# Weight loss.



## jsmanigold (Jan 9, 2013)

I weighed Shelly about an hour ago and she is down from 325 to 322 I am worried. Any ideas?? Let me say she started out at 340 and is down to 322. Shelly is running and eating nothing weird no strange poops at all and she is still eating and drinking and her room is warm 78 and her cage is 80. I feed her a mix of Iams kitten, Fromm grain free adult, Purina cat complete adult and I give her meal worms at night.


----------



## abbys (Oct 13, 2012)

Weight can fluctuate a ton just by having the hedgehog poop. Pig's before and after weights are as much as 20g different, but I've heard up to 30g is possible. So that 18g falls well within a normal day-to-day weight fluctuation.

On a side note, is her cage always 80*? That's a tad on the warm side.


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

How long is the time period between her weighing 340 and 322? Is it just one-time occurrences for each, or is she steadily moving down over a period of a few weeks?

If it's just one weight measurement for each number, within a week or two, it could just be that you measured her pre-poop the first time and post-poop the second or something like that. Hedgehogs can lose a LOT of weight from a poop. :lol: 

However, if it's a steadily-downward trend over a few weeks, that might be something to think about more seriously. Has she been running more than usual recently? Did her food mix change at all since just before the weight changing? It could be as simple as she needs a bit more kitten food in her mix, but if there was no change in activity, etc. to prompt the weight loss, that's a bit more concerning to me, though it's hard to know what to do without any other symptoms.


----------



## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

I agree with Lilysmommy that more data is needed before before a trend can be identified. Sophie is weighed every Monday afternoon. Unless there is a medical need, daily data is of no interest to me. Weekly trend lines are more useful, IMO.

322 grams is fine, but on the smallish side for an adult. How old is she?

Down 18 grams in one week is a lot and would get my attention right quick, it wouldn't necessarily be 'bad', though. A week that is high in wheeling and low on eating can cause that and not be because of a 'problem'. Down that much the next week as well - then that would indicate at least a need for some diet intervention (depending upon other behaviors, of course).

.



> However, if it's a steadily-downward trend over a few weeks, that might be something to think about more seriously. Has she been running more than usual recently? Did her food mix change at all since just before the weight changing? It could be as simple as she needs a bit more kitten food in her mix, but if there was no change in activity, etc. to prompt the weight loss, that's a bit more concerning to me, though it's hard to know what to do without any other symptoms.


Agree. Not enough information yet to make many suggestions

..............................................................

I've had weight issues with Sophie. Keeping weight on her was tough when she was still growing. These days I tweak her diet to keep her from drifting too high. She gets a wet-food diet of ground kibble, meat based canned cat food or baby food, and vegetable based baby food. Our recipe at the moment is (per dish; two or three dishes per night) -- 2 grams ground kibble (Katz-n-Flocken), 4 grams meat food, and 8 grams vegetable food. If wheeling is running low and eating is running high, then more veggies are needed (low energy food). If wheeling is high and/or eating is down, then I decrease the veggies and increase the meat and/or kibble.


----------



## jsmanigold (Jan 9, 2013)

Thank you everyone. Shelly's food did change in that I added two new mixtures and removed the core wellness. I am not able to get it in my local area so I switched to Iams and Blue buffallo with Purina naturals and royal canine kitten and live meal worms. She wheels like crazy! 
As for the temperature I have tried lowering it but she screams (hedgie scream of death) and will not be active so when I raise the temp and found that between 78 and 80 is best for her. She is 16months and I weigh her morning and night and compare weights. I do every other day now. 
This weekend on Saturday we returned into town we had been out of town with Shelly for almost 20 days. She did fairly well with some small drops a gram or so in weight. We picked up our newest addition a baby hedgie 8.5 week old and that has seemed to puzzle Shelly. She initially had the stress green poops but now is back to normal. She has been okay just cuddles with the baby. They have separate boxes do not share but do have play time together. I just don't know what to do about the weight. I bought hills a/d and she wont take it I tried syringe feeding and nothing and tried putting it in a bowl and that was a no go. Any ideas would be appreciated!!!


