# Quill Loss- Bald Patch ok?



## aces_spades (Apr 28, 2009)

Lately Izzy has been losing alot of quills. At first I thought it was quilling as all of them have the ball follicle, but she's beginning to develop a sparse area on her back end. There are new quills that I can see coming up through the skin. At first the quills she was losing were baby ones but now her longer adult quills are coming out. She has relatively dry skin which she stopped skratching after I started putting flax on. Her ears are still round and cute as ever and she is drinking eating running and sleeping like normal. When I take her out at night she's still a little snuggler and happy to take her treat of wet cat food.

Is it normal for them to develop a bald patch while quilling?


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## knitfreak (Jul 17, 2009)

Hrm. I don't think that is normal. Have you checked for mites?


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## hedgie love (Aug 28, 2008)

When they quill the quills can become extremely thin. If this is what you mean and you can see new quills growing in I don't think you need to worry.


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## aces_spades (Apr 28, 2009)

I was thinking along the lines of a fungus just because the follicles are still on the quills and her ears are happy and round. She doesn't scratch often either. The patch has moved from one side to the other so she's growing quills back in


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Normal quilling will not cause bald patches. In some hedgehogs, especially albinos, the quill coat might look not as dense but there shouldn't be any obvious balding areas. 

How old is she?


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## aces_spades (Apr 28, 2009)

She's four and a half months. It's not noticeable unless she's been curled up a certain way. When I first noticed it was on her bottom left side and it's been closing up and migrating towards her head. right now the patch is on her right side about 5 cm from her shoulder. it's about half a centimetre by two millimeters big and last time I checked there were no quills coming through at this new position.

She's not scratching herself and her daily routine remains unchanged. It just seemed odd and I'd rather err on the side of caution


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## smhufflepuff (Aug 28, 2008)

I'm guessing fungal infection. She shouldn't be losing quills to the point of developing bald spots. When my little girl was having problems, I could always see new quills growing in; they just weren't enough to make up for the number of ones falling out. I definitely have sympathy for you and your little one's situation. 

I'd start with the belief that this IS a problem (ie, is not a part of normal quilling) and bring her to a vet and have her checked for mites and fungal infections. Depending on how that goes, you'll know what the next steps are.

Other things that could be playing a role are nutritional and hormonal concerns. How & what is she eating?


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## aces_spades (Apr 28, 2009)

When I first got her she was eating Nutrience kitten food which I have been switching her off of as it has a high fat content. She gets Wellness Indoor Cat, which was the only cat food I could find on reapers list at our local pet food stores) She doesn't like it much. As well as orijen which has deboned chicken and turkey as it's first two products and had the best protein to fat ratio I could find. She still gets a few Nutrience kibbles in the mix as her junk food. As for treats I haven't been able to find anything she likes other then science diet wet cat food. She gets a tea spoon every second day


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## aces_spades (Apr 28, 2009)

She has a vet appointment. I figure my sister will be happy she's no longer stepping on quills lol. I just want this thing nipped in the bud. Iz is still super cute but the patch makes her look a little sad. Thanks all for the advice


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