# Please help: Elderly hedgie lethargic and not eating.



## CoxMD (Apr 30, 2010)

Background:
Basil was an adult when I adopted him three years ago. He has always been a good eater/pooper.

Over the last few days Basil has been increasingly indifferent to his meal worms which he usually gobbles up. Last night he ate two, but only chomped the goo out of them and left the skins as has been his habit lately.

For the past eight months or so I have been wetting his kibble to soften it because he seemed to be having trouble chomping them.

Last night and the night before there was no sign that he has eaten any of his kibble. Last night I put soft cat food in bed with him and it looks like he took one mouthful. I placed fresh soft cat food with him this morning. He peed in his litter pan but pooped in his bag which is unusual.

I know that Basil is old, and his teeth could be in question. (no physical deformities on the outside, look like they always have when he noms on worms.) For those of you who have lost hedgies: Is he on his way out? He has had a good life with us and I don't want him to suffer.


----------



## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

It is difficult to say if he is on the way out or not. There could be a lot of different reasons for him not wanting to eat. He could have a problem with his teeth. You could try to get a popsicle stick and see if you can get him to bite down on it and see if you can get a look inside his mouth. Obviously, you could take him in to the vet, who could look at his mouth as well as see if anything else is wrong with him. It could be something as simple as the weather and time of the year...
How is he acting otherwise, is he warm enough? That would be something to check. Certainly I would want to see if his teeth and mouth are OK.
The vet is my advice,
Susan H.


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Agreed with Susan - I would head to the vet and get his mouth and teeth checked out, just in case. Agreed about checking the temp as well, just in case, since older hedgies can get more sensitive to that. If you can't get him to eat dampened kibble anymore and want to stick with a wet food, you could ask the vet about Hills A/D. It's meant for sick animals, so it might be too high in fat if he's healthy other than not wanting to eat, but it's worth asking about, at least. It's supposed to taste pretty good and help encourage sick animals to eat, so if nothing else, perhaps it could be mixed in with another wet food to see if it entices him. Lily really liked it when I was having to syringe-feed her, her last few weeks with me. Good luck, and keep us updated!


----------



## CoxMD (Apr 30, 2010)

I took Basil in to the vet this afternoon, and she gave him a shot of Baytril and some fluids, with more Baytril, powdered food, and steroids to take home. She advised that I should get him a heating pad to keep him warm while he's sick.

He didn't make the car ride home. Bless his little heart. He was an old hedgehog and a good friend. I miss him dearly.


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Oh, I'm so sorry.  RIP Basil.


----------



## momIImany (Oct 14, 2012)

I am so sorry for your loss. It seems that he had a wonderful life with you and you have 3 years of memories to look back on. He's in God's hands now.


----------

