# How do they get so sick so fast?



## KathyTNY (Jan 21, 2011)

I keep telling myself that I need to stop reading the posts in the health section because the horrible sicknesses documented here scare the crap out of me!  

Does anyone ever have a healthy happy hedgehog??????? My newly adopted 2 year old is in perfect health and happy, loving, and adjusted well to being totally spoiled by me.........

But I am scaring myself and waiting for the shoe to drop ..........

Sometimes I read posts and I wonder to myself......."How the heck did these poor hogs get soooooo sick soooooo fast??????" I know check on my girl before I go to work, when I get home from work and I watch her like a hawk for any changes in her behavior, her body (I feel her up and down all the time) etc. 

Sorry...... just "venting" my new mom hysteria~~~! Thanks for listening!

KathyTNY


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Yeah, the health section is a dangerous place to go if you're a new hedgie parent, or even just paranoid (as I have been lately)! However, there's plenty of healthy and happy hogs here! Our little guys are so small though, that things that would be little things for us or for say, a dog or cat maybe, are worse for them. A cold for example - it's just majorly annoying for us, but for hedgies, can quickly turn into an URI. The other thing is that they're good at hiding illness sometimes, unless you know which things to watch (like food intake, wheeling, etc.).

Just keep watching the important things just in case, but enjoy playing with your healthy girl and try not to drive yourself crazy worrying! (I know, easier said than done! :lol: )


----------



## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I've had numerous that lived to 5, 6 and almost 7 and never had a health issue. Just happy healthy hedgehogs who were active to the day they died. 

What happens and why they seem to get sick so fast is because they are very good at hiding illness. Often the symptoms are so subtle that we don't notice until boom, hedgie is very sick. 

You will relax as you get used to her. You will know her well enough that subtle differences will become more noticeable and yes, sometime of they things they do will make you paranoid when there is nothing wrong. :lol:


----------



## RalphsMum (Oct 14, 2010)

It is indeed frightening and no matter how vigilant you are - Whammo! healthy, happy hedgie = sick hedgie in no time at all.

Ralph can drop 20% of his body weight overnight for no apparent reason which because of his tiny size, basically puts him at death's door...or even slightly through it....then the next thing you know he's putting the wieght back on again and keeps it on for a few days. It is a rollercoaster for all involved :? 
The little guy gets fed at least 3 times a day with us watching and weighed before and after every meal......
You do everything you can but sometimes it feels like it's not enough.

Myself and another forum user with a seemingly persistently sick hedgie believe that perhaps some store bought hedgies aren't quite as healthy from the get-go.........


----------



## pearlthehedgie (Feb 15, 2011)

So far, so good with our little Pearl  She eats, drinks, plays, wheels, and seems to kinda like us.

I get worried too though. She's only 12 weeks old and is growing every time we weigh her, but last time we weighed her she was down 5 grams and I got worried. I think she had probably just gone to the bathroom though, so I calmed myself down and we'll weigh her again tonight. YIKES! Feels like I'm waiting for tragedy to happen or something....Never had an "exotic" pet before, so I guess that's what we get.


----------



## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

:lol:
I was the same way when I first got Kashi... I read so many health related issues that at one point I was convinced Kashi was sick with one thing or another... For a while I thought he had URI and then I thought he had mites (late quilling, turns out)... So don't worry, there are plenty of us with healthy hedgie pigs ^_^ The health related posts can be scary, but just remember there are plenty of people on/not on this forum who have healthy hogs, and those who do have problems with them are really the only ones posting new threads or even joining for help ^_^


----------



## karennoel (Dec 20, 2010)

I know how you feel. It makes me a little paranoid about mine having some major health issue. My first hedgie I had lived to be 7 and never had any issues and never went to the vet, so I try to think of that and not get too worried about my little Luna.


----------



## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

I felt the same way at first but like everyone says, once you get used to them it gets a little less scary. So far I haven't had any issues with mine except possible mites (not sure but they were treated just in case). I have a boy that is 1yr9months old and I have a girl that is close to 10 months  Their biggest worries are how many mealies am I gonna get :lol:


----------



## sarahspins (Jun 25, 2013)

I think the "rapid declines" that people report are more because like most animals, hedgies are VERY good at hiding when they are sick until they reach the point where they are very sick. That said, if you are a vigilant owner and paying attention to them and handling them daily, you're most likely to spot any issues before they become life-threatening emergencies - or at least suspect that something isn't right.

Weighing your hedgehog regularly can be extremely helpful, a 5g loss is nothing to worry about (and honestly, even losing much more could simply be the result of a large bowel movement), what you are watching for are trends, not just daily (or weekly) variations. A sick hedgehog can lose a significant amount of weight fairly rapidly if they aren't eating and drinking.

Also, maintaining a "first aid kit" so you have supplies on hand to be able to offer your hedgehog soft foods (like baby food, and oral syringes if they need some encouragement to eat, benebac or probiotics in case of digestive upset, etc) can be helpful - rather than having to go track those things down when you need them. There are a lot of other items you can include that are helpful, and none are particularly expensive, there is a sticky somewhere on the forum that covers everything.


----------



## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

(Psst. Last post in this thread was from 2011; you're talking to people who have probably moved on by now! ...although we had a similar conversation come up again recently.)


----------

