# Extreme Change in Behavior



## Stella123 (Jun 5, 2014)

My girlfriend and I's hog has always been friendly. By friendly I mean she would cuddle with everyone she met and never bit anyone. We are college students and made transitions before from my house to hers at college and back to our hometown. This was done many times but never had an impact on our hog's behavior. Before we moved we noticed she no longer ran, and was waking up at later hours. Since we have been home, her hours have become more sporadic. Waking up only in the early hours of the morning and sometimes even the day. Running has seemed to halt completely, although we find poop on the wheel once in a while it is not the cake of crap and piss like usual. She used to run for hours throughout the night and would usually wake up around 9pm to eat and run for the rest of the night. Its been 2 and a half weeks of being back home and her behavior has become worse, biting puffing hissing, and balling up (which before last week only happened twice since we bought her). Any ideas what would cause such a dramatic turn of behavior?


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## Melanie G. (May 29, 2014)

She could be sick. Is she warm enough?


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## Stella123 (Jun 5, 2014)

no change in temp at all. We strive to maintain it at 78 since we bought her in september till now. She's active when put on the ground and left alone. She runs around sniffs and bites certain things yet in the cage she is uninterested and lethargic (other than eating and drinking). 
I think its important to note since we bought her a new wheel, that was big enough for her, she has rarely spent anytime off it. Lately, when we do hear her hop on the wheel, she runs at a slow pace for less then a 2min interval and hops off back into her hut. We have also been catching her laying down in the hut with her head poking out. This is something that we used to see very rarely but is becoming a daily event.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

If there's no change in temperature or light, and no other changes in her environment (such as smells, new pets, new people, etc. that weren't present last time she was in this house), I'd schedule a vet visit. The crankier behavior & lethargy are both pretty concerning to me. Is she still eating and drinking the same amount? Does her poop look any different?


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## Stella123 (Jun 5, 2014)

eating, drinking, and poop all have not changed. She was just out for a bit an hour ago. We gave her a bath, and she was running around and climbing like she used to. We put her back in her cage with all the lights off, to see if we can hear what she is doing. She hopped on and off her wheel a couple times, and all movement has just ceased. About two weeks ago around this time should would have her entire cage rocking from how fast she was running. Her not running on her wheel is what really caught my attention. Any ideas what may be wrong.


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

Have you checked the wheel? Is it spinning smoothly?

I've noticed that once in awhile the bearings get rusty or something and the wheel doesn't spin quite freely. I took it apart and oiled the bearing part with some olive oil--figured it was edible--and left it to "soak" in for a few days. Now it spins great and she's back to using it like a madwoman!

Has anything else changed? Is anyone using a sonic rodent device? A few times that has been the cause of changes in behavior. 

You do actually have a thermometer in her cage and a lighting schedule? How are her nails and feet?

Just trying to cover all the bases.:wink:


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

How old is she?

What you have described is concerning and could be anything from an illness, heart issue, arthritis, etc. I'd make a log of the changes in her behaviour and time frame and schedule a vet visit.


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## Melanie G. (May 29, 2014)

I agree with taking her to the vet. She could also be bored or depressed (they seriously can get depressed). Switching some toys around in her cage might help with that, but I would also take her into the vet.
When she runs on the new wheel does she have good traction? One of my hedgehogs was very uncoordinated and would fall off her wheel. She may need time to adjust to the new wheel.


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## Stella123 (Jun 5, 2014)

ok sorry for delayed response. She is about a year old, nails have been done recently and are not long. Her lighting schedule has changed a bit, but more due to longer days during summer allowing it to be lighter for longer. Our thermometer is in her cage and to my knowledge gives an accurate reading of what the temperature in her environment is. The wheel is not new one and she has used it without fail for a couple months. 
couple of questions: 
What is a sonic rodent device?
What can be done to combat depression?
Does it make sense she is still sick even though she exhibits normal behavior outside of the cage? If sick then what could it be, and what kind of treatments would be done?


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## Melanie G. (May 29, 2014)

Giving her new toys can help with depression. I switch they toys in my hedgies cages every so often to give them something new to explore. The wheel is always in. You can use cat toys that don't have catnip in them, the cardboard from toilet paper rolls, etc.


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

A sonic rodent device is a plug in device that emits a high frequency sound to repel rodents. Humans can't hear it but most small animals can. There's been cases of hedgehogs having drastic behavior changes because someone plugged one in, in another room.


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