# Sudden death?



## Spaceless (Sep 21, 2016)

Around about last year, i got an African Pygmy Hedgehog who was around 6 months old when i got him. I brought him home and decided to give him the name "Archie." Through out the whole time i had him, everything was going great. He would of slept in his igloo, with one of my old shirts i never wore, he would of ate and drunk normally, he would always run on his wheel and he would of always did go to the toilet, when he needed. I got him around the start of October and had him since now as i write this.

But for the last couple of weeks, something wasn't right. He never touched his food or his water, he never ran on his wheel anymore, and he was always asleep. At first i thought he must of just been catching up on sleep, but this continued for a good couple of days. I started to get really worried and decided i'd check up on forums, typing in his symptoms and what he was doing, and most said he must of just been catching up on sleep. Another days passed and he still hasn't touched any food or water, so i decided id start to syringe feed him (after researching what to do). I then lifted him out, wrapped a towel around a hot water bottle, wrapped himself in a towel and he made himself into a ball and he started to eat the food solution which was in the syringe. I was so happy that day. But i still knew something was wrong.. usually when i lifted him he would of ran about like crazy, but he just wanted to bury himself into the towel and go back to sleep. I knew now that he needed to go to the vet. The next day we took him, and they said that everything was fine and he has no symptoms of any illness. They said the only thing it could be then is that he is trying to hibernate, and to keep doing what i was doing, feeding him through a syringe and keeping him warm. I continued to keep doing what i was doing, and he did make improvements, one morning he came out of the igloo all by himself, and got a drink from his water bowl. I was really happy. But last night, was when it all changed. 

I walked into my room and saw him just laying there in the igloo with his eyes open. I slid open the glass door and lifted the igloo, and when he seen me he went into a ball. He seemed fine when i lifted him, but it made me a bit worried. Later on that night, i prepared his food like i usually did, through a syringe and i got a hot water bottle, and wrapped it around a towel. I lifted him from his igloo and he seemed fine. I set him on my bed and he started to walk into my bed sheets to then try to go back to sleep. I lifted him and started to syringe feed him. At first it went well, like it always did, he would've opened his mouth and drunk all the solution with his food in it. But then i was horrified to see what had happened next. He opened his mouth and everything i just fed him, came back up, vomiting all over the towel, some also coming out of his nose. He kept doing this, he kept vomiting and i ran down to my mum with him in my hands, as i was in tears. The white sort of solution that came from his mouth, turned red on the fur of his belly, and he slowly curled up into a ball. I was holding him while crying, just wanting him to get better, and be as healthy as he was. Me crying, waked my other siblings up, and they all came running down to see what was happening. He kept his head on the towel, and became so motionless. He passed away at 1 in the morning. 

What would of been the cause of this? I'm so devastated and upset that this happened.


----------



## Hendersons Mama (Aug 15, 2016)

I don't have much experience but wanted to say I am very sorry for your loss.


----------

