# help, got something in eye or ear



## lmg_319 (Oct 4, 2010)

Hi
I just was putting vaseline on my hedgies ears because they are tattered and all the sudden he went nuts. I don't know if I got it in his eyes or ears or what or if he just doesnt like it but he squirmed and squirmed and I put him back in his cage and he destroyed it. He ran and ran and I didn't know what to do so I rinsed him off in the bath and he seems a bit calmer but he is still freaking out! I don't know what to do, I'm so upset that I hurt him. Help please!


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## lmg_319 (Oct 4, 2010)

he is still freaking out and i dont want to put his igloo back because he is all wet. i dont know what to do. he doesnt want to be help he just keeps running and running on his wheel


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## I<3Hejji (Aug 29, 2010)

You should pick him up and wrap him in a warm blanket or towel and hold him so he dries off. Usually when you give a hedgehog a bath it takes about 45 minutes for them to fully dry and its best to hold them in a blanket and let them sleep while they dry. If he doesn't get dry he could get cold and try to hibernate. If he is running on his wheel he is probably ok, but still needs to get dry. Most hedgehogs don't like having their ears touched, that is probably why he freaked out. Plus most hedgehogs hate bathes which is why he could have freaked out then. I don't think you did anything wrong, you were just trying to help his ears. I think it would be best if you snuggled him to ensure he is dry. Then maybe wait a day or so for him to calm down and then try with the vaseline again.


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## lmg_319 (Oct 4, 2010)

He will not let me hold him at all. He just wants to run out of my arms. He is still crazy, running and rolling in his litter. He is on fleece liners and I changed his whole cage including new liner, thinking he had gotten the smell in his cage and it didn't help. He is dry now but he is still freaking out and I feel so bad. I have never seen him run before as he likes it completely dark and he is running as fast as he can in complete light.


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

I call that "Angry Wheeling", my Hester will do it after a bath because she does not like the water and is usually annoyed from being touched. I don't think there is anything you can really do except let him be, he'll burn off his energy and retreat to bed.

Its probably the smell or possibly if his ears are really bad, maybe it stung? If it gotten into the eyes, again I don't think there is really anything you can do, plus there'd probably be signs like him not opening his eye(s) all the way or even watery eyes. Vasaline if I"m not mistaken (never used it before) has a strong scent to it if you put your nose right up to it, kind of an alcohol type smell. I'm not a health expert so this would be best left to Nancy and the admins to answer directly. For now, I'd just let him be, he's obviously annoyed and ticked off, but he'll forgive you.

Instead of Vasaline, try using Flaxseed Oil if you have any, or pick it up since it can be used in multiple ways. Pop open a capsule onto a plate or something and use a q-tip to wet his ears down with it. Its not as smelly and since its natural, it shouldn't hurt or possibly hurt if gotten into the eyes or ears.

Besides that, see what Nancy or the others have to say.


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## lmg_319 (Oct 4, 2010)

Thanks to both of you. He is definitely angry wheeling right now. I thought Vaseline was safe as I had read it once on the site but I will never use it again. I do have flax seed oil for his food so I could try some on his ears--another night. I can hear him still in the living room and even after I switched everything in his cage he destroyed it again, oh well. I hope he feels better soon. Poor guy, I feel bad


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

You'd have to smell the jar, as said we don't have any vaseline around here and haven't for a very long time, but if i remember it does have a smell when you put your nose close to it. There's people that use it around here, so its safe and used on hedgehogs, I just use flaxseed oil because its what I have readily available to me, and its natural.

Tomorrow is a new day, he should be calm by then.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

Sounds like he's just really annoyed from it being on his ears. I can't imagine it burning him because Ive accidentally gotten Vaseline in a cut before and it didn't hurt at all. It's probably that he feels something on his ears and freaking cause he can't get it off. My dog has done similar when I had to put some medication on her ears, didn't hurt or anything just freaked her out cause it felt weird to her and she couldn't get it off. I'd wait for an expert though to be on the safe side but its probably nothing to really worry about


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## lmg_319 (Oct 4, 2010)

*help, got something in eye or ear---Super concerned!!!*

So I work up at 7 to check on him--nothing has changed. He had not eaten one piece of kibble, drank no water, still is wheeling like crazy. Can all this really happen because of vaseline? I wanted to call my vet but it's Sunday so they are closed. I gave him some wet cat food and he ate it, but he won't drink. He is once again wheeling in plain light (and now his light on the timer is on) and he won't settle. He'll go into his igloo but won't sleep, just turns in circles. I don't know for sure but it seems like he has been wheeling all night, no sleep. Will he get dehydrated? He just won't settle even now, so I can imagine what happened after I went to bed at 230am. What have I done to my poor hedgie? Should I be really concerned?


