# Scratching: Quilling or Mites?



## megathon (Apr 5, 2012)

*-How old is your hedgehog?* 7 weeks and 4 days
*- How long have you owned your hedgehog?* 2 weeks
*- Changes:* Adopted her on 3/31, switched from wood pellet bedding to fleece liners
*- What is the temperature of the hedgehogs cage?* 74.5-76 degrees (on a thermostat)
*- What is the lighting schedule?* 7 AM-8 PM

My boyfriend and I adopted Penny 2 weeks ago (on 3/31), and she has been scratching since then (most nights she does this occasionally, and some nights frequently). 4/2 was the first night that we had her in her playpen, and the scratching was excessive. Small and large white skin flakes came off, along with 5-6 quills (balls on the ends intact). We examined her and could see that her skin was very dry and flaky, but there were no signs of mites (no orange crust, blood, or movement). The skin flakes on her blanket also did not move. 
She went to the vet (who has hedgehog experience) 2 days later, on 4/4, and told him that we were concerned about her dry skin but thought that she might be quilling because of her age and the loss of quills. He confirmed that she had dry skin, but found no signs of mites during his examination. However, he told us that there are mites that cannot be seen even with a magnifying glass, and because hedgehogs are prone to mites, he decided to treat her for them as a preemptive measure. He gave her dose of Ivermectin, and gave us another dose to give her in two weeks (which would be 4/18).
I had no idea about the dangers of Ivermectin until I got home and stumbled across information on it when I was researching what to do for her skin. Thankfully, she's totally fine, but there's no way I'm giving her the second dose, or will ever let anyone treat her with that again. It also didn't seem to do anything for her skin, and didn't decrease her itchiness.
It's since become clear that she is definitely quilling (there are quills everywhere, and we can see new ones coming in). I started applying Humilac spray to her skin on 4/9 (and have applied it every night since then), and I gave her an oatmeal bath the following night. Her skin looks great (no more dry skin flakes) since we started using the Humilac on her. However, I'm still concerned because although she isn't scratching excessively anymore, she does it either frequently or occasionally, depending on the night.
My feeling is that her scratching is a combination of dry skin and quilling, and that she doesn't have mites. I think that the best course of action is to continue with the Humilac and the weekly oatmeal bath until she is done quilling, and if she continues to scratch after that, to take her to the vet and ask for Revolution.

Am I correct in thinking that this is the right thing to do for her? I would hate to prolong her discomfort by assuming that it's not mites and waiting weeks or months for her to finish quilling before I get her treated for them, if that's what's going on.

Thank you!

Additional Information:

At the breeder's, she lived on wood pellet bedding and was in the same cage as her mother and siblings.
Since coming home with us, she has lived on fleece bedding and plays on fleece blankets, all of which we routinely change and wash with fragrance-free laundry detergent. Her toys/wheel/food and water dishes are washed with Ivory soap, so I doubt that it's an allergic reaction.
The only change that she experienced prior to the scratching was coming home from the breeder's with us. We aren't sure if she was scratching or quilling before then.
Her eating, drinking, sleeping, and wheeling routines, poop, and urine have all been normal, and there are no other physical or behavioral changes or symptoms (aside from a little grumpiness because of the quilling). She's gained between 75 and 100 g in the past 2 weeks.


----------



## JadeJackson22 (Apr 6, 2012)

I think that it was just a combination of dry skin and quilling. I do believe that quilling makes the hedgehog scratch a little bit due to their uncomfortableness. I would say your fine and probably don't have mites. 
Have you ever thought of giving your hedgehog e-oil or flax seed oil in it's food to help with the possible dry skin?


----------



## lexilou0312 (Oct 7, 2014)

I just bought my hedgehog patches about a week and a half ago and he has been fine until now I know he had mites but we gave him a bath for that. He is acting very agitated today and I dont know why. He constantly jumps at the smallest things, he tries to use the bedding to scratch, then uses his feet, then shakes like a dog about 1-2 times. He has been running like crazy in his cage for about 30 minutes. Now he's calm but still scratching. Idk if its the new bedding (aspen) or if he's tired, or if he's just nervous can anyone help??????


----------



## TikkiLink (Dec 4, 2013)

I have used Humilac when my girl both just had dry skin from quilling, and when she had mites. I noticed that when she had mites, the Humilac was useless in helping her skin or her itching, but when she just had really dry skin and some quilling, after a few days there would be an improvement, especially in her level of scratching. I don't think the scratching will go away completely until the quilling is over (although I think hedgies also just stop and scratch occasionally when they are active no matter how their skin looks), but if the Humilac has improved the frequency of scratching and the skin looks better, in my experience that is a good sign that it's not mites, especially if there are new quills coming in.


----------

