# Rescued hedgehog has difficulty breathing



## julienne (May 15, 2014)

Hi everyone, my name is Julie and today I'm officially a hedgehog owner. I rescued a supposedly 1 year old female off of craigslist today, however, she does not seem to be healthy. Her breathing is labored and wheezy, she's been losing a lot of quills (the previous owner thinks she's quilling, but I know she's older than that) and has not unrolled out of her ball since I brought her home. She is in a temporary setup with fleece lining and a space heater set at 76 degrees. I can see bald spots where her quills are gone, and her skin looks very, very dry. The closest I've gotten to touching her is gently stroking a quill, and she hissed from within her little tent thing that she came with. I have no idea when the last time she ate was, or what she ate, as she came with nothing but her tent. Advice please, I'm just trying to keep her comfortable until she sees the vet in the morning. Thank you in advance!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Poor thing.  Sounds like she has a bad URI, I'm glad you're getting her to the vet quickly. Make sure her belly is warm, 76* should be enough, but double check since sometimes sick hedgies need extra heat. I'd put her food & water close to her bed so she doesn't have to go far to get to it. Make sure you measure or count the food so you can see in the morning if she ate anything. With the quill loss, she may also have either mites or a skin infection. I wouldn't put anything on her right now until the vet looks since oil can make infections worse.

Is there any way you can contact the previous owner once more to ask about food? If not, just be prepared to see green poops from sudden diet change and it may be good to have some probiotics on hand (such as acidophilus or Benebac) to help her out a little with the change.

Good luck, and thank you for rescuing the poor girl. I hope she starts feeling better soon!  We'd love to get updates on her after her vet visit and as she settles in with you!


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## julienne (May 15, 2014)

Okay, so we took her to the vet on the other side of town because I was so worried about her. On the car ride there she finally unrolled and I was able to see her face! Poor Poppy has a healed torn ear.  And they're very dry, as well as some patches on her back. The bald patches that I thought I saw turned out to be just her tummy. Her weight is okay, .8 lbs. Clear eyes and no runny nose! The doctor was sooo awesome. He said that the wheezing I heard was probably just her huffing and hissing. She behaved greatly after being put under haha. No URI, thank goodness! I am so happy to have a healthy hedgie. My next task is sewing her fleece liners and snuggle sacks!

Thank you so much, LilysMommy


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Oh good, I'm so glad it was a false alarm! I completely forgot the possibility that it was her normal huffing and hissing, I'm so used to them. Definitely preferable to URI wheezing, heh. Sounds like she's in a great new home, hopefully she'll warm up to you soon!  And slightly belated, but welcome to the forum!


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## NewAlbinoMom (Apr 7, 2014)

Big kudos to you for being a rescuer!


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## julienne (May 15, 2014)

Thank you both for the support! I was so relieved when I found out my suspicions were wrong. She's in my dad's room (with a space heater set at 78) for now until I get her CHE set up, but I will purchase it online ASAP. I bought a yard of fleece today because my mom volunteered to make the liners. Any help with that would be greatly appreciated! She says she just needs a picture to see what they look like. 

Poppy seems content for now, she's active and she ate some of my cat's food. However, I don't think it's the best choice for my hedgie. What do you guys feed yours? 

I lowered my hand into the cage and she puffed immediately, but then came out to investigate. I was beyond thrilled when she started licking me! And her little paws were on my hand! It was my first real encounter with her, just the two of us, and it made my heart melt.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Here's some stickies with nutrition and food info. 
http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/foru...3034-beginner-s-guide-hedgehog-nutrition.html
http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/23042-recommended-foods-list.html


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## julienne (May 15, 2014)

Thank you Lilysmommy for the helpful links, I read them thoroughly! So far Poppy seems to be doing great, I set up her cage in my room so she is no longer in my dad's room. Her cage is pretty big, it was used for my bunny Lola but she passed away in March.  It turns out a yard of fleece fits perfectly as a liner without me having to cut it or anything. I simply lift the wire top, place it in the cage, and the top keeps it down so she can't move it or dig under it. 

Since Poppy is a perfectly timed 18th birthday gift, my sister decided to give me $150 to spend on her needs, such as a wheel and the heating set up. Yesterday I purchased a carolina bucket wheel without the stand because I want to save room in the cage. So far in my Amazon cart I have:

2 3-inch ceramic bowls
Super Pet Large Rabbit Hi-Corner Litter Pan
ZooMed 100 watt CHE bulb
R-Zilla 500 watt temperature controller
ZooMed Porcelain Lamp Clamp

Is there anything I'm missing? I was wondering if i should even invest in the corner litter pan, it seems like Poppy sort of poops in a corner more than anywhere, but I'm still unsure. Also, should I buy her an igloo? Is there an alternative that is better quality? Right now she's using a little box with a hole I cut out for her, and a fleece square inside that she digs under. 

Please tell me if I'm missing anything, or even if I have it all I'm open to suggestions! I just want to purchase everything at once, or at least most of it, just because it's easier for it to be one transaction. 

Thanks in advance!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

If you haven't already bought it, personally I would drop the litter pan. You can use something like a plastic take out container, a plastic sterilite/glad food storage container, metal pan, etc. and put it under her wheel. Since hedgehogs tend to go on it anyway, a lot of owners have luck with just putting the litter box under it so that the "run-off" goes into the box, and there's that one area reserved for pottying. 

The igloo is up to you. Some hedgehogs like them, if they're stuffed with fleece strips or have a blanket to hide under & arrange to their liking, or a sleeping bag. Some just want a sleeping bag or blanket, and don't care about the igloo. If she likes what she has now, she may like an igloo with the fleece scrap, but igloos also tend to let more light in, which can bother some. There used to be a person or two who sold igloo covers, not sure if anyone still does, but you could check the people in the For Sale section that do bedding.


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## julienne (May 15, 2014)

Augh! I just cleaned out Poppy's cage and replaced the liner when I saw she has dried blood on her bad ear! I know her ears are dry and I was going to give her an oatmeal bath but I guess I didn't act quick enough :'( Should I give her one now? How do I do that? i've never bathed a hedgie!!!! I've included a pic from her vet visit that shows her bad ear


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## julienne (May 15, 2014)

Hello all, I gave Poppy a bath 2 nights ago and she's doing great. It was worrisome because she inhaled a little bit of water, froze, then started sneezing and coughing a lot. I've kept a close eye on her and she hasn't had a runny nose or any other symptoms of a URI, but today I got home and noticed another patch of dried blood under her bad ear. What should I do? I can't get her to a vet tomorrow or now. I think her ears are still very dry, even after her oatmeal bath. Can I apply olive oil to her ears on a cotton swab? Please help


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Yup, you can rub olive oil, flaxseed oil, etc. on her ear to help with the dryness. I'm sorry your previous post went unanswered! Is the blood coming from just the outer part of the ear due to dryness? Or is it coming from the inner ear? If it's coming from the inner ear, definitely get her to the vet as soon as you can, as that could be numerous issues & needs to be checked out. If you end up going into the vet, you could always have them check her lungs as well, just in case, though it's good she's not shown any URI symptoms!


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