# So... It's been about a month, she's gained about 100g, &...



## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

She's acting kinda funny...

I took her out earlier and she was fine, not like hissy or anything, but she didn't want to go in her snuggle sack like usual... I mean, usually she zips right in and settles down, tonight she just wanted to lie on my lap instead... Not that I minded... it was just really, really weird... 

Of course, her diet changed dramatically in the last month (from pretty pet crap at the pet store to cat food - both low fat, on the list), but still.. 100g? ...at least 50 or so since the last time I weighed her (maybe a week ago?). I mean, my scale is a crappy little weight watchers scale, but she's definitely weighing it down a lot more than she used to...

...but still, could the weight gain be a sign of pregnancy?

We've had her for about a month (almost exactly) and she came from a store that had her with at least 1 male, if not more...


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

I know it's been said that vets might not be able to tell also, soooo... what should I do? Should I replace her igloo with something bigger for a breeding box and remove her wheel just in case she IS pregnant? Or wait and see?


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## Coco (Oct 2, 2008)

if it,s my hedgehog I definitly remove the wheel an give her a bigger place than an igloo,,,,
(just in case) ,,,it's better to do that for nothing than do nothing and have 4 little babies in the middle of the wheel ,


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

What do you recommend as a replacement for the igloo?


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

It's impossible to say if her weight gain is baby or normal growth for a young hedgehog. If it's been a month, she could deliver any time and I wouldn't make too many changes at this point. 

While IMO igloos are not ideal, many breeders use them and love them. What type of bedding is she on? For babies she needs to be on shavings, kiln dried pine or aspen, or carefresh. You can provide her with toilet paper as a nesting material inside the igloo. 

Remove the wheel and proceed with caution when you check on her from now on as you never know when there could be babies.

Pregnant girls usually feel bottom heavy and their nipples are more pronounced and swell within a few days prior to delivery. When in labour they are restless and pace, circle their cage and try to climb the sides. Oh, what type of cage is she is? Is it baby friendly?


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

Nancy, thank you so much.

Most of the cage is carefresh (with yesterday's news under & around her wheel), her igloo is on a square of fleece with more pieces of fleece inside for snuggling in. I was eventually going to switch her to liners, but since the potential pregnancy thing came up as something to watch out for right after we got her, I figured I would wait a couple of months before the switch just in case.

I hope the cage is baby-safe... We've been wanting to build her something bigger, but right now she's in a superpets cage (originally for a chinchilla) with the levels removed... It's a wire cage, but with a pretty deep plastic bottom. 

She's still sleeping a lot - but eating a ton!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I suggest removing the fleece completely. It can get pretty yucky and smelly and being in the nest has to stay there until babies are weaned. With toilet paper, when you are able to start doing checks on them, you can slowly sneak the gross pieces out and give some fresh for her to take back in.

How deep is the bottom? You want something about 6-8" deep for when the babies start to toddle around. They are tall enough to reach and possible get to the wires but also small enough to squeeze through or get stuck. A large clear sterlite bin is ideal for babies. Walmart in Canada sells awesome sized ones that are aout 18" x 32" x 16" high. Once she is done with it, you can use it for storage. 

Eating so much can be either pregnant or baby unfortunately.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

I'd say it's about 6" deep... We have a sterlite container available if you think I should move her into it. (We were originally going to connect 2 of them until we had time to make her something else, but we flubbed up on the hole cutting on the first one, not realizing we needed to heat the plastic first. I ended up using the second one to store her food bags, but I could very easily patch up the messed up one and put her food in it instead.)


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

Ok, so she hasn't had babies yet, lol... so I guess it's safe to move her.

I really hate how small this thing is though... So, my question is, um, is this OK as a maternity ward for her? Or is it too small? Also, what if she tries to eat the toilet tissue? lol... She's playing around with it now. (I let her keep one little strip of fleece because she carried it in with her and didn't want to give it up... I'm considering it like a safety blanket, lol...)

Anyway... right...









