# Bloody wounds on hedgehog neck :(



## Ylan'sHedgehog (Aug 12, 2015)

hello guys  i already have my hedgehog for about 10 months now. a month or two ago i saw a bloody wound on his neck area. and the wounds keep re-apearing. yesterday a found out that he nibbles/bites on his neck till it bleeds. i'm kinda getting concerned. can someone tell me why he's doing this and what to do?


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Go to the vet.


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## Ylan'sHedgehog (Aug 12, 2015)

already did. he keeps doing it


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Ok, what did the vet say?


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## Ylan'sHedgehog (Aug 12, 2015)

well, they gave me a cream to rub on the wound and a something that disinfects the wound. but he keeps doing it. and the wound becomes pretty big and deep


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Does this vet have experience with hedgehogs? 
What type of cage is he in and what "furnishings" does he have?


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## writergirlmel (May 16, 2015)

Hedgehogs tend to pick at wounds when the wounds bother them. That's why he's doing it. As for what to do, the most obvious answer is that you have to prevent him from picking it at it either by removing his ability to reach it or by removing the need to pick at it. I honestly don't have any ideas on the former. If watching anointing, a.k.a. hedgehog yoga, has taught me anything, it's that hedgehogs can contort themselves in countless seemingly impossible ways. But your vet might have an idea on how to prevent him from mutilating it or on making it less bothersome. However, you have to contact them to let them know the prescribed treatment isn't helping in order for them to come up with another solution. If your current vet can't help, I'd advise seeking help from a different vet, one with more hedgehog experience if your current vet lacks it.


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## Ylan'sHedgehog (Aug 12, 2015)

yeah, she has experience with hedgehogs. he's in a wired cage (2x3 feet). He can't get stuck anywhere in the cage. he has a wheel, a litter box, a pvc tube, a toy ball and a large igloo he can sleep in. but i'm just worried that his wound will someday get an infection or something like that will happen.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Does it completely heal in between times?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Do you notice him itching at all besides when he bites at his neck? What does his skin look like in general? What kind of bedding do you use?

What is his weight like? Is he overweight or at a good weight?


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Is it always the same spot? If yes, have you had a culture done?

Aside from weight issues, another couple of possibilities for you...

I've had a hedgehog who would chew her skin when she was stressing out. The hedgehog in question basically had panic attacks and would chew on her chest or her feet when she was panicked. For her the problem was a behavioral issue.

With others, I've seen them chew on skin because of bacterial or fungal infections. I know of at least one little girl who had a bacterial infection, they would treat her, it would heal and she'd chew the spot again. The infection kept coming back until they cultured and found the right med

You may want to investigate having a culture done of the spot if it is always the same area. There could be an underlying infection that isn't fully being cured.


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## Ylan'sHedgehog (Aug 12, 2015)

yes it does


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## Ylan'sHedgehog (Aug 12, 2015)

he doesn't itch a lot. his skin looks normal, like any other hedgehog. i use fleece bedding. he's 700-750 grams, he doesn't look overweight.


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## Ylan'sHedgehog (Aug 12, 2015)

It's always the same spot. yes my hedgehog is warm, it doesn't really get cold here. i don't think he has an infection, cause we brought him to the vet and they didn''t mention anything about an infection, they said he was healthy. and what causes hedgehogs to stress out? how can i help him? and what do you mean by having a culture done?


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Going by the weight I'm going to assume we are not talking about an African pygmy hedgehog. 
A culture is a simple procedure where they would get a sample from the sore and run tests on it to see specifically what it is. Just like with humans. They would take a swab or scraping from the area. 

If they didn't see signs of infection and didn't test for it there could still be an infection.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

700 to 750 can be a large APH or it can be a very overweight one. If it was weight related I would think you would see some redness in the fold of her skin, which could be making it raw and itchy.

I suggest going back to the veterinarian. Discuss the matter further. And ask about a skin scraping of the area. There could definitely be something underlying that is irritating.

As for your behavior issue. You'd have to start examining what is going on at the time before he starts to chew the spot. With my girl it was a stress reaction to many things. For her she had behavior issues related to mishandling in her former homes. Her triggers were things like nail trimmings (one home broke her foot so we assumed this was the cause of that behavior), certain noises, walking with her in your hands (she needed a blanket, we think she may have been dropped by a former home), etc.

Another idea that comes to mind. Have you changed your detergent or is the bottle you are using getting old? Again I'd expect to see redness, but if there is a little itch, it could cause him to chew.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Is the wound completely healed when she starts chewing on it again or is it just almost healed, scabbed over? If its almost healed it could be getting itchy and your vet might be able to give you something to stop it from itching.


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