# squinty eyed, tired, and dusty



## schwester (Jan 2, 2014)

Stza the hedgehog has been acting weird the last couple days. I was away for a week and he seemed fine. I was gifted a new wheel and heat pad for outside the cage to use, so I switched those out and gave him more bedding. He's never had issues with his bedding before. It is aspen shavings and it isn't a new bag. Now he keeps being really sluggish which I thought might be because of the temp change or my keeping him awake but when I took him out he just seems really squinty and dusty even when on his wheel or eating.

Earlier today I washed him off with plain water and turned off the new heat pad and he seemed just fine. I came back home later at night time and he was dusty and tired again. I just washed him off again and stuck him in an animal carrier with new water and food. The air is also kind of dry because of the weather.

I can't really afford a vet and I am unsure what to do if Stza is like that again tomorrow. Is there some other bedding I should switch to? Or does anyone have any ideas what to do? Should I be more worried? 

He is eating and drinking the same but not exercising as much. His poop is normal.


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## ceopet (Sep 20, 2013)

What heating are you using? IF you aren't using anything and your home is cooler than 75 degrees I would run out and get a CHE now. For bedding switch to fleece. If he doesn't get better after you switch these two things, you really should get him in to the vet do what you have to to borrow money.


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## Tongue_Flicker (Jun 11, 2013)

How old is she? Maybe she's quilling?


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## abbys (Oct 13, 2012)

What's the temperature in his cage? A heating pad won't work - it only heats part of the cage and not all the air. Any time he moves away from the heating pad it gets colder and that could trigger a hibernation attempt. You need a heating setup, like CHEs, that heat all the air in the cage, and you need a digital thermometer for an accurate readout. The temp shouldn't be less than 73* and if he's attempting hibernation it needs to be higher, around 77-78*.


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## schwester (Jan 2, 2014)

I think he's 2. I was just suppose to watch him for my sister for a couple months but I'm not sure if she's coming back.

My thermostat says 74 but my place is kind of crappy and the windows draw heat like crazy. I had put one edge of his cage in front of the heat vent in case he was getting cold before I got the heat pad. The heat pad is a Zoo Med tank heater for reptiles. What is a CHE?

I don't even know how I would get him to the vet. Its -8 F outside.

He seems a bit better today. I don't think I could handle fleece because he isn't super potty trained. But I was thinking maybe tearing up newsprint. I have some unused pads of it laying around.


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## xxkrysta (Dec 26, 2013)

A CHE is a ceramic heat emitter. It lets off heat without a light that could upset your hedgehog's night/day cycle. You can find them on Amazon for a decent price. 

Fleece would be the best alternative and if you have six to seven liners, it would be less of a hassle for you. It may be your aspen shavings that are causing your hedgie discomfort, but you'll never really know unless you can somehow get your hedgehog to a vet.

Best of luck to you and Stza.


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Welcome to the forum! Thank you for taking on a little hedgehog friend while your sister is away -- with a bit of luck, you'll fall for him had enough that when she returns, she'll have to arm-wrestle you for custody.

This book is an amazing care guide. Read it when you get a chance; it'll really help.

What country are you in? We can help you figure out how to source an appropriate heating setup.

Fleece really isn't bad even with not-very-potty-trained hedgehogs. It turns out that they mostly go on their wheel, so if you put some sort of catch under it (litterbox, paper towels, smaller piece of fleece), you end up with most of the smelliness easily removable each day without having to do a full cage-clean.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Welcome to the forum. 

First thing - you should pick up a thermometer (digital, with a probe), so you can keep track of the temperature specifically in his cage. Temp can vary a LOT even in just one room, so you need to know the cage temp rather than what your thermostat for your whole place says. You can get a thermometer relatively cheap at a store like Walmart or an outdoor/home improvement store, it doesn't need to be a pet one (since those are usually more expensive.

I would move the cage away from the heat vent. I know ZooZones are more enclosed, but you want to make sure he's not getting any kind of draft, warm or cool - both things can cause hibernation attempts.

As everyone else has said, a heating pad isn't a good heating set up on its own, so getting a CHE set up or a space heater would be the best thing to do. If you get a CHE set up, make sure you definitely get a thermostat to go with it - it's required to keep the temperature steady & make sure it doesn't get too hot or fluctuate much.

If you can't get fleece right away, just put an old pillowcase or something similar in his cage (make sure whatever it is has no loose strings that could get caught around his legs) for one night & see if he seems to like that better than the aspen. I wonder if he's trying to burrow into the aspen to warm up or something and getting dusty in the process.


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## schwester (Jan 2, 2014)

I turned the heat up the 78 added a bunch of towels and put him closer to the heat vent again (that spot is also furthest from a window). He seems better. It was probably a combination of over-estimating the new heat pad's power and the temperature outside dropping. And Lilysmommy was probably right about the burrowing with the dust. 

I didn't know about CHEs before so I'm glad I posted on here. The manual was also much better then the one I had. I'm between jobs right now so I can't run out and get a CHE right now unfortunately. But its top priority with my next paycheck. I'll just have to watch him until then.

I live in Minnesota, USA by the way.

Thank you all for your help!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Sounds like you're doing a great job! Watch the towels carefully as well - nails can get stuck in the loops & make sure there's no frayed edges or strings to get caught in. I hope he stays nice & cozy until you can get a CHE set up! And we're glad to have you on the forum.  Feel free to stick around & ask more questions or join the community if you want, we love having new owners!


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Sounds good!

For next paycheque... I'm Canadian, so no direct experience, but in the US people seem to favour Amazon.

Amazon is usually the cheapest provider for a CHE lamp base (different from a normal lamp in that it has a ceramic socket) and a thermostat (either the Zilla or ZooMed 500W models). You can also order the CHE bulbs off amazon, but the bulbs have a pretty high failure rate, so most people pick them up at a local pet shop to make returns easier in case the bulb is faulty.

You can also check Petco, which seems to have fairly regular online sales.


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