# My hedgehog doesn't eat much & sleeps a lot



## Pippa's Mom (Sep 22, 2017)

I got my hedgehog about 2 1/2 years ago. She's about 2 1/2 years old. She recently became blind in both eyes. Lately I have been noticing that she has been sleeping a lot more than usual and she doesn't really get up unless I make her. She also hasn't been eating or drinking as much as usual. She eats adult cat food and mealworms. She does have access to a heating pad, so it can't be hibernation. 

Could this be because of old age or is getting to the time to possibly take her to the vet to be euthanized? 

Any information is helpful!


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

At 2 1/2 she's still young and no where near old. What's the temperature in her cage? the air temp not the temp on the heating pad. Heating pads aren't good for hedgehogs because they only heat the one area and then the hedgehog gets cold when they aren't on that area. You need a heating set up that heats the cage evenly so that there isn't any warmer and colder areas.


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## Pippa's Mom (Sep 22, 2017)

My room is the hottest room in the house and typically stays in between 70 and above degrees. Do you have any suggestions on a better heating source?


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

70*F is to cold, hedgehogs need to be kept at a constant temperature of 75-78*F. You can either use a space heater to keep the whole room warm or a CHE with a thermostat. If you look under the housing and accessories section you'll find a thread on heating.


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## Pippa's Mom (Sep 22, 2017)

Ok, I will look into it. Thank you.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Her symptoms of that of early hibernation attempt. The lack of activity and decreased food intake are classic symptoms. In the wild they don't have to deal with fluctuating temperatures so they have not developed the instinct to move to a warmer area if cold.


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## Pippa's Mom (Sep 22, 2017)

I do know the symptoms of hibernation because she has tried to go into it a couple times. However, these symptoms have been going on for the last month in a half to two months.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

They can go in to a mild hibernation like that that can last a long time without going into a full hibernation attempt. The easiest thing to do is warm up his cage and see if that helps. If it doesn't then he needs to see a vet before he ends up with fatty liver disease.


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## Pippa's Mom (Sep 22, 2017)

Ok thank you for her help. We will head to the store tomorrow and see what we can find to help warm the whole cage up.


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