# New hedgie not eating!



## randomreflex (Sep 28, 2014)

Hi guys, I just got my first hedgehog this Thursday. So far the first two nights it seems like his food and water levels in his bowl have not gone down. I've done some research online and have seen some things saying that it might be too cold etc. But he's got the heat lamp on him and the room is kept to about 73 degrees. His food the insectivore mix and liquid is half water half pedialyte per the pet shops instructions. 

I might be being paranoid, but just want to make sure he'll be okay


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## randomreflex (Sep 28, 2014)

Also his date of birth is 7/30/14


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

Well, to start with, the pet shop is dumb. (ok, maybe I'm a bit harsh there) However, in my personal experience, and in my understanding of other peoples experiences of pet shop advice, the above statement is my opinion. 
So, you have had your boy a few days now, he came from the pet shop, and you feel he is not eating. got it. 
To begin with, when they first come home, it usually takes a day or two for them adjust. 
When the pet shop sold you the food, did they indicate it was the exact same food he was already eating in the shop? It needs to be the exact same food he was already eating for now. 
Hedgies are super picky about what they will and won't eat, especially when they are stressed out. And little things like their entire world being up and tossed around tend to make them a tad fussy. 
Probably he is eating one or two bits of the kibble and you just aren't noticing it. However, such a small intake of food is still worrisome. 
I would recommend this: head out early in the day today and pick up some high quality cat kibble. You'll want a kibble that has real honest to goodness meat as the first ingredient, and maybe even the second, and third&#8230; the kibble will also need a nutritional breakdown of around 30% protein and less than 15% fat with as much fiber you can get. I think my high fiber blend is only about 9%. I would prefer higher, but I have to supplement fiber because of it. 
Make sure the kibble is in small enough bits that the hedgehog can eat it. A lot of people over look this part. It's very important. Some kibbles are just too big for hedgie to eat. If you have to crush it in a food processor, or in a zip top bag with a hammer or rolling pin, go for it. 
Offer this new kibble* next to *whatever the pet store told you to offer your new hedgie. 
I would also pick up some canned cat food, again high quality, and offer that as well. It may make his poop a bit runny, but at least you will know he has been eating something that will give him nutrition. 
Make sure he has plenty of water to drink. 
Increase the temp in his cage area to 75-77. 73 is a bit on the low side. 
That's all I can think of for before my second cup of coffee. There is probably a bunch of other stuff you need to know, but start with this and get him eating something. Don't be afraid to offer these during the day light hours either. Hedgies will sometimes wake up during the day to forage a small midnight snack for themselves.


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## randomreflex (Sep 28, 2014)

Okay I thanks. Heat is up. I'll go get the other food. The shop also gave me a different food for his regular food after 1 week. Maybe I'll put some of that too..


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## randomreflex (Sep 28, 2014)

Hmmm.. He also didn't run in his wheel yesterday.. Or maybe he did but didn't poop on it since this may confirm my fear that he isn't eating. I read around you forum that sometimes they spend so much time running that they forget to eat. Should I remove the wheel for a few days? I k of a fact the pet shop told me this would be his first wheel.


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

Do you have a thermometer in his cage? Do you know the exact temperature inside the cage (not the room)?


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## randomreflex (Sep 28, 2014)

No I don't have one


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## randomreflex (Sep 28, 2014)

Have any sugestiÃ³n on a good one?


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

You mentioned a heat lamp, do you have a thermostat for it? If you use a heat lamp it's best to use a thermostat too. You hook it up to the lamp and it'll regulate the temp. That way the lamp won't overheat and the cage will have a more steady temperature, even when the room itself gets a bit warmer or colder. Without a thermostat there will be more fluctuation. 
The temperature in the room can be different from the temperature in the cage (esp if the cage is on the ground) so it's important to know the exact temp of the enclosure.

As for brands, I don't know where you live and which ones are available in your country/area but I use the Lucky Reptile thermo control II thermostat


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## randomreflex (Sep 28, 2014)

Ok, I'll head to a pet supply store and see if they have something like that. I live in the US, and I'll check out petsmart they have a lot of reptile supplies. Thanks! 



Update : I'm still unsure if he ate. His water seems the same. But it's in a bowl so hard to tell. Although it's definitely hotter in the room I hopefully he will eat. 