Too small? Should I run out and try to find a new, bigger one? That was the biggest clear one I could find when I first went out and looked - hence why we were going to put more than one together - and why we eventually decided that it'd be better to just make her something bigger from scratch (my uncle does plastic displays and has made numerous plexi-glass aquariums, so I'm hoping to get something custom for her). We checked a super Walmart and a super Target when we bought that one also... Any idea where I can even find bigger if necessary?

Another option is that I could baby-proof the inside of her cage by attaching a few more inches of plastic all the way around the inside...

I'm so nervous now... I just want everything to be nice and comfortable for her.

Should I move her into a less trafficked room also?

I don't want to stop giving her attention if she's not pregnant, but I certainly don't want to disturb her if she is.

Gosh, I'm down to a remaining 2 fingernails I haven't bitten off, lol...


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

That is pretty small. If you can block off the lower bars of her current cage that would work too.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

Nancy said:


> That is pretty small. If you can block off the lower bars of her current cage that would work too.


Ya, I can do that... and that makes me feel better that she has more room to run around.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

Ohhhh, good news!! I went out to get plastic and some diet cherry cokes annnnnd, low and behold, walmart restocked their sterilite stuff and they had the 105 qt containers in stock!


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

She's a bit more vocal than usual too... with the kinda squeaky bark thing going on...


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

She's still acting kinda weird... doesn't want to leave her igloo at all, but bark/chirps from time to time... She won't eat mealies out of a treat dish, but she'll take them and eat them if I hand them to her. Her kibble eating seems to have slowed down a little bit too... I hope there aren't babies in there and I just don't know it!

One minute she's looking out her igloo at me all inquisitively and the next she's rolling around in the back of her igloo half balled up... Hrrrmmm...

There should be a nail biting :nervous: smiley... :|


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

She could be in labour. Is she pacing outside her igloo?


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## Hedgiepets (Aug 21, 2008)

How are things this morning? What you described sounds like a mom having difficulties giving birth.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

Nancy said:


> She could be in labour. Is she pacing outside her igloo?


She barely leaves her igloo at all...


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

Hedgiepets said:


> How are things this morning? What you described sounds like a mom having difficulties giving birth.


...bout the same so far. She's asleep in her igloo now.

Kind of weird too... usually when she sleeps, her quills are down... but she's curled into a half ball in the back of her igloo with her quills at least 1/2 up.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

I can give her a whole room to herself if the added privacy will help...


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

The privacy would probably make her feel more at ease, but if she is having delivery problems, you want to make sure you know when things are getting to the point where she might need a vet...


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

LizardGirl said:


> The privacy would probably make her feel more at ease, but if she is having delivery problems, you want to make sure you know when things are getting to the point where she might need a vet...


Problem is, I have very little to go on...  She could just be moody... and the green poop yesterday could just be because of the environment change (from her cage to a bin). All I know is that she was exposed to a male on the day (and probably days prior, who knows for how long though) I bought her - which was Jan. 16th.

When I took her out yesterday, she seemed all fine and normal up until the point where she just randomly pooped green out of nowhere. She was moody, but I got her interested in coming out with some mealies, she took 2 massive poops, snuggled in my lap for a while and then all of a sudden stress-poop a few hours later. She doesn't seem bloated, nor are her nipples pronounced or anything... Her eating seems ok again...

The only things I have to factor in are moodiness (she's always slept a LOT though), the one green poop, some barky-chirpy vocalizations (which she has done before, just not as much ...I still don't really know what it means), and the date/time frame and knowledge of her exposure to a male. 

I wish there was a way to just *know.*


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

She seems really, really easily frightened... Like she came out to eat and all I did was turn my head and she ran straight back into her igloo.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

....annnnd now she seems relatively ok again. She was a bit huffy at first, but now she's calmly sitting in some fleece on my lap... she's a bit less active than normal and she seems more easily startled than normal as well. She did take a nice, big, normal looking poop when I got her out though, no more green stuff thus far...

She's still not showing any actual visible signs of pregnancy that I can see either...


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Oh good! Glad to hear she's doing better.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

LizardGirl said:


> Oh good! Glad to hear she's doing better.


Yah, me too... Thanks.  I'm still really nervous, just cause I feel like we're not out of the woods until 45-50 days have passed... hopefully it's just moodiness related to my changing her surroundings in case she IS pregnant.

