# WHS - clicking noise



## Tumbleweed (Oct 16, 2011)

Our sweet girl, Tumbleweed, has been suffering and slowly declining from WHS since mid June 2011. It has been about 4 months from the onset of symptoms and she can no longer walk or prop herself up at all. She is begining to curl so we haven't been able to find a good way to lay her comfortably except on her side (otherwise her poor face is smashed). 

For about the past month we have noticed that she frequently makes a "clicking" noise with her mouth/jaw. I was wondering if anybody has any experience with this and might have ideas. Her perscribed pain medication does not change the frequencly so we think it probably isn't a pain thing. My husband took to making clicking noises at her as a form of endearment several months ago and it was after this that the noise started. It seems silly to think though that she is possibly mimicking us? 

We have, however, noticed that when she is clicking it doesn't mean she is hungry (she still eats readily when hungry and food is offered to her, though we have to hand feed her at this point because of the curve of her spine she is not able to reach the food on her own, though she can still chew solids.) What we did notice that makes the clicking stop is simply picking her up and snuggling with her. She makes some clicking noises, and we cuddle her - it stops. Could it be possible that she has developed this attention seeking noise as some way to communicate? That just sounds absurd for me to say though. 

Does anybody have any experience or thoughts with this? Or WHS in general. We are not interested in putting her down at this point. She is still responsive and a fierce little eater. Any new thoughts on a way to provide comfort for a hedgehog that can only rest on her side? (We quickly clear away soiled bedding, but her hands do natrually fall near her rear. We are often trying to keep her paws clean. We have tried placing them above her bedding (hand towels) and her bum below so that her paws won't be forced to make any contact with her stool, but she always moves her paws back under her blanket. Any ideas? 

We have done a lot of the online research about WHS that we can find - but we figure the more information out there the more it can help other people in the future!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I'm sorry your dear little girl is going through this horrible disease. 

From what you describe, it does almost sounds like in her case the clicking noise is an attention getter and possibly mimicking your husband. 

I know what you mean about their paws always end up near their bums and they can get so messy. It's also difficult to know what to try because if she is able to move at all, you don't want her getting stuck, or in an uncomfortable position. I really don't know what to suggest. 

With Cinder, I found rubbing a thin coat of Vaseline around her bum, made her easier to clean up and then we didn't have to bath her as frequently. It also helped her bum from getting sore.


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## zorropirate (Aug 13, 2010)

For her sleeping position, have you tried making her a hammock/sling type bed? My Daisy has lost all of her mobility to some sort of neurological/spinal condition, and the use of a hammock has really helped her. I just adjust her sleeping position a few times a day. I've lined it with removable flannel/fleece liners to help absorb messes and change them daily, or more often if required.










I have it raised about 1" off the floor of the cage and have blankets around it in the event that she actually does start to be able to roll over again. In this photo she's resting on top of the flaps I made, she is always tucked inside, sort of like the flaps on a tissue box if that makes sense.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

i am sorry i do not have any advice aside from what has already been offered, but we lost our Lancik to this disease this year and it is so heartbreaking. i am so happy that your little girl is getting so much love and care!

i have never heard anything about clicking noises with regard to WHS and i would not think of it as an expression of pain, but we really don't know enough about communication process in animals, let alone in hedgehogs.


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