# I don't know what's wrong with my hedgehog!



## HaileyD (Jan 22, 2014)

I'm really worried about my hedgehog, pepper.
I got pepper about 3 weeks ago and she's been fine. She doesn't necessarily have a preference to sleep all day or all night she kind of just sleeps and plays when she wants. She is usually a little more active at night though. Well yesterday she didn't eat a thing all night and slept all night long an that whole day before. When I moved her little hut she was curled up in a ball and wouldn't move at all. I picked her up and she wouldn't unball for nothing. I was scared that due to the weather change she was trying to hibernate. So I put her in a warm towel and took her to the vet. Halfway to the vet she came around and unballed. But I went ahead and let the vet look at her. She did gain 35 g in 2 weeks so I'm thinking she MAY be pregnant since she was in a cage with a breeder male when I got her. So today she did eat but for the most part she just slept. Tonight when I got home I went to check on her and she was sleeping so I got her to come out. She went to her food bowl and sat there shaking for like 3 minutes. It is really worrying me cause I'm not sure if maybe this is a syptom of pregnancy or something else. Idk if her eating habits changed since I did only get her 3 weeks ago she's always ate a lot if food. Any ideas?? The shaking really did freak me out idk what that was.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

How old is Pepper? What temperature is her cage? Do you have a heating set up for her? What about a lighting schedule with 12-14 hours of light a day?

She could potentially be pregnant & you'll have to keep on watch until 50 days from the day you got her, the last time she would've been with the male. Make sure that you have her on a loose bedding, her cage is in an area where you can avoid it and make sure she's staying isolated and calm, and that you've been reading up on the emergency baby stickies and such. Good luck and hopefully she's not pregnant! If she's very young (under 6 months), or over 1 year, make sure you notify your vet of the possible pregnancy if they don't already know, in case she has difficulties and needs an emergency visit.


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## HaileyD (Jan 22, 2014)

She's about 4-5 months old. I have a heat lamp over her cage I don't keep it too high cause I don't want her to get too warm. Her cage stays in my room. And I usually keep my lights off when I'm not home so maybe I need to leave them on so she gets on a regular schedule. I've already talked to the vet about the possible pregnancy and she said it's really hard to tell until she actually has them. She's gained weight and looks a little bigger. But anything about her shaking. It was a much different shake from her just being scared or something. She just stood there and kinda shook. I took a video in case something happens and I need to show the vet.


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Here's the Emergency Baby Advice thread. Sounds like it'd be a good idea to read it just-in-case...


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

It'd be a good idea to put a digital thermometer with a probe in her cage. You want to know what the exact temperature is. Do you have a thermostat to control the CHE lamp? 

Yup, you need to make sure she's getting 12-14 hours of light a day, so make sure you leave a light on for her near her cage. If you want, a timer can be bought for $5-10 and you can set it so it turns the light on/off at the same times every day so you don't have to worry about forgetting. Lack of light can cause hibernation issues too.

My guess is the shaking could be related to not being warm enough, but that may not be the case. Either way (and especially since she's pregnant), definitely get a thermometer so you can be sure of her cage temp, and make sure she gets on a light schedule. Both of those will be better for her if she's pregnant or gives birth.

One more question...what kind of food is she on?


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## HaileyD (Jan 22, 2014)

I didn't want to switch her food if I didn't have to so I've kept her on the same stuff as the pet store. It's called Mazuri insectavore diet. I figured it would be best to keep her on the same thing instead of making her sick with a new food.

And also the light does have different settings.


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## DasIgelPoggie (Oct 21, 2010)

Mazuri foods are no bueno, in my opinion, especially for a potentially pregnant hedgie. I would switch her to a high quality cat food blend, preferably with protein around 9-11% and protein around 30-35%. I like Blue Buffalo as a brand, Fromm's is good too, as well as Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Lite.

Edit -- I just checked the protein and fat ratios for Mazuri's Insectivore-- it's not terrible, but the ingredients are kind of sub-par. It has a good first ingredient, but after that it's mostly fillers, stuff like soy hulls, flour, ground aspen, etc. You might consider mixing it in with something like this: http://www.bluebuffalo.com/cat-food/wilderness-weight-control , and the percentages would balance each other out.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

HaileyD said:


> I didn't want to switch her food if I didn't have to so I've kept her on the same stuff as the pet store. It's called Mazuri insectavore diet. I figured it would be best to keep her on the same thing instead of making her sick with a new food.
> 
> And also the light does have different settings.


Not sure what you mean by this, can you clarify? Is the heating bulb a reptile heating bulb that also gives off light? Or do you mean the lamp has different settings on it?

Also, agreed that you should switch foods - Mazuri has horrible ingredients, really. Even the first one, poultry by-product meal, is too vague, which isn't a good thing. You won't make her sick by switching foods, you just need to go slowly. Switch her over 2-4 weeks and just mix in a bit of new food at a time. Most people go with one week at 1/4 new to 3/4 old, week two with 1/2 and 1/2, week three with 3/4 new to 1/4 old, and last week all new if she's dealt well with it so far. You'll know if it's a bit too fast if her poop looks a bit green-ish, then you just have to slow down a little bit. But it'd really be better for her to switch to a higher quality food.


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## HaileyD (Jan 22, 2014)

Yes it's a reptile light but I can make it warmer when I need to. I will start her on the blue buffalo tomorrow. My dog eats it and it's really good. So I'll get her some of that. This is my first hedgehog so I'm still learning. Thank all y'all for the tips I really appreciate it.


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## HaileyD (Jan 22, 2014)

Also how much should I feed her of the blue buffalo?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

If it's a reptile light, you need to change it. The light (even black or red ones) bothers many hedgehogs and can affect activity, as well as light schedules. The best for heating lamps are CHEs - ceramic heat emitters. They give off heat only, no light at all. You have to make sure the lamp is rated safe for use with CHEs (it should say somewhere on the lamp or box), and then make sure you have a thermostat to keep the temperature steady - the thermostat is essential since CHEs are generally either on or off, and they get quite hot. The other reason is because temperature can fluctuate & the CHE won't adjust at all to compensate for it, so that can cause issues. There's more information about CHE set ups here - http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/foru...-heating-your-hedgehog-s-cage-simplified.html

We're always happy to help new owners on here.  If you have a chance, I'd really recommend checking this care book out - http://www.westcoasthedgehogs.com/files/hedgehogbook/download.html it's free to download and it's the most up-to-date hedgehog care book available. Would be very useful to give it a read-through and to have on hand for reference!

Edit: Most people on here prefer to free feed their hedgehogs. Since you also still want to keep track of how much she's eating (change in amount of food eaten is a great early warning sign of illness), a good way to do that is to start out giving her around 2-3 tablespoons of kibble. See if there's any left in the morning - if there isn't, do an extra half or full tablespoon the next night and so on until there's a little bit of extra food left in the mornings, in case she has an extra hungry night, and so that you know she's getting her fill. Most hedgehogs won't overeat, and usually if weight loss is needed, it's best to start with a change to a lower fat & calorie food. If she is pregnant, she'll likely eat quite a bit, so you want to make sure she's getting what she needs!


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