# What is happening to my hedgehog?!!?!



## xnthius (Nov 3, 2015)

So my hedgehog, hazel, has been with me for around 2 weeks now and has been doing just fine, running on her wheel every night, eating, playing, all the normal things for her. Recently, she has become less social and has started to fall over sometimes when she walks and freezes in place most of the time I hold her. She isn't eating or drinking as much now and is always very tired. I am beginning to worry about her because she had mites before and is still getting treated for it while her behavior is changing. The temperature has been raised in her cage to about 80 degrees Fahrenheit for the past couple days. So far, she isn't getting any better and the vets are expensive here so we can't take her in right now. Do you have any suggestions as to whats happening or how to fix it so I can research and look into it more? Thanks for your help, I appreciate it.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

What was she treated with for the mites? Does she have a light schedule? If she isn't eating you will need to start syringe feeding her. Is the heat in her cage steady or does it vary?


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## xnthuis (Nov 4, 2015)

So I'm not sure what she has been treated with but I do know she has gotten a shot and now has to drink a liquid to take care of it. I recently took her to the vet and found out she has a disease along with breathing problems. I made sure all of these things were looked at so I now know her problem. Her light schedule is dark at night and light through the day whether it's sun or just a lamp. At night it's usually just pitch black with a nightlight on sometimes if it's just to dark. I have started to syringe feed her (thanks for the tip) and she is slowly with all her treatments is already starting to feel better. The heat in her cage stays at a constant rate of 78.9 degrees fahrenheit so I think that's okay.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

It sounds like she was given Ivermectin, the shot for mites. Ivermectin can cause medical issues in hedgehogs and shouldn't be used. I'm not sure what the drink is, do you know what it's called or what it's for?

While syringe feeding you should try to get her to eat 24 to 30 mls of food a day plus water.


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## xnthuis (Nov 4, 2015)

I live in Colorado and do you know of any vets that are actually helpful so that I can get her taken care of well? I also need kinda cheap so I can get her in without having to spend as much because the only one I can find is around 40 Miles away. I am looking for some around the areas of lakewood, golden, and wheat ridge. If you could help me that would mean so much to my hedgehog and I. Thanks! Sorry for not responding in a while.


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## xnthuis (Nov 4, 2015)

And in answer to your questions, I'm pretty clueless I'm just trying to keep my hedgehog alive. I have found something to treat her "cold" and am using that day and night for her.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

You need to give us more information so we can help. Right now, everything you've said has been too vague and we can't do much with that. Please answer the following questions (with specific details & names).

- What disease did the vet tell you she has? Did they give you any treatment for it & if so, what?
- When was the last time she got a shot treatment for mites?
- What are you giving her to treat her cold?
- What is her current status? Is she eating on her own? If so, what is she eating & how much? Is she active? Is she still having trouble moving around & falling over easily, or has that improved?

I realize it's very difficult to take care of a sick hedgehog, but you need to know these details. If you don't know what you're doing so that you're able to tell us what you're supposedly treating and what you're giving her, we can't tell you anything about whether it sounds accurate or if the vet is a quack. Unfortunately, that's not uncommon. If money is tight, you want to make sure you're getting proper treatment for the money you're spending at the vet. If you're a younger person & that's why you don't know the details, then please have one of your parents help you pass information along so we can help you and Hazel.

I can't give any specific recommendations for vets, but here is the listing for Colorado on the vet rec forum - http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/31-united-states/13683-colorado.html If none of them on there are close enough, then you'll have to call around to any & all local vets to find out if anyone sees hedgehogs, how much experience they have, etc. Unfortunately, exotic vets tend to not be commonly found & they are usually more expensive. There are many people that have to drive 40 miles or even more to get to their vet. But she does still need a vet, so do your best. Hopefully you can find someone who knows what they're doing.


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## xnthuis (Nov 4, 2015)

I am sorry for so little info but I'm afraid now that her fate rests in her own hands. I am doing everything to comfort her but according to other people I have talked to, it's not worth it taking her to the vet. I am sorry for the "trouble" I have caused of trying to get you guys to help me and I thank you very much for the help. I will inform you on her conditions maybe everyday and if you think you may have something to share upon what I should do with her then that would help. I appreciate everyone's assistance and I will recommend you to my friends. Thanks!


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## xnthuis (Nov 4, 2015)

Lilysmommy, she is being treated with clavamox amoxicillin for her cold and her current status isn't doing so well. She can barely stand she's so weak for she is having trouble getting oxygen (along with food and water) and is basically trying to sleep most of the time. I am currently having to feed her water through a squeeze tube thing and food by hand. I am not sure of how much food she is getting but she is taking very little. Her condition has not improved but maybe even gotten a little worse. I am scared for her but her only hope for survival is to keep letting us give her her medicine and fighting hard. I am not sure she will make it but either way, even with as little time as we've had together, it's been quite an adventure.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Depending on what is causing breathing issues, antibiotics may not do any good. 
You mentioned she had a disease and the breathing difficulty. We're they the same or were they separate issues? If they were separate, what were you told she had?


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## xnthuis (Nov 4, 2015)

Her breathing issue is connected to her disease. She is having so much snot that I have to clean her nose every couple minutes. Now, it keeps drying up while I'm asleep so she can only breath through her mouth along with getting food and water through her mouth too.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

How long has she been on the anti-biotics? Did the vet do a culture on her? 
A humidifier might prevent the mucus from drying as much.


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## xnthuis (Nov 4, 2015)

She's been on the anti-biotics for about 3 days now. We also don't know where our humidifier is so we can't really do much about that. I don't think the vet has done a culture on her but I do know she is an African Pygmy Hedgehog. She also had been diagnosed with her cold even before I got her just hadn't been taken care of so I don't know if she'll make it anyways.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

You need to get her back to the vet asap, she has an extremely good chance to make it with the proper care and medication. She needs to be put on different antibiotics since the one she's on isn't working, Baytril is used a lot for URI's in hedgehogs so maybe mention that. If she's not eating on her own you need to syringe feed her now, not later. You need to either find the humidifier or get a new one. If this was a child would you just say I don't think she's going to make it and not do everything in your power to help? A pet is like a child, they are totally dependent on their owner/parent. 

If you just leave her like she is with no more help or correct meds then yes she will die. If you help her now then she probably won't die.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

3 days on an antibiotic I'm not sure you would be seeing much, especially because the snot is simply a symptom. Without a culture done, you may not even be giving the correct drugs. 
If you don't know where the humidifier, hunt for it or pick up a new one. If you feel she is already in the process of passing, she deserves to be as comfortable as possible. A humidifier is one of those things that won't just benefit her, but anyone during cold season. 

Also can't remember if you answered this or not, if so please excuse me, what is the temperature of her cage? If it's too cold, it can impede recovery.


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## xnthuis (Nov 4, 2015)

80 degrees celsuis


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## xnthuis (Nov 4, 2015)

sorry. Guys. She passed the day I sent my most recent message. She was sick the day I got her and she hadn't stood a chance for that last couple days because she got ammonia.


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