# Hedgehog Hibernation Learned the Hard Way



## paullywog (Aug 8, 2014)

If you are unable to keep the room temp at a safe level for your hedgehog, be sure to look at other heating options and apply them. If your Hedgy is showing signs of going into Hibernation Mode, PLEASE TAKE IT SERIOUS, and please don't hesitate to go to the Vet Immediately. Sonic (original name, I know), my African pygmy hedgehog who turns 1 this month, went into hibernation.. We have been in the process of packing for a move so I moved his cage into the bedroom two weeks ago. I had originally kept his cage next to the sliding glass door where the Florida Sun Rise would shine brightly through the glass door giving some warmth and a nice view of the cruise ships that pull into port combined with the calming signal horns sounding low, loud, and eloquently when the tug boats slowly but surely pull the steel hull floating cities back out to the channel. So anticipating that he wouldn't have the warmth of the Sun to counteract the cooler bedroom, I went to my local Petsmart to get a heating pad and a space heating source. Sonic's home is decently sized, 2.5 by 3.5 foot, he has an igloo shaped hut for a house (a sad premonition of whats to come), a giant Kaytee wheel that he loves to do his marathon training on, and some random toys in there like a golf ball that he always likes to poop on and then roll it around so the poop gets squished. I took him out daily and he loved his chin being scratched and I let him roam the living room every now and then. Surprisingly he had no fear and liked to climb on top of his other roommate our 140 pound lazy American bulldog who would just sleep through Sonic's curious exploration of his paws and legs. While in Petsmart I grabbed a big enough heating pad to cover half the floor of Sonic's studio apartment-like home. Well an employee stopped me in the aisle and asks what I was using the heat pad for and I explained to him the above situation. He goes on to tell me that I don't need a heating pad for a hedgehog and that it's normal for a hedgehog to hibernate. I tried to tell him that no, it's not normal for a pet hedgehog to hibernate. Then he went on to say that he's been in the business 20 years, I don't need anything, my hedgehog will be fine. I made the mistake of relying on his general and broad statement of his 20 year expertise in the pet store industry, instead of inquiring if he ever worked with hedgehogs, so I didn't buy any heating sources. I'm not sure if the heating pad would've prevented Sonic's hibernation because I didn't have a chance to find out. I'm sure it would have given him a fighting chance against going into hibernation, especially when a second factor came into play. He was active for a few days in the bedroom. Then the curtains of the bedroom were closed one day while I was gone, all day (which was explained later to me after the fact that either or both the prolonged darkness and my colder bedroom possibly aided or proximately caused the hibernation). So when I came home and fed him I noticed a change of routine. Normally when he hears the clinking of his food hitting his ceramic sauce bowl he is awake in a few minutes with a hungry nose in the air headed to chow town. But this time he kept sleeping. Of course, I had a fear of what was going on. I tried my best to slowly wake him, used a warm towel, body heat, But.. nothing. So I called the Vet and thankfully our pet doc is only 3 blocks away. It was a short 7 minute fast walk which seemed like eternity, and with Sonic clutched close to me in his groggy almost paralyzed state, I started missing the funny memories, like when I put him on our dogs head and he peed on his eye brow and then crawled down his muzzle and pooped on his nose before walking away like a rock star. Unfortunately, even with all the valiant efforts by the team of veterinary pet heroes, Sonic couldn't pull out of the danger zone of hibernation. African hedgehogs don't hibernate in Africa so when Sonic hibernated due to some evolutionary trigger caused by any of the above mentioned factors, it might have been too much stress on his organs. Which in the end, the shock may have caused his vital organs like his lungs, kidneys or maybe his wonderful heart to fail.. and now, mine too.


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## NewHedgieOwner100 (May 31, 2014)

Wow... this is such a sad story. I am very, very sorry for your loss. Goes to show that most people at pet stores are not very well informed about hedgehogs.


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## CoffeeKat (Jan 15, 2014)

So sorry for your loss, but thank you for sharing your story. Small comfort, I know, but it may save other hedgies from a similar fate. Try not to beat yourself up with "shoulda woulda coulda"


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## Tiauna (Aug 6, 2014)

Thats a terrible story!


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

I'm so sorry for your loss. Unfortunately we are often given the wrong advice from people we think we can trust. Even vets have been known to give bad advice. Thank you for sharing your experience.


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## Melanie G. (May 29, 2014)

I am so sorry to hear this.


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