# Hedgehog not eating, but running.



## jallenccr (Aug 26, 2015)

Me and my girlfriend recently just moved 3 hours away. Before that, our hedgehog was perfectly fine. She was running every night, eating & drinking properly, and urinating/pooping. She would let us pick her up, and she'd fall asleep on our chest.

Now that we moved (it's been 3 days), she's not eating, but she still runs at night. We just tried picking her up and she just seems different. Is there something wrong? or is she acting this way because of the fact we just moved and its a different environment? If so, how long will it take her to go back to her normal self?

We set her cage up the same way as it was before we moved, so nothing is out of the ordinary for her in the cage.

We've done a lot of research on our hedgie, as it's our first one, but this is different for us. 

Thanks again for any help.


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## octopushedge (Apr 26, 2015)

If she hasn't eaten in three days, you need to take her to a vet. Hedgehogs don't do well with more than two days of not eating


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## writergirlmel (May 16, 2015)

Moving is stressful for humans and doubly so for hedgehogs who thrive on familiarity. She could simply be stressed, the new smells could be bothering her, or any number of other things.

That being said, hedgehogs absolutely do not do well without eating, and I'm concerned that your girl may be starting to exhibit signs of complications from lack of food. Please begin to syringe feed her food and water immediately (see the tutorial in the Diet & Nutrition section) and get her to a vet ASAP to be sure she hasn't developed any long lasting complications and develop a plan for recovery.

As a rule of thumb, changes in appetite -- particularly food strikes -- need to be dealt with swiftly. If Fitzgerald's appetite drops drastically one night, I worry. If it continues a second night, I start supplementing with syringe feeding. If it continues into a third night, we switch completely to syringe feeding the following morning (as soon as I wake up and see he hasn't eaten) and see the vet immediately.


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## jallenccr (Aug 26, 2015)

What's confusing me is she's not acting Lethargic, she is still as active as she's always been. The only thing she's not doing is really eating, but she's drinking. Her poop does not have any discoloration to it. We went to the store and purchased different food, but she just wanted to run on her wheel instead.

I've read so many other forums and they state to really worry when she's Lethargic and not being active at all. I guess I'm confused none the less?


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## writergirlmel (May 16, 2015)

Are you measuring her food in some way? It's essential to know how much she's consuming in relation to how much you're offering -- both food and water -- every single day. If she's not eating enough, it's my opinion that a vet visit is warranted regardless of a change in activity level. It's better to catch an issue early than to catch it too late, and it's better to find out there is no issue than to find out too late that there is.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Even if they aren't lethargic it is important to get food into her asap. The longer they go without eating the less they feel like eating. Fatty liver disease can set in after as little as 2 days without food.


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## jallenccr (Aug 26, 2015)

I guess I should have mentioned in the beginning - Vana is 2 years old. We have not changed her food quantity, and always have done 2 scoops (usually around 30-40 kibbles).

I went to the Pharmacy and purchased a syringe and syringe fed her yesterday. I will continue to do the same the next few days. I've been monitoring her weight, and it has not dropped, nor is she cold.

I appreciate the help, and responses, but also remember that there are several reasons out there that a Hedgie can go without eating, I was basically asking for usually the common, listing my scenario. My hedgie I had before Vana would go sometimes without eating for 3 days, then go back to eating like nothing was wrong. She unfortunately passed away at 7.

The vet had told me she could be quilling again as she's not sick, or any internal issues. He told me to bring her back in a few days if nothing changes.


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## galya (Jan 28, 2015)

Hi, there is something that drew my attention. You menioned that she is pooping and her weight has not dropped although she is not eating at all for a few days. If my hedgie eats only half of what she usually eats for just 2 days she looses about 10-12 grams of her weight and poops considerably less. 
Can anyone explain how a hedgie could stop eating and retain the same weight? I am just wondering ... Probably there is something I am missing.


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## jallenccr (Aug 26, 2015)

Vana is doing perfectly fine now. I syringe fed her for a day, and the next two nights she went back to her old self eating her normal quantity. In all reality, it was probably the move that put her under stress - new environment, new smell, new sounds, etc.

I wish there were more encouraging owners on this forum that took the time to understand there are far more situations that would cause a Hedgehog to not eat. There's no need to be a hypercondriac with your hedgie if you're monitoring everything meaning - her weight, poop, urine, activity, behavior, eye discharge. If a hedgie isn't displaying any of the above, time is usually the answer with some extra TLC.

By all means I'm not saying never take them to a Vet, but it doesn't mean go to one as soon as something is different. They are exotic animals, and just a visit itself is expensive. Not many vetinarians are familiar with this animal. I could have saved myself the $150 (the cost of just my visit) and syringe fed her and gave it a little more time considering she was still seeming healthy. Although, you can still look at it as - better safe than sorry.