I really hope she's not... It's not that I couldn't take care of them and/or find good homes for them if she did, but that I don't like to see her stressed out any more than I like being stressed about it myself... all the possible complications to worry about, the chances of her rejecting them (or worse!), the fact that it could have very well been her own brother in there with her, etc... It's just a lot to worry about and it's just my nature to be overly concerned/nervous.

I'm just so glad I have a place like this I can turn to... I know I've been posting a ton, and I really can't thank everyone enough.


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## hedgie love (Aug 28, 2008)

Hows it going? Any more news? I'm really curious to find out! I wish you the very best. We will keep our quills crossed.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

She's asleep right now, but yesterday she seemed absolutely fine... Not too much huffiness, totally content in her snuggle sack on my lap... I think she might miss her wheel a bit, even though she didn't seem to use it *every* night (to my knowledge), she did use it some.

Still no signs of anything... I wonder what caused the huffypuffy mood swings earlier this week though.

My bf's dad talked to some breeder at a flea market and told her that I said Eva had bitten a couple of people (my bf and a friend of ours... but that was over a week ago... ****, I think it's been over 2 weeks even) and she told him "oh then she probably is pregnant." :roll: It's fine if he thinks that though, since it's been my most recent excuse for not letting him play with her... (Really, I just don't think Eva likes his dad.)

Early this week I was just convinced that *something* was up... but now she seems totally normal. I guess we're not out of the woods yet though...

Today's the 36th day and March 8th will mark 50 days from when we got her...

I wish she didn't have to stay in the bin without her wheel, but I guess it's better safe than sorry, right?


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

I haven't given her any more peaches since she got stressed out the other day... while it was probably over the change of scenery (the move to a bin), I realized that the peaches were a different brand, so I decided to just toss them.

I did give her a little tiny bit of freeze dried chicken - just a liiiiittle... I was eating chicken nuggets the other day and she smelled them, came out of her bag, and started sniffing around like "what's that?! do want." I didn't think Mickey D's would really be ok for her, so I gave her a little piece of the freeze dried stuff I bought instead. (Reaper said they were ok, but someone else said it might be too high in protein... I didn't give her much either way though, just a nibble.) She seemed to really like it... (Of course, I forgot to put the jar back in the fridge last night, so that's a waste... Doh. At least mealies don't go bad like chicken.  )


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

And thanks hedgie, that's really nice of you!  <3


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

It's Day 39... no babies, everything seems pretty normal.


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## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

Hi, I am not sure what the total amount of time from conception to delivery of a hedgehog is, but after that amount of time has passed, I would give her back her wheel. I had a hedgehog who I was feeding pretty pets at first. Mind you, she was a growing, but as soon as I started feeding her cat food she really gained a lot of weight! She was a normal weight up until around 6 months of age when I changed her diet. I knew she was not pregnant because I had her since she was just a little bitty baby. Anyway, she was a very large adult (800 grams give or take). My vet told me she was obese and I tried all her life to get her to loose weight, but she remained big. I often wondered if it was not because of what I was feeding her and I would have liked to experiment with various diets if I were to get another hedgehog. I haven't gotten another even though Snoball died 2 years ago. We are not allowed pets where we are living now.
At any rate, the weight gain and the green poo could be due to diet changes. My hedgehog also went through a biting phase when she was an adolescent. She stopped doing it after the "phase" passed.
Good luck,
Susan H.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

If you suspect your hedgie is pregnant, you have to wait 55 days to tell for sure.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

Oh yes, I was planning on giving it back after we hit the 50 day mark. I feel like she misses it and I hate not having it in there, but I just want to be safe...

I've read everything from 45 days to 50 - to 55 now, lol... I figure if we get to day 50 with no babies and no visible changes in her, we should be ok... If I need to wait 55, I can - I just really hate that she hasn't had her wheel to play on (and won't for another 11 days at least). 