I placed a different food in the cage. And will also be going to the store later to get maybe a third food choice for him. He's gotta want one of them I hope. I tried some turkey baby food while I was holding him yesterday but he sniffed it, touched it with his nose then balled up immediately as if the turkey were a predator . So safe to say he's not a turkey fan. 

I believe he ran on the wheel last night, there's runover bedding on it. But No poop anywhere to be seen. I cleaned the wheel anyways though.


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

Do you think he has been eating anything at all since Thursday? Because if he hasn't, you might have to syringe feed him if he continues his strike. He needs to eat. Their system can shut down pretty quickly once they stop eating, and it becomes a vicious circle > not eating > appetite gets worse > still not eating
It can also be dangerous on other levels (problems like fatty liver disease)
The sudden switches of food brands (I can't find if you got the same food he was eating at the pet store or not) might have upset him on top of the stress of moving. Usually you slowly transition them to another food by adding a bit to their old food over the course of days/weeks instead of going 'cold turkey'

So he has to eat. It's very concerning if he truly doesn't eat at all, or so little.
Are you counting his kibble? It might be a good idea to start counting his kibble in the evening and again in the morning to see if he has eaten anything. 
If he stopped eating for a couple of days now he's probably not going to like anything you give him. You might have to force feed him. Do you have a syringe ready in case you need it? Or can you get one asap (and some wet cat food)?


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## randomreflex (Sep 28, 2014)

I got some wet cat food. And a bowl that's shorter than his current. I suppose if he only ate a few kibbles then I might not notice it. If he doesn't eat tonight then I'm taking him to the breeder and or vet right away. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for all your help thus far.


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## randomreflex (Sep 28, 2014)

He is still very active though. I hope I'm just being paranoid


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

I hope you are too.


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## randomreflex (Sep 28, 2014)

Update:


Omg sucesssssss 

I picked him up and waited for him to come out of the ball of death form. 

Then i got the wet cat food and put it in front of him. He licked it but that's it. Afterwards I got his regular food (a combination of cat kibble hedgehog vitamin powder and Hedgehog Complete ) he started gobbling it up. So I left him sitting In my hand and held the bowl in the other hand. He was eating for a good while then I gave him the water bowl and then he went back to the kibble bowl. 

Hmm. I'm so happy he ate. 

I tried giving him the insectivore mix thing that he's supposed to be having for the first week as per the breeder, but he had no Interest . 

I wonder if it's the food or if he enjoys being held while eating or maybe a combination of the food... It's a mystery so far.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

You need to start counting his food when you put it in the dish and again in the morning so you know exactly how much he is eating. What kind of food did you add? The best food for them is high quality cat food.

You also don't need to give him any vitamins, as long as your feeding a good quality food he doesn't need anything else except the occasional treat.


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## randomreflex (Sep 28, 2014)

Okay will do. And right now it's the mix that the breeder sold me. Slowly I'll begin giving him a new one. I've been looking around online here and see some people using blue buffalo I may try that once my hedgie gets used to his new home and stuff .


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

Glad to hear he's eating!


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## Prickerz (Sep 17, 2014)

I work at petsmart and they do not carry a thermostat. Your best bet is to order one online... Amazon is where I got mine


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## randomreflex (Sep 28, 2014)

Yeah they dont have it. .. lol I went to the store before checking this.

But a store rep told me they had it online.

Is this the correct type ?
http://www.petsmart.com/gsi/webstore/WFS/PETNA-PETUS-Site/en_US/-/USD/ViewProduct-Start?SKU=36-5037159&utm_campaign=5037159&utm_source=googleproduct&mr:referralID=a8df8ba5-4929-11e4-a1c0-001b2166c2c0


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## randomreflex (Sep 28, 2014)

*Update*

Now going on day 5,

He is still eating and pooping regularly 
lots... of poop :lol:

Drink: Currently drinking 50% water/50% pedialyte.
Slowly reducing % of pedialyte as breeder advised me to only do it for the 1st week.

Only odd things is that he always crawls under the wheel instead of the igloo. (don't know if its a habit.. when I first picked him up at the breeders he was also hiding under the wheel there)

He still huffs when i go to pick him up out of his cage, but uncurls in about 1 minute after. I put him in a shirt. and he currently fell asleep in it while resting on me. so adorable :grin:


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