# Seems weak, crusty skin, quill loss



## Guest (Aug 30, 2014)

Hello...

My hedgie is about 3 years old. She is fed Wellness Indoor Cat Health, and she has a wheel in her cage that she enjoys running on.

Today, when I picked her up, she seemed weak. Her eyes weren't as bright as they usually are... they seemed dull. In addition her skin was quite crusty, and the base of each little patch of fur was crusty. The skin on her face was crusty as well.... One of her ears is quite crusty looking inside, and she's losing quills.

I'm going to try to get her to the vet today, but in the meanwhile what should I do and what do you think she has?

help!


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

It could be a number of things, honestly. Did the crust appear overnight? Has there been any recent changes, like temperature wise, or to her diet? How warm do you usually keep her? If her belly is cold and she seems unresponsive, she may be attempting to hibernate and she needs to be warmed up asap. Is her skin/face crusty, or does it look like dandruff coming off her skin? She may still be quilling, or something else is irritating her skin. 

It's a good idea to take her to the vet just in case, especially if she still seems weak and unresponsive. Good luck!


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## Guest (Aug 30, 2014)

The crustiness has appeared over the last week. There have been no recent changes to her diet or the climate she is kept at. Her belly doesn't seem cold... Her skin and face are crusty, yes. Some of it looks like dandruff, but most of it doesn't.

I'm going to try to get her to the vet as soon as possible...

She's still eating and drinking, but she didn't seem as excited about mealworms today and she didn't eat as many as she usually does :/

Would it be a good idea to give her an oatmeal bath and wash some of the crustiness off, or should I take her to the vet as she is now?


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## Gnocchi (Aug 30, 2014)

I created an account 

This appeared over the last week or so... I have not noticed it because I haven't been able to play with her over the past week because I was very busy (I only had enough time each day to spray off her poopy wheel, clean out her food and water bowls, and lift up her pouch to check that she was breathing). The temperature that she is kept at/her diet have not changed. She is kept at around 75 degrees. Her belly is not cold, I actually have her in a pouch under my shirt right now and she's as warm as she usually is...

Her face is crusty, and she's losing some fur on her face and around her ears. This is the part that worries me... will mites cause crusty face and facial fur loss? Her eyes don't seem as bright as they usually do, either.

She's still eating and drinking.

I'll try and get pictures to post, she's a very friendly hedgie so pictures should not be a problem, if only I could figure out how to upload them to my computer. :/


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

I email them to myself if I use my phone to take the pic.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Sounds like either mites or a skin infection to me. Definitely going to need a vet visit to see what it is and get her treated. There are different kinds of mites, so it might be a kind that isn't what's typically found & causes problems that most people get with mites. Or it could be a fungal infection or other type of skin infection that's currently just around her facial area.

I'm not sure I'd try the bath. You don't want to get water in her eyes, ears, or nose, which could all be very likely given the area you want to wash. I don't think I'd bother, and just have the vet look her over as soon as you can get her in.


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## Gnocchi (Aug 30, 2014)

I couldn't get an appointment this weekend, and of course the clinic isn't open on Labor Day... she ate mealworms yesterday when I trimmed her claws, but today she doesn't seem so lively. She's quite unresponsive and just seems to want to curl into a ball, and shows no interest in mealworms. She's breathing different, too, it seems like.... or maybe the breathing thing isn't there, and I'm just over-reacting...

any thoughts? I'm just really, really, really worried because I probably won't be able to take her to the clinic till Tuesday.


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

I would recommend trying syringe feeding for tonight and tomorrow to keep her strength up. Just today there were a couple of threads about it with links to the main thread and ideas on what to feed them. 
I want to help and that is all I can think of right now. Feed her. Keep her warm and in clean bedding. 
She has to eat though. I wish I could offer more.


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## Gnocchi (Aug 30, 2014)

She's not reacting at all to syringe feed attempts... I can't seem to get the food and such into her mouth and if I squeeze food onto her lip she doesn't lick it... any advice? Also her breathing has definitely changed, her nose isn't quivering and moist as it usually is and her breaths seem... lighter? I don't know how to describe it 

Right now she's on my lap under a warm blankie.


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

I'm assuming you don't have an emergency vet on hand. That sucks. A lot. 
I'm reading and it seems you have read the syringing thread. Do the best you can. It's all you can do until you can get her to a vet. Whatever she will eat. And as much as you can get into her without overdoing it. If she isn't feeling well she won't really be interested. You'll have to do the heavy lifting. 
Please keep us updated.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

This is starting to sound more like an emergency situation to me, with her breathing. Do you have any emergency vets near you? What about any teaching vet hospitals, a college with a veterinary program, anything like that? I would personally start calling around to any and all vets in the area to see if anyone has someone on call right now.


