# smelly runny poop!



## Mara.c33 (Jan 31, 2011)

Hi! i just joined hhc and i just got Sully a couple days ago! I have a couple of poop questions. 
I keep Sully in my bedroom but his poop smell has become extremely overpowering. I wake up at around 6 am everyday and just smell it and can't go back to sleep! Of course, I do know that I have to get used to the poop because hedgies are poop machines but I honestly can't describe the smell, it smells like baby diarrhea or something worse. This is partly because he is having some diarrhea issues. His stool is suuuper smushy and runny and I've been told that it's because baby hedgies have a bit of a rough time adjusting to new food and new water. The breeder I got him from lives a good 2 hours away. It would have probably been a good idea for me to bring some of the breeders water home with me and mix it with my water but it's a little too late for that...i made a slow switch from the breeders cat food (authority chicken i believe?) to orijen chicken and turkey...upon looking at the list of cat food that is recommended for hedgies, i dont think i saw orijen...Do you guys think I should switch back to Authority? I was also told to just give him a few days to get used to the poop and it should just firm up. But it has been about 2-3 days and his poop is still a runny slushy mess, especially in his wheel. Should i give it some more time? Should I give him some pumpkin? He also drinks a lot of water, when he wakes up he drinks water for about 20 minutes straight...so I'm a bit uncertain of dehydration.
I really don't know what to do with his runny poop...and i was wondering if I could get some help from real hedgie owners. that would be so great! thank you!


----------



## Mara.c33 (Jan 31, 2011)

oops i meant *get used to the food, not the poop! haha


----------



## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

I don't know anything about that brand of food,maybe it has alot of fish in it and thats making the poop stink worse? Is he drinking from a dish or water bottle?


----------



## Mara.c33 (Jan 31, 2011)

he drinks from a water bottle! 
here are the ingredients for orijen:
Fresh boneless chicken*, chicken meal, fresh boneless salmon*, turkey meal, fresh chicken liver*, herring meal, russet potato, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), sweet potato, peas, fresh boneless walleye*, fresh whole eggs*, fresh boneless turkey*, fresh boneless lake whitefish*, sun-cured alfalfa, pea fiber, fresh boneless herring*, organic kelp, pumpkin, chicory root, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, apples, cranberries, blueberries, licorice root, angelica root, fenugreek, marigold flowers, sweet fennel, peppermint leaf, chamomile, dandelion, summer savory, rosemary, vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, niacin, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, d-calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12, zinc proteinate, iron proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, selenium yeast, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Enterococcus faecium.


----------



## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

That food is loaded with fish and that's most likely the reason for the horrible smell. Water bottles are not that great for hedgies,the postion in witch they have to drink from is not natural and some hedgies have been known to chip a tooth. A heavy crock style dish will work alot better and allow him to consume as much water as he needs.


----------



## RalphsMum (Oct 14, 2010)

Hi! Welcome to HHC.

It's possible that Sully (like the name!) may need a little longer to adjust to the change of food / water if you've only had him a couple of days.
It took Ralph a couple of weeks to settle in....and he STILL has smelly poop and it has always been slightly mushy...but that's Ralph....I am slowly changing him onto a food with less of a protein content...I notice Orijen does have a high protein content too - 42%, I believe the ideal for hedgies is somewhere around 30% give or take. 
Now..I am just experimenting to see if a lesser protein food (Ralph's current food is 36% Protein and his new one is 29%) makes a difference to Ralph and his poop...and first observations are that it is, but we are in early stages...and it is Ralph....so anything could happen.
The reason i'm doing this change is because in my experience with other pets - and sometimes myself - sometimes a high protein food will cause an upset tummy...I'm just seeing if it's the same with Ralph.
Also like Larry mentioned, the amount of fish could also account for the smelliness.
Likely some other people will come on with possibilities for you to think about.


----------



## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

Hi and welcome to HHC! 

Too much protein can cause kidney problems. You want to stay around 30% protein for hedgehogs.


----------



## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Orijen had 42% protien, which is much to high and can cause kidney problems, and 20% fat, which is to high as well. You want to stay around 30% protien and 10-15 % fat. As Larry said, the fish is probably causing the smelly poop. 

I looked into Orijen food too because of all the good ingredients, maybe you can look into the Acana food? its got good ingredients but is lower in fat and protien.


----------



## Mara.c33 (Jan 31, 2011)

thank you for all the sweet and excellent advice! 
nikki i will definitely look into acana.
i feel so bad for my poor hedgie :"(


----------



## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

Mara.c33 said:


> thank you for all the sweet and excellent advice!
> nikki i will definitely look into acana.
> i feel so bad for my poor hedgie :"(


Don't feel bad, it's great that you're researching and willing to accept advice! I'm sure your hedgie will be very thankful!


----------



## ThePliny (Jun 3, 2010)

In the meantime, you can feed unseasoned pumpkin (cooked or canned pumpkin) to help her the poop issue - it will help harden the stools.


----------

