# Worried about my Hedgie!!!!



## BlackRoseImmortal (Jul 25, 2010)

While cleaning Nilla's cage, I noticed that she wouldn't unball herself. She usually does within a minute to check things out. & when I got finished she just stayed balled up. Then she looked like she was trying to uncurl and stretch. She finally did and layed there tired and weak looking. Was she trying to hybernate???? She's not a friendly hedgie, so she usually hisses and she wasn't doing that either. Then I took her out to try to calm her and she wouldn't do anything but hiss at me, so I put her back in her cage trying to see if she's more comfortable in there but she is still balled up. I'm worried about her. : / It's plently warm in her cage.


----------



## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Sounds like she is not warm enough. What temperature is her cage?


----------



## BlackRoseImmortal (Jul 25, 2010)

She is just starting to poke around her cage and is up on her feet. Her cage is at 74 degrees.


----------



## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

Was her belly cool to the touch? I would suggest bumping the heat up a few degrees.


----------



## BlackRoseImmortal (Jul 25, 2010)

Okay, update. I put some more heat on her and she's doing sooo much better. She was worrying me a lot. = ( As to the point where I was freaking and came on here. I just thought she was going to go into hybernation or something and it was too late (even though she was up and moving fine yesterday) Oy! That was my first ever hedgie panick


----------



## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

If she improved with bumping the heat up, then she was roughly attempting to hibernate, not a full on hibernation but slipping into it, though 74'F is pretty warm. I'd keep the heat turned up to whatever you got it at now.


----------



## BlackRoseImmortal (Jul 25, 2010)

Thanks so much for all the help. The bottom of her cage is plastic, is there any bottom heater that would be safe with the plastic bottom to help with the heat in her cage?


----------



## EryBee (May 23, 2010)

Do you have a CHE set up? I have a plastic cage as well (big Sterilite bin) and there wasn't really any way to heat the whole cage with a bottom heat source. There are Snuggle Safe dics, but those would only keep a hedgie warm who was lying on it.


----------



## BlackRoseImmortal (Jul 25, 2010)

That's the kind of setup she's in. She likes to sleep under her fluff, so maybe I should try purchasing one of those and putting it in her fluff sleep area. Would they carry them at a store like Petco or Petsmart do you know? I can try calling them in the morning anyhow. They have such limited Hedgie type stuff in pet stores here in Mass. Lame.


----------



## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Heaters that just heat the cage aren't good for everyday heating of a hedgehog. They just warm the bottom of the cage and not the air in it, so when a hedgie is out and about, wheeling etc, they get cold. If they're hot enough to warm the air as well as the bottom then they're to hot to be safe and can cause low temperature burns. 

You can use a space heater to keep the whole room warmer or a CHE as was mentioned above.

What kind of "fluff" do you have in her cage?


----------



## BlackRoseImmortal (Jul 25, 2010)

She has the sweet dreams fluff that she fluffs up and sleeps under. She has her fleece pile, but doesn't pay too much mind to it, unless she's climbing ontop of it. :roll:

*edited for spelling


----------



## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Unfortunately that fluff isn't safe for hedgies, they can eat it and it can cause an intestinal blockage.


----------



## BlackRoseImmortal (Jul 25, 2010)

Ehh, well that's not good. Shredded fleece for her then.


----------



## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

You can give hr a fleece blanket and an igloo, too. They have the igloos at petco and petsmart. 

Where in Massachusetts do you live? I'm in Mass as well.

She will need a heat source or it will be impossible to keep the temperature constant unless you heat the whole room. There's a thread about heating a cage, you should read it.


----------



## BlackRoseImmortal (Jul 25, 2010)

She has her CHE, and we have a space heater in the room. I'm going to buy a bigger watt bulb for her tonight when I get out of work too. Probably will pick up an igloo, thanks! = ]

I live next to Plymouth.


----------



## Olympia (Aug 4, 2010)

If it's not a heating problem, maybe she's not getting enough light. Do you leave a light on at least 12 hours a day in the room she's in?


----------

