# Help! Hedgehog is sick and has mites!



## MissDion (Jan 25, 2009)

So.....I go over to my boyfriends house last night and he tells me his hedgehog is acting funny. She is very lethargic and just laying in a ball and not running around or eating or anything. She drank a little bit of water. She felt cold, so I got a heat pad out and warmed her up and she seemed a tiny bit better. I noticed she has mites ALL over her face. I don't know if she has the mites because she's sick, or if she's sick because she has mites. 

Is there anything I can do for the mites until I can get her to the vet tomorrow? Any advice for what I can do to keep her ok in the meantime? I'm really worried, but unfortunately there aren't any e-vets or vets open on sundays that treat hedgehogs here.


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## dorasdaddy (Dec 23, 2008)

she is trying to hibernate....get her warm ASAP!!!!!!!!!!! and get the temp in the house up. get her to the vet tomorrow for the mites, but get her out of the hibernation thing immediately or you are going to lose her.


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## MissDion (Jan 25, 2009)

How warm should I set her cage to? I put her in a reptile cage and right now its at 80-is that too warm?


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## dorasdaddy (Dec 23, 2008)

get HER cage 72-80. you need to have a ceramic heat emitter with a thermostat. or even just a space heater with a thermometer in the cage. she doesn't need to be in the lizard tank. Im not sure but i think she could get samonela and lizards carry it. also just not a good environment for her. she just needs her cage warmed up, and you need to put her under your shirt or wrap a towel around the heating pad and hold her on it in your lap, get her warmed up fast.


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## MissDion (Jan 25, 2009)

She's in her cage in the lizard cage-but there's not actually a lizard in it. Its a big wood box thats 4x2x2 and has a built in heater. My room is pretty chilly and even with the heat lamp it wasn't getting her cage warm enough, but now that its in the lizard cage she's at 78-80.


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## dorasdaddy (Dec 23, 2008)

make sure she has plenty of ventilation....how small is her cage if it will fit in a cage that size? it is no where near big enough for her


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## HedgeMom (Nov 7, 2008)

dorasdaddy said:


> make sure she has plenty of ventilation....how small is her cage if it will fit in a cage that size? it is no where near big enough for her


Since when is a 16 square foot cage not big enough for a hedgehog?


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## dorasdaddy (Dec 23, 2008)

that is 16 cubic feet, actually 8 square feet....4x2 would be floor dimensions....anotrher 2 feet tall makes 16 a cubic dimension....and my mistake i missed the 4....i just saw 2x2 and a cage that would fit inside of a 2x2 wouldnt be big enough


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

Hibernation is triggered by cold temperatures and light cycles. The room the cage is in should be 72-80 degrees all the times, and you should have a normal light cycle going (12-14 hours of light in the room per day--try putting a light on a timer if there isn't natural light in the room). You can try a space heater, or a ceramic heat emitter to keep the cage warm if you prefer. It sounds like you already have some sort of heater on her cage? If that isn't working, I would recommend trying to find a way to keep the room itself warm enough.
I hope she feels better soon! Have the vet to get you some Revolution for the mites--don't let them use an ivermetcin injection as it has been reported to be fatal in the past.


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## MissDion (Jan 25, 2009)

How do you use Revolution on a hedgehog? I actually have Revolution for puppies/kittens. Do you just put it on her back?


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## Callie255 (Dec 24, 2008)

Yes, part her quills and put it on her skin. You only need to use a drop or 2 of the puppy/kitten Revolution. That will treat the mites.


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

Most people use cat/kitten revolution. Use a drop or two between the shoulder blades or behind the ear.


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