I'm really starting to think that the weight gain has just been from the dietary changes, since she's not showing any real signs of pregnancy - she's not even all that moody anymore. The only reason I'm still concerned is because she was being kept in the same enclosure with a male when we got her... and it's better to treat her like she is pregnant than ignore the possibility and risk anything happening to her or a potential litter.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Oh, it might've been 50, sorry. I didn't look back to check like I should've.  Sorry about that, lol.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

Lilysmommy said:


> Oh, it might've been 50, sorry. I didn't look back to check like I should've.  Sorry about that, lol.


lol, no prob...  HHC's page on breeding says 46, but I know I've read 50 on the forums too... The number seems to vary a lot. 

I just want to make sure she has adequate time to have babies (if she's going to) before I let her back on the wheel. (Unless, of course, she does have babies... in which case she'll obviously have to wait a bit longer.)


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Most breeders don't assume that a hedgie isn't pregnant until after 55 days from last possible exposure to a male.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

nikki said:


> Most breeders don't assume that a hedgie isn't pregnant until after 55 days from last possible exposure to a male.


Really? It IS 55? I guess I'll wait an extra 5 then, since you're the second person to say that in this thread... I really thought 50 would probably be a safe bet, but I guess I was mistaken.

(I guess you were right, Lilysmommy!)


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## azyrios (Feb 2, 2009)

it's much like humans. While we can tell if a women is pregnant, the day of delivery can vary by a wide margin. It's just safer to wait even after the maximum birthing period to ensure 100% your hedgehog is not pregnant.

The other numbers may be correct, but the longer you wait, the better chances you have to ensure she isn't pregnant.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

Soooo, new question...

What about poop that's mostly normal, but with a pocket of green goo in it? :/


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

The longest I've heard of an actual delivery was 53 days but 55 is the number I have always heard to go by and is what I use.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

Nancy said:


> The longest I've heard of an actual delivery was 53 days but 55 is the number I have always heard to go by and is what I use.


Wow, k, got it... I'll wait the full 55.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

So, she's still having the occasional bit of green in her poop... She seems fine and healthy except for this. I've stopped giving her any treats except mealies, and most of her poop is totally normal... but every few poops, there's either a lil bit of green slime mixed in or a bit of green coloration with slightly looser stool...

She doesn't seem badly stressed, she's eating like normal (if not more than normal), she even seems a bit friendlier than usual... Often times, the green comes out just after a lap-nap, right before I put her back in her home... I'm starting to think she's just really not fond of the sterilite bin. Also, she doesn't poop in there at all really, not since she's been without her wheel... I mean, there's no poop. She poops when I get her out in the evening and that's the only poop I see. (I usually get her out, hold her for a minute, give her a mealie and set her down in a big cat litter pan of yesterday's news and wait a few minutes for her to do her business - and that seems to be the only time she does it... except the occasional oopsie poo just before I put her up.)

I'm really worried about taking her to the vet over it though... We're on, like, day 41 of our wait to find out if she's pregnant or not, so I'm terrified of taking her anywhere that would stress her out... If it's stress over the lack of a wheel or the bin she's in, there's not much I can do about that until the wait is over... If she IS pregnant, I'd be terribly worried that the car ride, vet visit, etc. would all just stress her out even worse... :? 

I can see if she's still having green poop tomorrow and, um, photograph it or something... Or, if there's something the vet could test it for, I could do that... If you all think it's necessary for me to take her in, I can do that too, I really just didn't want to risk freaking her out right now... 

I'll be so glad when the 55 days are over... :| 
(...and this is why I will never, ever be a breeder, lol.)


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Would it be possible to just scoop up some of the green poop and bring it to the vets for a fecal test?

That way, she wouldn't be stressed with travel, and it can still be tested.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

Immortalia said:


> Would it be possible to just scoop up some of the green poop and bring it to the vets for a fecal test?
> 
> That way, she wouldn't be stressed with travel, and it can still be tested.


What do they test it for though?


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## Jenny&Willie (Oct 20, 2008)

They can test for lots of different bacterial related sicknesses, or blood in stool...those are 2 that I know about...

