# Curly quills?



## dlwhite (Mar 23, 2010)

My new hedgehog Tenley just had babies 4 weeks ago (surprise!). I was just playing with one of the babies earlier today, and noticed that she has a curled quill on her backside. It looks rather like a cat's claw sticking up through the skin. All the surrounding quills are normal. Has anyone ever had this happen before? I am hoping she will loose it with quilling, but it sure looks odd..


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

One of Quigley's quills is slightly curled at the tip. I have heard of it happening before. I would watch just in case it ever gets poked into the skin other than that it will probably just look weird.


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## dlwhite (Mar 23, 2010)

I was just re-reading it, and think I didn't describe it too well. It is on my little girl Sweet Pea and is very curled. It is not just the tip, but rather the whole quill curling in. It hasn't bent far enough in to be a problem or touch her skin though...


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

Sounds like a ingrown quill.


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## silvercat (Oct 24, 2008)

Sylvie has had some really bent/curved quills. She's also had some flat quills come through. Oddly luckily, with her skin issues she's never really stopped 'quilling' (ie. she's been loosing & regrowing quills all her life), so those quills generally fall out. I just keep an eye for them to poke back or any ingrowns coming in.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Sometimes babies' quills get thin/weak/splotchy/bent when the hedgie gets stressed. I'm not sure if a baby that old would still have damaged quills though, I'd think they'd be shed into healthy ones by now. 

Like Larry said, they may have been ingrown.


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## Herisson (Jan 7, 2009)

Did it look like this? Here is a very thick, curved quill Herisson had. He also has a problem with ingrown and flat quills. Nancy suggested using jojoba oil on his back (not on food) and it has helped a lot.


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## silvercat (Oct 24, 2008)

Herisson said:


> Nancy suggested using jojoba oil on his back (not on food) and it has helped a lot.


 Where do you find that at?


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## Herisson (Jan 7, 2009)

I get mine from The Vitamin Shoppe. 
http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/b ... id=VS-1697


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## smhufflepuff (Aug 28, 2008)

Satin has had a few curly ones... they all grew in while she was having skin problems. The ones near her tail were curly and skinny and have fallen out. But she has one that's curved like Herrison's that's still firmly attached to the rest of her on her back. It's normal width and banding... just curved. It's sorta cute and I call it her shark quill... like a shark's dorsal fin because it sticks up while the rest of her quills lay flat.

So I'd say, if it's an isolated quill that's a little funny and there's nothing else going on that raises your concern level (ie, baby is eating, pooping, gaining weight... all the things that babies should be doing), it's probably okay. You just have a baby shark


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## dlwhite (Mar 23, 2010)

So far I haven't seen any others that are curly or odd in any way. The skin is a little lighter around the area though. I think I might see if it falls out with quilling, and just keep an eye on it otherwise. It really doesn't seem to bother her at all. Thanks for all the helpful ideas!


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