# ~~hedgehog lying on her side. looks funny~~



## chris (Aug 24, 2009)

Hello HedgehogCentral,

So my hedgehog has been lying on her side recently, and isn't as responsive as before and is not acting normally. Could it be the change in weather? or any common reasons why this may be happening? she is about 6 months old.

thank you


















please right click and view image. it's cropping my picture oddly on the forum


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## chris (Aug 24, 2009)

also, I think my hedgehog had a bite of some styrofoam that was being used as a liner so we removed that right away. Are there cases of styrofoam causing problems in hedgehogs? what should I do


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I replied to your pm before I realized you posted here.


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## Hedgiepets (Aug 21, 2008)

What is the temperature? Could she be too hot?


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

That is a strange way to sleep. 

My first hedgehog did something similar when I tried to switch him to a water bottle. He got dehydrated because he wouldn't use it and ended up sprawled out beside the door to the igloo. When I put his bowl back he was fine. I have since learned that bowls are better for them anyway. 

Also her food looks sort of hard to get to. Is that where it is normally placed? How does she get on top of the igloo? Hedgehogs are not normally encouraged to climb because falling can cause serious injuries. 

Finally if she did swallow some Styrofoam that could be causing a blockage and she would need to go to the vet. 

My advice is that if you don't think this strange behaviour is caused by, dehydration, hunger, or temperature then go to the vet right away. If it could be one or all of the above then I would make the food more accessible, switch to a water bowl, and try to change the temperature in the cage so it is 75º (if possible to cool it down). If you do that and don't see changes in a day then I would take her to the vet.


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## Herisson (Jan 7, 2009)

hedgielover said:


> That is a strange way to sleep.
> 
> My first hedgehog did something similar when I tried to switch him to a water bottle. He got dehydrated because he wouldn't use it and ended up sprawled out beside the door to the igloo. When I put his bowl back he was fine. I have since learned that bowls are better for them anyway.


I was wondering about the water bottle also. It looks dry but it's hard to tell looking at a picture. I had one of my rats go at his bottle for a long time once and checked the bottle to find no water was coming out. The little ball was jammed. I like bowls for hedgehog better also.

Your hedgehog is really pretty.


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## silvercat (Oct 24, 2008)

Going totally the other way on a suggestion, could it be a ventilation or smell thing? It looks like she's trying to get her nose in the area without a lot of effort (ie. the plastic holding her up). How frequent do you clean her cage? Is it humid or stinky in there? It looks like an aquarium, so best to actually try to get down to the liners for an odor check & humidity/ventilation check.


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## LyzziFall (Oct 2, 2009)

I am in the middle of PMing him about the aquarium. Apparently he didn't know it was a bad choice of enclosure.


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## chris (Aug 24, 2009)

alright, thanks for the responses. I figured if i just left the aquarium without a top it would be enough ventilation. Also, she pooped regularly last night, so that was a good sign. I think it definitely might be a space issue but I'm not sure. Thanks for all the suggestions. The reason why we put her in an aquarium was because that was what the owner of the pet shop suggested. I will definitely look into the sterilite bin cages here on this site


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## chris (Aug 24, 2009)

also, the temperature is at a constant 75 degrees and she's drinking water. I'm not sure how much she is eating though, because I could not count the pellets


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

just out of curiosity...what is the big brown thing?


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

It looks like a rock... :lol:


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

that's what i thought...lol


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## Bengall77 (Aug 1, 2009)

Aside from the cage being a glass aquarium it looks like it is WAY too tiny. The igloo also looks too small for your hedgehog. Hedgehogs need at least 2 square feet of space in order to fit their hiding place, their wheel, and their food and water dishes. If you use an aquarium, which I and most everyone on the site don't recommend, then it needs to be about 30 gallons in order to be big enough. You are better off using a 126qt. Sterilite plastic bin from Wal-Mart. It costs about $8 and can be modified to include vents and air holes. Some people even link 2 or three plastic tubs with dryer vents or 4" pvc pipes. Or if you aren't a DIY person then I suggest buying a guinea pig or rabbit size cage from a pet store as long as it has a solid bottom. Something like this works well and is large enough to accommodate a proper size wheel. http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753290&lmdn=Pet+Type


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

Also highly recommend getting a larger space for your hedgie. I just bought the exact same case setup for my little fella about two weeks ago. He loves the extra space compared to the smaller pen we had for him. Lots of room for his large wheel and hedgie hut. 
R.


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