Actually my hedgehog started to have a simular problum like yours 3 days ago (random green poop mixed in with normal) yet still eating and being herself and I took her to the vet yesturday and they did a fecal exam and it was positive for occult blood...
Now she's on probiotic and an antibiotic for 2 weeks and then she should be healthy again  

But my hedgehog isn't pregnant incase your problum is related to a pregancy symptom...


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Basically what Jenny said, and really just to make sure her GI tract is working normally, no infections of any sort. 

If you're really that worried, and don't want to stress her out with a vet visit, it might just be something to ease your mind, to rule out basic internal, and know that it's most likely just the cage change stress.

It would be best to give your vet a call and talk to them about what you could do, and whether they would suggest doing a fecal test or not. Or, maybe talk to them about waiting it out until after the 55 days to do a full physical. It would really depend on how everything progresses.

Just bringing the poop to the vets won't be a complete exam though. They would usually like to do an actual swab to get some wbc in there as well(at least that's how it is with dogs and cats, I don't know about hedgies as Shinjy is my first). But, at least it would ease your mind a bit. But definately give your vet a call and ask them how you should proceed.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

Ooooh...

Do you know how fresh the sample would need to be if the vet did want to test it? If I got poop from her tonight, would I, um, refrigerate/freeze it? Or would it need to be a fresher sample? Eva poops quite a lot when she does, but it only really seems to be once a day... Of course, if I woke her up in the morning (when the vet's office is open), I'd _think_ she'd probably poop then as well.

I'll definitely give him a call though.

Thanks.


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## Jenny&Willie (Oct 20, 2008)

I'm not sure of the time limit but, mine was a night old and my vet could use it.
Yes, I would put it in the frige so it doesn't dry out...that way it will stay fairly fresh

...I would just take in the one you have now and any others you might get before going to the vet


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## Amy (Feb 11, 2009)

I always bring at least two samples so the vet can pick. I've had this done twice now.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

Ohhh, thank you both... I will make sure I get samples from her tonight and stick them in the mini fridge I have up here (the diet cherry coke & mealworm fridge :lol.

Amy, I just read your story about the pet store thing... While my experience wasn't nearly as bad, it is the reason for all this concern about pregnancy. I too bought our hedgie from a pet store, where she was (of-freakin'-course) housed with at least 1, if not 2 males. (There were 2 in with her, one of which was too clicky and poppy for anyone to pick up and check.) They didn't use gloves, but that's still not saying much... Soon as we got her back home (from Plano, TX to Memphis, TN), we ended up having to take her to the vet because of a big lump on her cheek - turned out it was a big scab from where she had been attacked by another hedgie. 

It really is sad that, even the (supposedly) most reputable stores, still don't always take care of their animals the way they should.  

I would like to know the lineage of my little girl as well, especially if she ends up actually being pregnant... Considering how they blew me off when I emailed their staff about her injuries, I highly doubt they'd be willing to give me background info though. If she does have babies - or, worse yet, complications from them - you can be assured I will be contacting the pet store, the USDA, even the local news stations down there if I have to. :x


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

I've had no less than 2-3 people ask about hedgies since I got Eva, and I've had to tell all of them to avoid pet stores like the plague...

(One of them was a friend in NC, so I actually linked him Pixie's page since she posts here so much.  Though I don't think he's looking to get one until he moves in the late spring/summer.  )


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## Amy (Feb 11, 2009)

Honestly I think some people just don't realize the risk. I've already linked someone to your thread because she wanted to buy a female under the same circumstances. And then she realized she did NOT want a bunch of babies running around. :roll:


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## Amy (Feb 11, 2009)

By the way, mind if I post your little blurb you just wrote about your pet store experience in my thread? I'd like to compile all the stories I can.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

Amy said:


> By the way, mind if I post your little blurb you just wrote about your pet store experience in my thread? I'd like to compile all the stories I can.


Oh no, not at all!

If you'd like, I'll even give you the email I sent to the pet store along with their response.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

At the time, I had done some research on and off for a while, but hadn't yet checked out any forums - just static pages... My bf and I had been talking about getting a hedgie for a while. (He was actually looking for one for me at the same time as I was looking for one for him. :lol: )

I couldn't find any breeders near us though and, since we were in TX for a week, I decided to look around there...

