# Suddenly Ill Hedgehog



## megan7098 (Aug 30, 2012)

I'm a first time hedgehog owner and bought my hedgehog off of a breeder about 2 weeks ago. When I bought him off of her, she told what he likes to eat, and we have been feeding him exactly that. Purina Moist & meaty dog food. I did research prior to buying the hegdehog (Harry), including his diet. I looked at multiple lists of food they could eat, and didn't see dog food anywhere on the list. I figured since, she is a breeder, she'd know what she is talking about. As of last night, I noticed Harry has lost a mass amount of weight. On Tuesday night, he was a happy, playful little guy, and now he can barely walk without toppling over. I have googled symptoms for WHS and he does not have any of them except for wobbling. He looks very sickly in the eyes, and doesn't flinch when you go towards his face like he used to. His nose is also dry and cold, where it used to be moist and clean. As of this morning, he's been cold to the touch. I've tried wrapping him in a baby blanket, but he refuses to stay. When I let him down, he tries to play, but is having trouble walking, as I said. He is 3 months old, and I have no clue what to do. I cannot afford a vet bill right now so any help is much appreciated!!!!!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

What is the temperature of his cage? He needs to be warmed up and kept warm. It may be that he is just cold. How much has he been eating and what are his poops like?


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## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

Dog food is fine as long as its within the right nutrient area and all that for what hedgies need. Most don't feed it because of the size, but that's not an issue w the moist stuff. Is he eating it? He may not like it and if he's not eating it then of course he's going to lose weight. Problem is hedgies need food at all times and packaged dog food goes bad sitting out (i wouldn't eat that either). He needs a dry food as well that you can leave out. Check the list again for a decent one. 

What is the temp in his room and in his cage? He may be wobbling cuz he's trying to hibernate cuz its too cold. Bump up his cage temp a couple degrees to see if that helps. 

Is he on a light schedule? Without this it can throw him into hibernation too (hibernation can be deadly for hedgies they can't pull out of it)


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## megan7098 (Aug 30, 2012)

my room is very warm,i also put a heating pad under his cage to try and help keep it warm. ive noticed he doesn't really use the bath room and he has been sleeping alot. i keep him out of his cage all day so he can play. he takes naps through the day, but for the most part he is usually very active, but the past two days he trys to play but cant really do anything. he also hasnt ate in the past two days. and i dont know how to get him to eat. he loves the food that i give him and i make sure i change it. my mom is going to buy him some hedgehog food, i only gave him that because thats what i was told.hes never had a problem eating till now.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

Go to a vet or a drug store and ask for an oral syringe then buy some meat and veggie baby food (the food will have an age on the label if you buy the younger ages it is smoother) then you can feed the baby food with the oral syringe. Also syringe water. As everyone has said keep him very warm. Try using a thermometer near the cage to find out what temperature really is. Very warm for you is not necessarily very warm for a hedgie. Sometimes heating pads can cause hibernation attempts as counter intuitive as it seems. It happens because heating pads don't heat the whole cage only the floor and it usually results in a hedgehog's sleeping place being very warm and other parts of the cage being cold. Changes in temperature like that can trigger hibernation. At this point I'm not sure if taking it out would help or hurt. 

Call the breeder you got him from and ask for any help he/she can give. They may have advice.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

For the long run, getting some hills a/d from the vet to add to the baby food as well will be better as it is nutrient packed and has lots of calories. 

I would suggest getting a bad of RC babycat as well and always leave a good amount in the cage and see if he eats it on his own. The kibbles are nice and small and hedgies love it.


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## Malteaser19 (Jun 27, 2012)

Can i ask why you're keeping him out the cage all day? Hedgehogs are nocturnal, they sleep during the day and are active at night. :/


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## megan7098 (Aug 30, 2012)

Malteaser19 said:


> Can i ask why you're keeping him out the cage all day? Hedgehogs are nocturnal, they sleep during the day and are active at night. :/


He begs to get out of his cage during the day. Even if he is nocturnal, he can sleep out of his cage. I have a little bed for him that he sleeps in.


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## AngelaH (Jul 24, 2012)

Aw your poor little guy . Getting a syringe seems like an important priority right now to get food and water in him. Have you tried offering mealworms? Seems like a lot of hedgies have a hard time turning those down even if they don't want to eat. 
It's not normal for a hedgehog to want to up and playing around during the daytime, he should be in an area that gets light during the day but that is quiet and lets him sleep, then at night the area should be dark but allows him to run around and explore, mine runs on her wheel practically the entire night. It sounds like your little one is wanting to play during the day so he might have his schedule mixed up or not enough light during the day. 
How old is he? 
Good luck! Keep us updated on how things are going!


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Don't buy hedgehog food, its not good for them and some types are actually dangerous. Get some high quality, corn free cat food.


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## MurE (Aug 29, 2011)

Lots of good information already. 

I would definitely try to keep him warm, but do not increase the temperature suddenly. Make sure that it is gradual so that he can come out of hibernation slowly, if that's what he's doing. The best thing is probably to hold him to your body as your body temperature would heat him slowly. If you were to place him onto a heat pack, it would heat him up too fast and would probably shock his body. Also, he would not be able to move off of the heat pack if it got too hot.

I'm not sure I agree with the comment that something that's hot to us might not be too hot for him. If something was very hot to touch for us, it would probably be too hot for the hedgie too. I would compare the temperature against the recommended temperature range and stick with that. Just remember, no sudden changes in temperature. Keep it all slow and easy.

However, it's true that heat packs do not evenly heat the cage.

Although you may not be able to afford a vet bill, you may still wish to consult a vet and to keep that as something you may have to do to save your hedgie's life. If he makes it through this event, start setting aside some money for a future vet visit if needed.

Oh, and agreed about no hedgehog food. Good quality cat food is better for sure. Hedgehog food is full of junk.

Good luck!!!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

MurE said:


> I'm not sure I agree with the comment that something that's hot to us might not be too hot for him. If something was very hot to touch for us, it would probably be too hot for the hedgie too.


The statement below, she is talking about air temperature, not things that are hot to touch. 



> Try using a thermometer near the cage to find out what temperature really is. Very warm for you is not necessarily very warm for a hedgie.


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## MurE (Aug 29, 2011)

Ah, awesome! Just making sure the hedgie won't get burned


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

Thank you Nancy


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