# Do female hedgehogs menstruate?



## traipse

Our 6 month female just got separated from her mom (she was sharing the cage) we put her in a cage with white paper shavings . Well I found a blood spot in her cage . Could it be menstruation or UTI ? I might also mention that she seems to be a little underweight.She weighs half a pound. If she has been dealing with a urinary tract infection we may not have detected it earlier because in the moms cage we use brown cloth as a liner instead of shavings and when we used the white paper shavings we have detected this.I may also mention that in the moms cage we have been using The Worlds Best Cat Litter in a litter pan under the Carolina Wheel . It is a clumping litter but none of my other hedgehogs have had a problem with it .If she has been dealing with a UTI for a while could she have kidney damage? Everyones input please. I am very worried for her . she will be taken to the vet first thing in the morning. will update on findings


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## Teleute

Hedgehogs do not menstruate. Definitely worth getting checked out, glad you're taking her to the vet in the morning


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## traipse

I wonder then if it was the cat litter that maybe caused a UTI. the Worlds Best Cat Litter is made from corn and NOT clay .


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## traipse

Does anyone know how much a six month hedgehog should weigh?


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## nikki

Corn bases litters aren't recommended because they can mold when wet and can stick to genitals. She might have a UTI. Are you sure that the spot of blood didn't come from her feet or anywhere else? was it in with urine? A half pound is about 225 grams which could be an ok weight for her depending on her body size. Are her sides sunk in at all? Hedgie weights very greatly from one hedgie to another.


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## Lilysmommy

I'm not sure that cat litter would cause a UTI, but if a piece got up there and irritated her, it could've caused issues and maybe bleeding. Clumping cat litter is not recommended because of this reason - it can get caught in private parts and cause major issues, especially for male hedgies. Even non-clumping clay cat litter isn't recommended because of this as well. Most people use either pelleted cat litter (like Yesterday's News) in their litter pan, or just a paper towel. 

As far as weight, there is no average or guide. Every hedgehog is unique and they can come in any size and shape. Some might be 300 grams at 6 months and that's normal for them, whereas some weigh 600 grams and that's normal for them. You have to go more by their body shape and frame. If her sides dip in like ) (, that's too skinny. On the opposite end, if she's as round as she is long and looks more ball shaped ( ), then that'd be overweight (other signs include extra skin/fat under their chin, under their legs, a hump on their bag, and unable to ball up completely). Half a pound is about 226 grams, which is on the small side, but it may be fine for her. Normal body shapes are | | (known as the runner type or "twinkie-on-stilts" :lol: ), which needs more fat in their diet if they're very active, to keep from going to the underweight shape, or a nice ( ) kind of pear shape, which is typical for most hedgies. Those ones get a usual amount of fat, and they should do good, unless you notice them losing or gaining lots of weight. She's also still growing though, so weight gain should be expected. Just keep an eye on her shape, her activity level, and how much she eats.


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## traipse

I have giving her some moist can cat food as well as super worms and she has consumed both so maybe she just wasn't getting enough food or didn't like her dry food that much. I have changed cat brands of food every once in a while too. Maybe she will start getting more weight and I can also monitor her intake better now that she is in her own cage.


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## traipse

Just found out vet that takes care of exotics is not in the office today  . My girl has an * am appoint. tomorrow. hope that is OK.


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## Kalandra

How did the appointment go?


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## traipse

Had to make appointment tomorrow 8am because lady that takes care of exotics is out of office. Hope one more day won't hurt her.


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## traipse

I was just checking her cage and found no more "blood" 'but now I don't think it is blood. When I was getting her food I noticed that her cat food has some pieces of it has really red colors in it. It is KitKaboodle cat food. Could the dye be coming through in her pee or poop and thats what I saw. The color on the white paper shaving is the very same color of this particular piece of cat food. I have seen the normal color of hedgie poop in her cage. Should I cancel her appointment at the vets or keep it to be on the safe side? please advise thanks


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## Christemo

Could be.
Check out the feeding section for proper cat food brands... because that stuff is junk.


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## traipse

UPDATE: Poinky went to the vet today and when they had her in the basket weighing her she peed :? . So the vet had the pee sample they needed .The vet lady was able to palpate her abdoman. Poinky is the friendliest hedgehog ever she never balls up or huffs and puffs the vet commented that she has never seen a hedgehog so friendly .They ran tests and also tested the food sample I brougt . Diagnosis : urinary tract infection. She was sent home with SMZ/TMP to be taken with syringe orally twice daily . When given first dose she shook her head and tried walking away.


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## Lilysmommy

Glad you guys got it figured out! If she starts to really struggle against getting her medicine, you can help make it taste better by mixing it with a bit of baby food (chicken, turkey, peas, and sweet potatoes are popular flavors) and syringing it. Also, I recommend looking for another food, if you can, like Christemo said. Some popular brands on here are Blue Buffalo, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul, Natural Balance, Solid Gold, and Innova. They're all a bit more expensive, but hedgies eat so little (compared to cats) that one bag will last you for months!