Vana receives a LOT of attention and care, and I monitor her very well, but this was just the first time she has went without eating, as I was hoping reaching out to others on here would have been more positive than just saying go to a Vet.

Thanks again for those that did contribute, take care.


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## writergirlmel (May 16, 2015)

jallenccr said:


> Vana is doing perfectly fine now. I syringe fed her for a day, and the next two nights she went back to her old self eating her normal quantity. In all reality, it was probably the move that put her under stress - new environment, new smell, new sounds, etc.
> 
> I wish there were more encouraging owners on this forum that took the time to understand there are far more situations that would cause a Hedgehog to not eat. There's no need to be a hypercondriac with your hedgie if you're monitoring everything meaning - her weight, poop, urine, activity, behavior, eye discharge. If a hedgie isn't displaying any of the above, time is usually the answer with some extra TLC.
> 
> ...


I'm glad to hear that Vana is back to normal.

That being said, I'm not sure anyone said that a little TLC wasn't warranted. In fact, I was the second person to respond, and I specifically said that the move was probably stressing her and causing the appetite change. My first recommendation was to begin syringe feeding in order to get food into her.

The recommendation to go the vet is almost always made because fatty liver disease can begin in 2 days, and it's quite stressful for most owners (and their hedgehogs!) to syringe feed the proper amount of food and water. Obviously, if the probable cause of a food strike is stress, the most sensible treatment would be to syringe feed for a day or two to stave off fatty liver disease, but if behavior didn't return to normal, it's not alarmist to suggest a vet visit to rule out any other cause and make sure other complications haven't arisen.

Please keep in mind that we're kind of between a rock and hard place here. If we say "go to a vet," we're accused of being alarmist and unhelpful. If we don't, and something truly warrants a vet visit, we're overstepping our bounds. If we feel a vet visit is warranted but express it as optional, owners often don't realize the potential severity of the situation and don't go -- many times with sad results. In addition, we don't know the experience level of everyone who comes here asking for opinions. Unless we're given information that tells us otherwise, most of us assume we're talking to someone with very little knowledge or experience with hedgehogs simply because that's the safest assumption. Someone who does have knowledge and experience should, obviously, analyze that advice in relation to their own experience, knowledge, and opinions. (In short, "Take what you need; leave the rest.")


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## jallenccr (Aug 26, 2015)

*Apologies*



writergirlmel said:


> I'm glad to hear that Vana is back to normal.
> 
> That being said, I'm not sure anyone said that a little TLC wasn't warranted. In fact, I was the second person to respond, and I specifically said that the move was probably stressing her and causing the appetite change. My first recommendation was to begin syringe feeding in order to get food into her.
> 
> ...


Mel,

I am more than thankful for your acommodating advice. I don't consider myself that experienced, only because we learn everyday. Even doctor's are exposed to new situations daily. I'm far from considering myself the one with all the answers - which is why I reached out to you guys. I have had a hedgehog prior to Vana, but I was thankful that I had no issues other than passing of natural causes/old age.

As soon as you replied with the suggestion of syringe feeding it was the first thing I did. I probably should have worded my response a bit better instead of seeming to come off as discourteous - because that definitely wasn't my intention. When I mentioned others always immediately saying "Take to the vet" I was just trying to get across, mention other scenarios prior to saying that. Leave "Last option - take to vet, depending on the situation" as a closing statement, therefore as you mentioned "Take what you need, leave the rest".

I can definitely see where you were coming from when mentioning the anonymous knowledge from newcomers. I did lots of reading on hedgehogs prior to becoming an official owner, mainly because they are far more unique than your average pet. They require a lot of TLC. If you see a dog throw up - you immediately just stop and sayin, "Oh he ate something bad" and expect them to return to normal. If you see a hedgehog act in such manner, you spark concern and research/investigate.

With that being said - others as well as you Mel, please take my response as a respectful apology. No harm was meant in my reply.

Thanks again for the help!


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## writergirlmel (May 16, 2015)

jallenccr said:


> With that being said - others as well as you Mel, please take my response as a respectful apology. No harm was meant in my reply.
> 
> Thanks again for the help!


None in mine either. I just wanted to clarify in case you hadn't understood why I gave the advice I did. You're right in saying that I might have been more clear that the vet visit was really needed only if she didn't respond to syringing, if her condition worsened, or if she didn't improve in a few days. I'll try to keep it mind when I'm responding in the future.

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, it's all good. And I'm glad she's doing well.


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