# Hedgehog not pooping...?



## Pumpkin (Nov 6, 2009)

Hi all,

my hedgehog (4-5 months old) has not pooped by himself for 5 days, he has been active (maybe slightly less so) and is eating and drinking as normal. I noticed that he had not pooped and was getting worried, I bathed him in warm water and rubbed his tummy and he did poop (this was 2 days ago) but has not since then either. The poop that he did do was not out of the ordinary, it has been getting very cold here in the past couple of weeks but I've tried to keep the place as warm as possible, do you think it's just down to the winter weather or maybe something more serious? He looks very healthy and is walking/ climbing about fine. 

P.S. Do you also think that I should keep bathing him to make him go since he is not doing it himself?

Thank you


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## krbshappy71 (Jul 17, 2009)

I'll trade you for my Super-Pooper, Whyte. :roll: 

You mentioned its getting colder, what is your heating setup for him? Thermostat?

Do you have a light on for him? Its darker here now so I have their bedroom light on all day from 6 a.m. until about 9 p.m.


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## Pumpkin (Nov 6, 2009)

It's getting colder outside but inside I have pretty much maintained the temp, around 22 degrees C I would guess. I have an electric heater next to his cage to heat him up if necessary. It isn't really dark, he still only comes out at night as usual. I just bathed him today again and pressed his tummy gently and he did a lot of poop.

Someone sent me an email describing a neurological disorder that their own hedgehog has where it will not pee or poop, he must bath it and massage it's tummy every night like I have been doing...maybe this is what is happening here? Casper (my hedgehog) is out running in his wheel, he doesn't look ill at all...he used to poop so much and then just stopped, I don't know what happened  I feel bad for him.


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## Bengall77 (Aug 1, 2009)

If he can't poop on his own then you will probably need to take him to the vet for testing.

Is this a new condition? You said that he is 4 months old, how long have you had him?

It might be the temperature of the room. Try keeping a light on during daytime (I leave mine on until 8pm) and using a heating unit to heat the room. If his cage is near a window or draft he could be getting a chill even if the room is nice and warm. Using a blanket to cover some of the cage might help.


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## Pumpkin (Nov 6, 2009)

I have had him for around 2 months (I think he is actually 5 months old), I don't know anything about the condition and I assume that the person who emailed me was a member of the forum, the condition just appeared in their hedgehog too. Casper is not kept next to a window, he sleeps buried in a pile of soft bedding and has a fleece blanket over him too. What is the meaning of keeping the light on? I'm definitely thinking of taking him to the vet but I'm almost certain that there will be no vet that is knowledgeable on hedgehogs...

Thanks


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

I would continue to bathe him if it's the only way to get him to poop. Are you sure he isn't just going in a place you can't see? Under the liner maybe? If he just seems to be blocked up, make sure he has enough water. Canned unseasoned pumpkin is good for making things more regular. If that doesn't seem to help, I would take him to your vet and see what they think.


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## krbshappy71 (Jul 17, 2009)

> What is the meaning of keeping the light on?


The lighting helps them learn day from night to keep them on a schedule so they don't try to go into hibernation thinking the days are getting shorter. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me since mine hide asleep all day but its still supposed to help them. I do the same thing for my turtle for the same reason after I attended a wildlife class for her. *shrug*

Hm, I hope its not a blockage or anything. But that's a good sign, I'd say, that he's still being active. I do hope its not a lifetime thing.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

You say that you are "pretty much keeping the heat around 22..you think" do you have a thermostat? I know that mine are all kept at 74-76 F which is 23.5-24.5 C. If the temperature is fluctuating that can cause problems too. 

About the light, even though they are buried under blankets, etc, they can still tell that its light out and that keeps their internal clocks regulated so its just as important as temperature. 

I was re-reading your posts..and it got me to wondering...do you have a wheel for your hedgie??

It isn't normal for a healthy hedgie to need help to poop, so I would take him to a vet.


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## Bengall77 (Aug 1, 2009)

The light helps keep their circadian rhythym from fluctuating. Here, in FL, my hedgehog is in a room with a south facing window that gets great indirect sunlight in the summer and lousy light in the winter. So around noon when the light starts to fade I turn on the overhead light.

All creatures actually have a sense of if there is light, even if they are blind. One study that I had to read about for college concerned testing whether or not fully blind people were still sensitive to sunlight. They tested this by shining a light from one side of the room. Every time the blind participants would turn their face to the flash of light, even though they didn't know why. Also, some species of frogs have a specially adapted pineal gland that acts as a third eye.


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## Anny (Jul 17, 2009)

Temperature should be between 23 and 25 celcius, that equals to 73.4 - 77 fahrenheit.

34.5 celcius would be way too hot for a hedgie! That's 94.1 fahrenheit!!!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Anny said:


> Temperature should be between 23 and 25 celcius, that equals to 73.4 - 77 fahrenheit.
> 
> 34.5 celcius would be way too hot for a hedgie! That's 94.1 fahrenheit!!!


I'm betting Nikki made a typo. I'm going to go correct it.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

thanks Nancy, that was a typo...lol...i don't want any cooked hedgies!!


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