Knowing what I know now, I hate that I ever supported a pet store... would I have done differently? Yes, I would have found a breeder and just made the drive. Do I regret buying her? Only in that I regret supporting a store like that...

While I, and most of my friends/family, know better than to support pet stores, it hasn't always stopped us from "rescuing" animals from poor conditions because we feel for that particular animal, forgetting that it only helps these stores to continue operating the way they do... Sad, but true... I'm glad we got Eva, because she needed a good home that would take care of her (and her babies, should she be pregnant). I will never support another store like that again though... as I've vowed not to even look at animals in pet stores from here on out. Luckily, we buy most of our food from a pet supply store that doesn't sell any actual pets. (Sadly, I do have to go to petsmart for mealies though. :| )


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## Amy (Feb 11, 2009)

Thanks Ana! I posted it up. I have to say, I'm glad that if Eva had to go to someone it is you who has enough sense to consult the internet and try to do everything in just the right way. Can you imagine if she had given birth in that store in a cage with two males? Awful. 

Also- I've been following this thread since day 1, and every time you post I'm so nervous that I'll read that she went into labor! :roll:


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

Amy said:


> Thanks Ana! I posted it up. I have to say, I'm glad that if Eva had to go to someone it is you who has enough sense to consult the internet and try to do everything in just the right way. Can you imagine if she had given birth in that store in a cage with two males? Awful.
> 
> Also- I've been following this thread since day 1, and every time you post I'm so nervous that I'll read that she went into labor! :roll:


Awwww, thanks! 

Yeah, I would hate to think what would have happened in the pet store, or even with someone that didn't use forums like these and just went by what the pet store told them. (They were feeding her Pretty Pet food too. :| ) The aquarium she was in had a big "Great first time pet!" thing scrawled across it too. :x

Awww, it's so nice to hear that - about following the thread! It's so sweet to hear that there are people like you that are concerned about her. Believe me, I'm crazy nervous myself! Luckily we just have a week and a half to go.

Normal medical stuff, strange poops (hers has actually looked ok tonight btw, so far anyway), etc., are all things I think I'll be a lot more relaxed about handling when I'm not worried about potential babies. I feel like I'm walking on eggshells just because of that.


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

Just got back from the vet... the poop samples from this morning and yesterday seemed pretty much normal looking to me (one was a bit dark, but the others looked like normal, healthy poop), but I went ahead and took them in for testing.

My vet wasn't there, but the nurse said everything looked ok to her as far as the test results went... She said there were no parasites and that it seemed to have a healthy level of bacteria from what she could tell, but she wasn't sure about what the exact "healthy level" was supposed to be for a hedgie... She said she was going to call the doctor to double check and then get back with me if he said anything different.

Eva was super huffy when I woke her up today, but she's totally not used to a mid-day wake-up, so I can't really blame her. (I'd have been the same way! :lol Plus we had a HUGE storm last night with crazy loud thunder and strobe-like lightning, and I'm sure it must have freaked her out a bit as well... After she woke up a bit she seemed totally normal though. 

For now, I think I'm going to stick with my original guess that the poop irregularities are probably all from the change in housing... 'cause she really doesn't seem like there's anything wrong with her...

We're @ 42 days and counting I believe... 13 more days and she can have her wheel back (hopefully).


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

One more week to go! How's your girly girl doing?


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

I'm a bit scared.... her nipples are bigger and, while she seems relatively normal, I think her tummy looks a bit different... Like slightly stretched, a little blueish (this could just be me, my bf says she looks normal, but said "why don't you take her to the vet tomorrow anyway?")

I'm so worried about something being wrong... :/


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Awwwww  I can imagine how worried you must be. Could the blueish be a baby pressed up against her belly? Since they have lighter pink skin, it might be the back of a baby  Random guess. 
Maybe a breeder might have more insight on the blueish stretch marks. 

There's only about 4 more days left of waiting as well. I'm wishing for the best!


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## ana (Jan 21, 2009)

Thanks so much... 