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Does your vet have an emergency number?

I'm with the other folks - he's throwing one Grade A hissy fit but to be sure (and so YOU feel better) try to call a 24 hr vet. They will often give advice over the phone.

I feel for you! This kind of thing happens to me surprisingly often. :?


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Vaseline is safe and usually they don't react at all to it but of course there is always that one exception to the rule. 

No Puffers, Vaseline has no smell and it will not sting his eyes nor sting any open sores.

Try holding him and using a soft cloth, rub around his ears and gently around the inside. I wonder if the Vaseline is sticking a few of the ear hairs together and it's bugging him. Change the bedding in is igloo just in case there is some vaseline on it. He will wind down but don't risk doing anything else to his ears for a while. He may just be ultra sensitive. Some are. 

Hmmm, just had a thought. It isn't baby powder scented is it?


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## lmg_319 (Oct 4, 2010)

No it isn't baby powder scented. I changed his liner last night after the incident and I am pretty sure I got it all off last night, but I can check again.


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## lmg_319 (Oct 4, 2010)

MissC said:


> Does your vet have an emergency number?
> 
> I'm with the other folks - he's throwing one Grade A hissy fit but to be sure (and so YOU feel better) try to call a 24 hr vet. They will often give advice over the phone.
> 
> I feel for you! This kind of thing happens to me surprisingly often. :?


Thanks  He seems to have calmed down a bit, but still keeps shuffling around every few mins in his igloo. The hedgehog vet here I like isn't an emergency vet, but I did call another clinic who said they would see him if I needed to bring him in. I hope by tonight he is back to himself


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

How's everyone doing? Has YOUR heart rate returned to normal?


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## lmg_319 (Oct 4, 2010)

Well, he rampaged all night that night and stopped eating. The next morning I woke up and he was still freaked. I gave him some wet cat food and he calmed down a bit though and slept some of the day. But from his rampage he has ripped out a nail and has a small cut on his chest, maybe from a quill poking him (I'm not too sure as nothing in his cage is dangerous). So last night we cleaned him all up and this morning I took him out for a foot bath and he seems back to himself  Thanks for asking, it was a stressful few days!


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Glad to hear he's doing better and youcan finally breathe! 

I use flax seed oil in capsules...I squirt half a capsule on his food, then put one drop on the BACK of each ear. He's super touchy about his ears but after huffing at the initial sensation of the drop, he goes back to normal. You may want to give it a try if you're concerned about vaseline. I stopped using vaseline in my house after I read some nasty things about it - something about it's a by-product of petro (gas)? I figured there's healthier alternatives out there so I switched.

I'm unlucky like you are: if there's even the slighest chance something bad will happen, it will undoubtedly happen to me (or a little hedgie in my care.) :roll:


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## lmg_319 (Oct 4, 2010)

So I am worried. His rampage was Saturday night. Sunday night I found the ripped toe nail and cut on his chest. Cleaned him all up. He ate a bit of his dry kibble that night. Last night, he ate about half what he usually does, but no sign of wheel activity yet. I know when they rip a toe nail you are supposed to take it out but I was told to leave it in because of his rampage the initial night. So there is definitely a lack of activity, and eating half the amount. He is himself, I took him out last night during his regular cuddle time and he was normal, exploring then settling down to sleep. Should I bring him to a vet or is this just recuperation after his little injuries?


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## Xyloart (Dec 6, 2010)

MissC said:


> I stopped using vaseline in my house after I read some nasty things about it - something about it's a by-product of petro (gas)? I figured there's healthier alternatives out there so I switched.


Vaseline is a brand name for petroleum jelly; a relatively natural byproduct of oil. It's not unhealthy though and perfectly fine in many applications with some exceptions (like fresh burns). If it's pure it should have no odor.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

This is from Wikipedia:

Petroleum jelly, petrolatum, white petrolatum or soft paraffin,[1] CAS number 8009-03-8, is a semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons (with carbon numbers mainly higher than 25),[2] originally promoted as a topical ointment for its healing properties. Its folkloric medicinal value as a "cure-all" has since been limited by better scientific understanding of appropriate and inappropriate uses (see uses below). However, it is recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an approved over-the-counter (OTC) skin protectant and remains widely used in cosmetic skin care.

The raw material for petroleum jelly was discovered in 1859 in Titusville, Pennsylvania, United States, on some of the country's first oil rigs. Workers disliked the paraffin-like material forming on rigs because it caused them to malfunction, but they used it on cuts and burns because it hastened healing.

It's the whole discovered by an oil rig worker thing that made me search out other options. :lol:


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