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Is her weight still dropping? What's her weight at now? How much does she eat in a night? Has her eating changed at all with the new food and having a new animal around? (Also, you didn't mention & I just want to check...new baby is a female as well, right?)

And last question, what are the fat percentages of each of your foods?


----------



## jsmanigold (Jan 9, 2013)

Her weight has plateaued at 320g and she eats about 3.5g a night I weigh and count kibble. Her eating did change in that she didn't eat as much of the food she leaves a bit in her bowl. As for her eating habits with the baby in the house she did did eat less for the first few days so I split them to separate rooms to help the situation. The new baby is a female she is now 9 weeks and 320g. 
The percentages in the foods are:
Purina One--crude protein 34%, crude fat 13%, moisture 12%
Royal canine kitten-- crude protein 32%, crude fat min 10%, moisture 8%
Blue buffalo kitten longevity-- crude protein 35%, crude fat 18%, moisture 10%
Iams kitten-- crude protein 33%, crude fat 21%, moisture 10%
and I bought a pack of the Royal Canine picky cat sampler bags at petco to throw in the food mix:
Royal Canine selective 34/29-- crude protein 31.5%, crude fat 14.5%, moisture 10%
Royal Canine selective 40--crude protein 40.5%, crude fat 13.5%, moisture 10%
Royal Canine selective 31--crude protein 31.5%, crude fat 13.5%, moisture 10%


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Does she look skinny at all or are her sides straight or slightly rounded? It may just be that 320g is going to be her new normal, if it's plateaued there for a while. How old is she? Many hedgehogs slow down their eating around 6 months or so, she could have just reached the point where she's not eating quite as much because she's not growing as much.

Looks like you do have a couple high fat foods in there, which is good with her being a runner. As long as she doesn't look overly skinny and she seems to have reached a steady weight rather than continuing to drop, I personally wouldn't worry too much. 

If you do think she looks a bit skinny, but not sure, you could post pictures for second opinions (ones from above are most helpful). If she's on the skinny side, you could maybe help boost her weight up a little bit more by either taking out a low-fat food or increasing the amount of kitten food in her mix.


----------



## jsmanigold (Jan 9, 2013)

She doesn't look skinny at all. She is 16 months old. She is eating about 14 mealies a day. She doesn't like wax worms or other bugs....she wont eat baby food either. She is kinda picky. I have attached pics of Shelly from the top for additional help as suggested. The first pic is her next to the baby and the other two are her alone. The baby is as of today 320g. Shelly is steady at 322g.


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

She does look to be a pretty healthy weight to me, though I'm not the best at gauging that. I wouldn't worry too much about the new weight! Just continue to keep an eye in case it starts to drop again, just in case. But it may just be a new normal if she's steadied out again. Sounds like the new baby is going to be a bigger hedgie!


----------



## jsmanigold (Jan 9, 2013)

Thank you Kelsey, 
I did weigh Shelly again today and she is steady. She wheeled like a mad hog last night and did much better eating. I am not sure if it was upsetting her that the baby was in the same room. Should they share a room or separate rooms? 
Yes the baby hedgie is going to be huge. Her mama is 600+g and her grandma is 700g. Her father is 500g. So I know she is going to be a huge.


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

She may get used to having the baby in the same room. It may just take her a couple days to get used to the noise of someone else out and about to wheel and eat when she is! If you really think she's bothered by it, you could go with separate, but I would think she'd get used to sharing a room.


----------



## jsmanigold (Jan 9, 2013)

Thank you I am going to slowly re-introduce them into the same room and hope that Shelly does okay. The baby chirps a lot and cries a bit as she is still getting used to being alone. She was kept in the same house with her siblings till we brought her home. She is doing okay we gave her a stuffed animal and a rice hand warmer that I warm at night for her and she drags around with her. Shelly is getting a bit better but taking a bit of time.


----------

