# Hedgie stressed and not eating/drinking



## jryther91

I just picked up a 7 month old hedgie on Wednesday. He has been in his cage every time I have seen him and have not noticed him coming out of his cage at night. It seems from the water level and food dish he is not eating. It has been three days, so I counted his catfood pellets and will see if he really is not eating. If this is the case, is it appropriate to syringe feed him baby food?


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## shmurciakova

When I brought my hedgie home she didn't eat or drink really anything for the first 5 days! Your hedgie is old enough to know how to eat - so I would give it a couple more days. If after 5 days he still hasn't started eating or drinking you may have to take more dramatic action.
What are you offering him? Try to give him a piece of chicken, or egg or some meal worms or wet cat food - just to get him going and to stimulate his appetite. 
Let us know what happens,
Susan H.


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## Lilysmommy

Personally I'd start syringing a lot sooner than that, as in tonight. Hedgehogs don't do well going more than a day or two without food. Pick up some wet cat food (a more complete diet, and also tends to be tempting for some hedgies so he may eat it on his own), or some baby food today just in case. Try getting him out & putting him by his food tonight when you get him out for cuddles and see if he'll eat at all. If he doesn't, I'd go ahead and syringe him as much as you can get in him tonight. If you get wet cat food, get the minced/pate form. You might have to water it down a little to make sure it'll go through the syringe. Make sure you smash it with a fork or spoon to check for larger chunks, and put it all through the syringe once into a bowl first to check for anything getting stuck. Here's the syringe feeding sticky for more tips - http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/foru...yringing-tutorial-syringe-feeding-sticky.html

Tonight, definitely count the kibble to see if he's maybe only eating a little. Make sure food is close to his bed, and scatter some in bed with him & see if he'll eat that way. You could try putting a little wet cat food or baby food (whichever you get for syringing) in his cage as well to see if that's more tempting.

What kind of food are you feeding him? And what's the temperature of his cage? Do you have a heating set up? Is there any light in the room where his cage is at night?


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## JennifeerHolidaay

That's what happened to Oliver when I first brought him home as well ): I kept him in my room at night & listened to see if he moved or had anything to eat. 
No luck ): But finally! (I remember it was a wednesday) I heard him eating :') I almost cried of happiness. 
Make sure it gets something to eat & drink!! But I think he will adjust to his new surroundings soon


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## SpikeMoose

Lilysmommy beat me to the link I was going to share. I would never let one of my babies go more than 24 hours without water especially. It will help us help you if you answer the questions Lilysmommy asked. 
Have you contacted the person you purchased your hedgie from? If something like this happened to one of my babies I would be relieved that the new owner called me!


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## Turbothehedgie

Hi guys, last Sunday.. I picked up my first hedgie! Named turbo.. I have a problem, by the look of his food levels and water, he isn't eatting, this is the 5th day, he's active in the night and etc, I tried feeding him carrot but I don't think he ate it... I need help guys ASAP!, What should I do??? Plz help


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## writergirlmel

First, you have a better chance of getting a clear answer if you start your own thread instead of adding to one that hasn't been posted to in over a year. 

If he truly hasn't eaten or drank anything in the last 5 days, he's probably in really bad shape right now, but if you're just going off "the look of his food levels and water," he may be eating without you knowing. It's really important to know exactly how much food and water you offer each night and measure how much is left each day when you switch it out so you know exactly how much is being consumed. Five days is much, much too long for your hedgehog to go without food and water. 

In my opinion, it's too risky to wait another night for you to measure offered and consumed food to find out if he really is eating. I'd start syringe feeding him tonight and offer food as usual -- while knowing how much you offer and checking how much is consumed. That way, you know you're getting something in him. I'd continue syringe feeding until you're sure he's eating and drinking normally, and in the meantime, I'd get him to a vet as soon as possible. It's likely he needs an initial check-up anyway, but he really needs to be checked to make sure this possible food strike isn't caused by or hasn't resulted in any major issues.

In addition, it takes many hedgehogs awhile to warm up to treats, and some are so picky that they never really do. I'd focus on stabilizing his main diet and getting him settled and eating/drinking/eliminating normally before worrying about treats.


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## Turbothehedgie

Thank you!, he still haven't eattin in 6 days... but he seems to be normal


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## twobytwopets

Not eating in 6 days is NOT normal.


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## Turbothehedgie

I know, I'm going to syringe feed him today


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## twobytwopets

Whoa, we are missing a big piece of the puzzle. You got him last Sunday, Sunday + 6 days = today. Are you feeding the same food as he was eating before? Also is the water in a bowl or a bottle? What was it in before?


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## nikki

Not eating for 6 days is an emergency no matter how he's acting. Fatty liver disease can start after 3 days of not eating. You need to get food into him now.


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## Larry

Syringe feed him as soon as possible.


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## writergirlmel

Turbothehedgie said:


> I know, I'm going to syringe feed him today


At this point, you're way beyond the need to syringe feed. He needs to be seen by a vet. And frankly, if he truly hasn't been eating at all, you'll be very, very lucky if he hasn't developed some major issues due to the delay in getting food into his system and receiving veterinary care. By all means, *syringe feed him now* -- you know, like you were told to do two days ago. *And get him to the vet. NOW.*


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## WillowsMom

I agree with everyone! This is very very worrisome. I would immediately start syringe feeding (grinding food with water or some baby food). My Willow was anemic due to mites which caused her to not eat/drink and could have been fatal. Get to the vet.


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## octopushedge

This is why it's important to create a new thread rather than revive an old one. The mods should make a point of enforcing this - I know I've been on a lot of forums that would rather people revive years old threads than create new ones, so I imagine there can be some confusion on this forum's rules.


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## wagrafka

*Hedgehog formula*

I had my hedgehog for three years now.For the first two I was feeding him dry cat food. He liked it and seemed happy with it. Then I've noticed he was loosing quills, his kin became dry and flaky. The vet advised to change his diet to special formula created for hedgehogs. She said cat food has too much protein. I switched and after a month of antibiotic treatment he grew back quills and never had this problem again. I got hedgehog food on Amazon. It's inexpensive and my hedgehog likes it.


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