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## Teleute

Hey, at least getting the sample was easy! :lol: I'm glad to hear it's just a UTI, hope she gets better fast on those antibiotics (and that she's cooperative about taking them!)

I'd second (er, third) Christemo's comment about the food, though. Blech. That ingredients list is a little scary.


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## traipse

WOULD IAMS BE A GOOD CHOICE? I bought a bag. When we got home I got out her mom Cinders and found a sore that had abcessed and had a little pus on the inner part of her back leg. I was thinking because money is short ( my husband currently unemployed) and we just took Poinky to vets and she was prescribed antibiotics that I could also treat (with betadine?) her leg and also give her the antibiotics that her daughter was prescribed . Vet said Poinky would not be using all the antibiotics.Poinky has to take 0.15 of SMZ/TMP suspension twice daily. Poinky weighs half a pound.Cinders her mom weighes one pound . So I would probably give her mom twice the dose twice per dose twice daily Right? please help me decide right thing to do Thanks


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## Lilysmommy

Different antibiotics do different things, so before you try giving Cinder any of Poinky's meds, I would call your vet and ask first. Cinder might need something different or a different treatment for her leg.

Iams is alright, not the best, but not the worst. It's definitely better than Kit'n'Kaboodle. Make sure the protein percentage is below 35% and the fat percentage is around 15% (depending on their body shapes).


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## Kalandra

I would not assume that you need to double a dose because of the weight difference in the hedgehogs. With some medications it could have a very bad result. You need to know the formulary to dose medications, and with that you need to know the concentration of the medication that was prescribed. Some medications have upper limits as to what can be prescribed and can have ranges for how strong of a dose the vet feels the animal needs. 

It is best that you discuss any type of medication with your vet before medicating.


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## traipse

Thanks for tip. Called vet and waiting for return call.


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## hedgiebum14

i have a Female hedgie as well and she doesnt menstrate, better check it out D: good luck


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## traipse

Well vet called back they said they couldn't give advice over phone :? bottle of medicine does say in parenthesis (240MG/TSP) per oz. does that mean 250 mg per ounce of hedgehog? plz help thanks.


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## Lilysmommy

I still would listen to Kalandra and not medicate without a vet's advice. If you're concerned about her leg, a vet visit may be in order, unfortunately. You may only make problems worse by giving her the wrong medication or the wrong dosage. You might get more answers/opinions on whether you can treat her leg with something at home, and what, before a vet visit if you make a new, separate topic for it.


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## Immortalia

Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole, is mainly directed for urinary tract, respiratory, gastrointestinal and skin infections. It probably wouldn't do much for the abcess, nor should you try it as it IS still a drug. And like any other drug, there ARE side effects and warnings that come with the drug. 
A common side effect is dry eye. 
It can also cause anemia as well, because it interferes with folic acid, which is required to make RBC's. 
If you overdose, you can cause crystals in urine. It also shouldn't be used in pregnant animals either.(Not sure if yours is pregnant, but since it seems like you've been breeding, while on limited funds, I thought I'd mention the pregnancy part).


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## traipse

She has not been bred since August. Thanks for advice. Just don't know what could have happened to her .


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## nikki

She needs to see a vet. If you use the wrong antibiotic for an infection you take the chance of it not clearing up the infection but making the bacteria more resistant to other antibiotics which can make your hedgie even sicker and the infection harder to treat.


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## alabbott92

Don't give your hedgehog wet cat food, they can die from it.


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## Lilysmommy

This thread is over two years old, please don't post on very old threads. It makes things confusing & people often think it's a recent topic & will reply to the OP.

Not sure where you heard that, but it's also very much untrue that hedgehogs could die from wet cat food. Where did you hear or read that? What reason would there be for hedgehogs to die from wet cat food? It's fine to use as a treat, syringe-fed to sick hedgehogs, or fed as a main diet.


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## jcisaza7

*My hedged is bleeding, Menstruation?*

Hello, i have a new one week female hedgehog and she got a bleeding from her vagina this morning, is it normal? is menstruation?what should i do plese help


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## writergirlmel

jcisaza7 said:


> Hello, i have a new one week female hedgehog and she got a bleeding from her vagina this morning, is it normal? is menstruation?what should i do plese help


In the future, you'll probably get better results if you start your own thread instead of posting to an old one.

But, no, female hedgehogs do not menstruate. You need to get her to a vet as soon as possible. Either follow the protocol for emergencies with your routine veterinarian or seek care from an emergency vet. This is not something that can be ignored for a day or two.


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## twobytwopets

Did you say you have a one week old hedgehog or that you have had your hedgehog for a week? 
No that isn't normal. They don't have periods at all. She needs to be seen by a vet ASAP.


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