had any opinions on this? Here's a picture, you can kind of see the thin-ness of her visor quills.

http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x473/ReginasMama/100_5129.jpg

Also, I have one more question. I bathed Regina the other night, and of course was taking pictures of her. When I went back through the pictures, I noticed on one of her quills what looked like blood around the base. 
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x473/ReginasMama/100_5110.jpg
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x473/ReginasMama/100_5110-1.jpg
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x473/ReginasMama/100_5117-1.jpg
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x473/ReginasMama/100_5117.jpg
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x473/ReginasMama/100_5120-1.jpg
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x473/ReginasMama/100_5120.jpg
*Note* This is from before her fall, so it is not related to that.

Does anyone have any insight as to what this might be? I thought it might be an infected follicle. I put some vaseline on it, and if it continues I will be taking her to the vet. It doesn't seem to have gotten bigger, and now it looks more like dried scab blood than it did when these pictures were taken.

And finally, two happy adorable pics of her smiling because she's not in the bathtub anymore!
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x473/ReginasMama/100_5103.jpg
http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x473/ReginasMama/100_5106.jpg


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## Guest (Aug 31, 2011)

I know visor quills are supposed to be the longest quills on the hedgie for defense reasons and perhaps that has something to do with it being thinner.

No idea what the scab spots are if she isn't having quill loss elsewhere. . .


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## Hissy-Fit-Hazel (Jul 15, 2011)

She is so adorable! I have no idea what that is but wanted to mention that vaseline and those meds based with it usually don't allow good air at a wound, it actually holds infection in sorta. I just know this from the vet telling me to never use any meds based with it (petroleum jelly based products ) on my dogs hot spots and such that need to dry out. 

Hope you get some answers...interesting medical stuffs with hedgies


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## cylaura (Jan 13, 2011)

Hmmmm... Liam has some visor quills like that too: longer and thinner. I'd never really thought about it before, I always just assumed it was normal and it had something to do with the more extreme curve the visor quills have. I wish I had an answer for you, but at least you know you're not alone! 

The pictures of Regina after her bath are so cute. Love a smiling, clean hedgie!


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Visor quills do tend to be longer quills. You are also likely to find some of them are double banded. 

Is your hedgehog quilling? The quill with the red looks like it may not be fully grown in. Honestly I would just check her tomorrow, and if the redness is gone, not worry about it. If she is quilling it could be a new quill that got pulled the wrong way and irritated her skin.


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## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

She's a year and three months old. Could she quill at that age? The thing about her visor quills is that while they're thinner, most of them are shorter. And it seems like along the very front of her hairline/visorline, there's a little bald patch where new quills don't even grow in anymore. But from what I can see, the skin is smooth and not flaky or red or anything like that. It looks kind of like her "reverse mohawk" skin.

Could the front part have been rubbed so much that new quills don't come in? Because she is ALWAYS digging and sticking her face in things, and even when I have her wrapped in a blanket, to escape she pushes at it with her face.

I'll check that quill again tomorrow. Hopefully it's nothing.



Hissy-Fit-Hazel said:


> She is so adorable! I have no idea what that is but wanted to mention that vaseline and those meds based with it usually don't allow good air at a wound, it actually holds infection in sorta. I just know this from the vet telling me to never use any meds based with it (petroleum jelly based products ) on my dogs hot spots and such that need to dry out.


Thank you! And thanks for the vaseline tip. I didn't think about it that way. Would a warm damp compress work better to clean it?



cylaura said:


> The pictures of Regina after her bath are so cute. Love a smiling, clean hedgie!


Thank you! I love when she's clean!


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## Hissy-Fit-Hazel (Jul 15, 2011)

ReginasMommy said:


> Thank you! And thanks for the vaseline tip. I didn't think about it that way. Would a warm damp compress work better to clean it?


 I'm new lol...and if you ever need to know something about dogs I prolly forgot more than most people could learn in 10 lifetimes....but Hedgies I'm just learning too. Maybe someone will respond that has an experienced answer for you. I did read you can use regular polysporin but because that is kind of close to her eye I dunno if I would do that since they are prone to scratching their eyes out  My common sense says it's not looking infected I would just let it be for now.

Would be nice to have a sticky some place that stated what was ok to use (such as saline / salt water/ polysporin/...common things one would use for some pets may be quite different or dangerous for Hedgies)


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

I don't have much to say about the bloody-looking quill bases... I took a wound care class for my job and we were told that for the first 24 hours after a minor skin break occurs, to keep it covered (with a bandage or band-aid) to prevent infection, but after that, it should be exposed to the air so it can start to scab and defend itself. I would avoid anything that will keep it moist, like the vaseline. If I were you, I would stick with using a warm, damp cloth. On the off chance that there is a small infection, the warmth can help draw pus out, and the damp would probably feel nice on it, but would dry pretty quickly. I learned this for dealing with wounds in humans, but I would chance a guess that it's probably applicable to animals as well.

As far as the quills go - Milly has some visor quills that are literally the thickness of maybe 2 or 3 hairs. I know they are quills because they are banded and the ends are pointy. They are normal length, but VERY thin. My vet said that it shouldn't be anything to worry about, as the thickness of the quills depends on how big that particular quill's follicle is (or something like that lol). I took his word on it, but maybe you could research follicles and how they work as far as if the size of the follicle can change? Maybe dry air can cause follicles to shrink? Purely speculation on my part, which you probably realize.


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