# Losing quills... suposed to be 2 years old



## FiaSpice (Jan 16, 2009)

I just noticed today Tangelo shed a couple of quills. He used to shed like one or 2 ocasionally, but while playing with him last night, there where about 4-5 and about 3-4 in his hedgiebag. I really looked close and I didn't seen any mites, just dry skin. Could that cause the quill loss? Could he be younger than the SPCA told me? Any ideas, cause I've never deal with this (beside quilling) in the past. Oh and I saw some little quill poking trough his skin...


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## Pipkin (Aug 26, 2009)

I don't really get the quilling thing, My Turbo is still quilling extensively every night and he is over 3 mths old now, he has been quilling since he was 8 weeks old, and i mean losing loads and loads every night. I didnt think it lasted this long. 

And as for your little baby i have no idea, He surely couldnt be much younger than 2 years, that'd mean they'd guessed totally wrong?

Poor little things, i wish they didnt have to anyway.

Sorry i couldnt help, im just as confused as you with your little one and mine :lol:


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Oh there are a few things that can cause quills to be shed and new ones to grow in that may not require a vet visit.

A few examples: If he was eating a poor diet before and depending on how long you have had him he may go through a quilling. I've had a couple of rescues now that were being fed a lower quality diet shed old quills and grow in new ones. Also large amounts of stress can also cause a quilling. I've had this happen after surgery or some other traumatic health event. Overly dry skin can also cause some quill loss.

As long as there are plenty of quills poking through his skin to replace those being lost, and he doesn't have dry flaky skin, or is scratching too much, then I would assume he is shedding old quills and growing in new healthier ones. You may want to add a drop or two of vitamin E oil or flaxseed oil to his back to help sooth his dry skin and make it easier for the new quills to poke through.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Stress can cause them to loose quills and it can be quite a large amount. The time frame is about right for him to be loosing quills due to stress. I don't think he'es a baby. He doesn't look at all like a baby or baby quills.

As for babies. Sometimes they can be almost in a constant state of quilling for the first 5-6 months as one quilling sometimes leads right into the next one. This is especially true if they are slower at dropping quills.


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## Pipkin (Aug 26, 2009)

Thanks Nancy that puts my mind at rest, Turbo seems to be constantly quilling, i didnt think he had anymore to lose bless him.


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## FiaSpice (Jan 16, 2009)

Thanks guys, I was just overacting and I didn't tought about stress. I just moved in the same room as Litchi this weekend, that could have been some stress too. I think it can be the adjustment to new food, he eats a lot, but the poop amount reduced, that mean he's digesting more good stuff.

He's gonna get a oatmeal bath tonight and a drop of vitamin E to soothes his skin. It's quite dry but I've never seen him scrach...


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## FiaSpice (Jan 16, 2009)

how much is normal, cause he's losing more and I have at least like 25 quills I picked up on his hedgiebag or liners since then. It seems a lot! Could it be something else than stress?


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I've had ones loose hundreds of quills with very obvious thinning from stress.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

I have a small bowl full of NeMali's quills that she lost due to stress (she nearly bit a portion of her tongue off). She dropped quills for 6-8 weeks. I had times where she would drop 100 or more a day. Her quill coat got pretty thin, but she had a huge number of quills growing back in at the same time. Stress quilling can be so much worse than dealing with a quilling baby.

Are there still a lot of new quills poking through?


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## FiaSpice (Jan 16, 2009)

I'll check that tonight after his bath, yesterday was Litchi's "moment". But his coat apears to be fine, so I guess there are other quill poking trough and he's a tad grumpy (I would guess, having quills poking trough your skin). I didn't knew quill lost in the 100s would be normal, I'm a little reasured.


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