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## Gnocchi (Aug 30, 2014)

Her breathing doesn't seem to have changed since yesterday, and I could not find a clinic open on Labor Day that will treat hedgehogs... From the poop on her wheel it looks like she ran/walked on the wheel last night. A small amount of food appears to be gone from her food bowl, but not much. I will be counting kibbles tonight and attempting to syringe feed. I did watch her drink water on her own yesterday.

I'll keep you guys updated.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Good luck. I'll be sending you guys good thoughts for the day. I hope you can get her in someplace tomorrow.


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

Same. I've been keeping an eye out all day for your update. I'm glad she is drinking and eating a bit on her own. You and your little one are in my thoughts.

Edit: I just saw the full photo of her. She is beautiful.


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## Gnocchi (Aug 30, 2014)

I took her to the vet today... the vet did a skin scrape and it turns out she has mites. The vet could not find anything else wrong with her at the moment, except that she is slightly underweight apparently (which I was very surprised at, she looks like a little blubber ball to me :3) The vet recommended that I try to syringe feed her unsweetened natural applesauce if she continues to not eat as much as she usually does (last night I kibble counted; she ate 10 kibbles ((much less than she usually does)) and 2 mealworms).

The vet said she was going to give her an Ivermectin injection. When I asked her not to she said that she had used it on many hedgehogs with no ill side effects, but I still said 'no' and asked for Revolution... the vet did not have any Kitten/Puppy Revolution on hand so we are having it shipped to us (it should be here tomorrow or the day after). The vet gave me directions on applying the Revolution and also told me that I should stop using bedding while she has mites and instead use newspaper/paper towels and thoroughly sterilize her cage everyday while treating her for mites. After a certain amount of time treating her with the Revolution I will be taking her back to the vet for a check-up and another skin scrape 

Hopefully Gnocchi will have a good recovery and be happy hog again soon.

Edit: Gnocchi gives thanks for your compliment


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Glad you got her in and found out what was going on! If I can add a couple of differing opinions to the vet's advice...

- I wouldn't use newspaper. They stay wet for a long time after being peed on (or having water spilled, etc.) and can get cold. Paper towel wouldn't be bad though, or you could get a length of fleece or a couple of fleece blankets & cut several one-layer liners to fit her cage. Then you can switch them out every day when you clean & then do a load of wash all together once you've used all but one.

- If you need to syringe-feed her, I'd use something a bit more substantial than applesauce. Baby food is my favorite for short-term syringing because it's easier to syringe than wet cat food (but both are great things to use & wet cat food is better for long term since it's balanced). Popular baby food flavors are chicken, turkey, sweet potato, peas, and carrots. You can mix a couple together, a meat & a veggie, and if you wanted, could also add applesauce. It'll look gross mixed together, but she may not care. :lol: Lily ate baby food mixes that had meat, several veggies, and a fruit or two all mixed together. Looked disgusting, but she ate a tablespoon every night.

I'm glad you insisted on the Revolution. I hope you get it soon and she improves quickly. Let us know how she does.


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## Gnocchi (Aug 30, 2014)

Hmm... I didn't know that about newspaper! I'll probably end up using paper towels, unless I find time to run down to Han**** or JoAnn's and get some fleece.

Are there any specific baby food brands you'd recommend? Is there anything I should double-check for in the ingredients of the baby food that hedgehogs can't eat? Haha, I really just don't want to mess up and make her sick when I finally know what's going on and the road to recovery has really opened, if you know what I mean


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

Could be my first real smile all day. Please do keep us updated.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Organic is best if you can find it. Otherwise just look for one-ingredient foods. The first stage & second stages are best. Usually first stage foods have meat and veggie foods where the only ingredients are that meat (and the meat gravy) and the veggie, etc.if my memory is correct.


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## Gnocchi (Aug 30, 2014)

The Revolution didn't come till yesterday.... honestly I don't know why, I ordered next day air :/ But anyways, I've been cleaning her cage daily and over the weekend I made around ten fleece hedgie pouches so I can switch out her pouch everyday 

I gave her the first Revolution dose today, the vet says I'll have to do the Revolution in another two weeks... it's nice, the Revolution came with like 6 stickers to stick on your calendar to keep track of when you apply revolution. I got really excited, lol.

I was wondering... with Revolution and applying it in such a small amount, what happens if you overdose on a hedgehog? Say, instead of 0.01 ml you put 0.1 ml?


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## Gnocchi (Aug 30, 2014)

I took some pictures during cuddles today (during which she lost A LOT quills):



















....my adorable hedgeball 

I have some other pics, but most of them are blurry :/

I noticed something while getting her to eat mealworms (she ate lots of them today!)... she's been salivating (it looks like the frothy saliva they produce when anointing) a lot when she eats... should I be concerned or is this sort of thing normal?


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