I talked to Deneen about her earlier...  I'm soooooo glad these forums are here. If it wasn't for all the wonderful people here at HHC, well, I don't know what I'd do! <3

We're crossing our fingers and hoping for the best now... hopefully she's not pregnant, but, if she is, hopefully everything goes ok. 

We're having bizarre weather too... This room went from a steady 75-77 to 82... in March... and we had like 6 inches of snow less than a week ago... :roll: Of course, our brand new AC unit isn't working... Well, the HEAT is, but not the cooling... Sooooo, I'm trying to watch her AND the temperature now... We moved her a room over (which is nice... quieter, less foot traffic, etc.) so we could crack a window a little and get the temp back down to high 70s.... but the forecast is so random and unpredictable that I'm all worried that, you know, as soon as I go to bed it's suddenly going to drop 20 degrees or something. At least the thermostat/heat works up here so it should click on if it actually does drop. I probably worry far too much about everything...

I'll feel so much better in a few days, I'm sure...


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Ya, the temp is crazy where I am as well. Too much temp fluctuation outside. 
And waiting sucks sometimes. Just not really knowing what's going to happen. I feel for you, I really do. But as long as she's ok and healthy, anything is worth it. ^_^ And, I worry too much as well :roll:


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## hdcross (Jul 11, 2009)

Did your hedgy end up having babies.. I was just reading through old post and was sad not to see a conclusion to the saga???


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

A new thread was started: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1757&p=14097#p14097


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## Snickers Mom (Aug 31, 2009)

I decided to write in this thread because Anna too was playing the waiting game. Here is my story.

About two weeks ago we got out little princess from a small breeder. Well, to make a long story short (I know some of you will want to lecture, but please I have read all the posts about checking on breeders and such, just need some advice...) we take Snickers everywhere almost always that we go. She stays in her pouch and has no problems, sometimes pops her little head out to say "Hi world I am in here" or "mmm Mommy whats that smell". The other day when I put her in there she was quite restless the whole time we were out. We dont take her long, only about an hour if we do, but she could not get comfortable. I realized that this too has been while at home the last few days. She sleeps more on her side and her cute but large pink butt sticks out. Its quite cute actually. But when I saw she was a bit agitated I lifted her out and noticed that she felt a lot heavier than normal. I dont as of yet have a small scale to weigh her on as the one I had fell off the counter and broke apart quite shatteringly. But she definately felt heavier. Also, I tried to scuff her and hold her up to look at her belly and its almost impossible to do. It used to be increadbly easier with her and her nipples were definately more prominent. My question is, how prominent do their nipples get. I mean she is just 10 weeks old tomorrow and as this is my first Im not sure how big they are supposed to look. lol. I know I had read somewhere that they sometimes stick their butts out when they are getting ready to give birth, that with the agrivation and heaviness Im a bit concerned. She could just be gaining weight and I also thought of the quilling as thats why she might have been agitated, but I also know laboring moms get agitated right before hand too.... I checked with the breeder before anyone asks and of course, She was with her other siblings and yes they were brothers up till we got her at 8 weeks old. So now I too have to sit the waiting game. Only problem is that I have to wait till 55 days are up from the day we got her. Question is. Do I have to wait to give her her wheel all that time. Do I have to leave her in her cage alone all this time? Should I still take her out for play and cuddle time? I dont want to lost all the bonding time that we have had.


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## Hedgiepets (Aug 21, 2008)

So she is 10 weeks old and she could have gotten pregnant as young as 7 weeks. So that puts her possibly as much as 3 weeks pregnant. I would say, you could handle her carefully for another week then leave her alone. Count 35 days from her 7 week old, birthday day. Just talk to her when you feed and water her. Take her wheel out, NOW. If she is pregnant at such a young age, so needs to not excerise. She needs to put her energy into the babies.


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## Snickers Mom (Aug 31, 2009)

35 days from her 7 week birthday would be the 26th of this month. Wheel gone.. I thought I had read she could get pregnant as early as 5 weeks, but I could be remembering wrong. But yeah, the 26th is 35 days from her 7th birthday. What does a normal pregnant hedgie go through. I mean, do they do random things or is there specific things that pregnant hedgies do that theydont normally do when not pregnant?


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