# Hair Loss and Yellowness



## KevinC (Aug 16, 2012)

Hi everyone,

I recently (1 week ago) got my first hedgehog from a local pet store. He was 10 weeks old (allegedly) when I bought him. Frodo, my hedgehog, seemed really healthy to me when I got him. The pet store kept him in a ~2' by 1' aquarium on aspen shavings. They fed him a high protein, low fat dried cat food which I purchased and have continued to feed him. There has been no dramatic temperature change (my house is always hovering around 23ºC). However, I chose to use Carefresh for bedding based on the reviews I heard about wood shavings.

The problem with Frodo is that he is loosing hair on the left side of his neck and his skin seems to be quite dry there. He does scratch the area. I noticed this yesterday. The skin underneath his quills was quite dry as well. I bathed Frodo after seeing this and the skin underneath his quills looks MUCH better. I took him out of his cage with Carefresh and put him in a clean storage tub full of ripped up T-shirts. I noticed that he was still shedding hair and a few quills this morning. He still continues to scratch his neck, and there was VERY slight scabbing. Also, there is a yellowish substance in the area around some of his fur which I'm pretty sure is puss. I checked the flakes/hair/quills underneath a microscope and couldn't locate any mites, but I am well aware that it may be the issue. I put some original Polysporin on the area recently.

I have searched for a solution but it seems that the issue could be due to many possibilities (Quilling/mites/infection/allergy ...)

Has anyone experienced something similar to this and found out problem/solution?

Any help is appreciated, thank you!

P.S. this is the only spot on Frodo where the problem is occuring

Pictures:

http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p50 ... 949a97.jpg

http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p50 ... 6f595e.jpg

http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p50 ... ad97a8.jpg

http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p50 ... b1b906.jpg


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## MurE (Aug 29, 2011)

Well, I don't know for sure what is wrong with Frodo, but a lot of hedgehogs have problems with Carefresh. It can cause breathing problems, dry skin, and other skin problems. I have heard of other hedgehogs that lost quills and had skin dryness and irritation from Carefresh. I would recommend taking him off of the Carefresh and switching him to fleece liners. Fleece liners are the recommended bedding for hedgehogs. They are dust free, soft, warm, and washable. They are also cheap! You can get them at the fabric store, cut them from fleece blankets from Walmart, cut them from fleece blankets from the second hand store, etc. You make a set of them and replace them every time they are dirty. Collect them until you have a load and then wash them all together with unscented laundry detergent. 

For the dry skin, you can give him a bath with Aveeno moisturizing body wash, rinse, soak with Aveeno skin relief shower and bath oil, and rinse. It's really moisturizing! I find that it helps Poggle's dry skin a lot.

When in doubt, a visit to the vet is best. But I would still recommend taking him off of the Carefresh in the meanwhile to give his dry skin a break.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I would definitely suggest a vet visit, and do not put any oil on him - it sounds and looks to me like it could be an infection and oil just seals in infections. Glad you took him off the Carefresh, liners would be a better option for him than both Carefresh and ripped up t-shirts - they could have loose threads which are very easy to get wrapped around little legs and cut off circulation.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Lilysmommy is right he really needs to see a vet, to me it looks like some kind of infection. Don't use any oil or anything on him till he sees the vet. The ripped up t-shirts aren't safe for him to be on, they have loose threads at the edges which can get wrapped around a toe or leg and cause amputation.


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## KevinC (Aug 16, 2012)

Thanks for the input everyone! 

Frodo has been moved into an aquarium full of fleece strips for the time being, I am working on getting a liner made. I bought some Aveeno unscented body wash and it worked wonders on the dry skin, but I did refrain from using the oil like suggested. I will not apply any more Polysporin until I go to the vet. 

I called the vet today but unfortunately the receptionist was just leaving as I called. She did not have time to book an appointment but notified me that just to see the vet will be $92.00, which is fine with me. I will call back on Monday and book an appointment for ASAP. 

Thanks to those who replied


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Glad you're getting him in and please let us know how it goes! I hope it'll be easily fixed.


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## MurE (Aug 29, 2011)

It sounds like you're on the way to making your hedgie much better. Yeah, the Aveeno products seem to really help with dry skin. I'm glad the others piped in about no oil in case of mites.

I hope the vet can help you figure out what is going on with your hedgie and that he gets better soon!


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## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

lack of oxygen, air flow, and extra humidity and moisture in an aquarium are prime breeding grounds for bacteria and fungus. aquariums are only good for fish and unless you get him out of there then there's a good chance you're going to have one **** of a time getting rid of this infection and keeping it gone.

even the tub with just the fleece strips would be better


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