# hedgehog is kind of red on his underbelly



## Vogen (May 5, 2009)

my hedgehog seems to be scratching a lot and doesn't have much fur on his underbelly and it all seems to be kind of pink and redish. behind his ears is kind of flaky, with a few red blotches (i assume to be scabs).
I have been checking him for mites daily but i don't ever see anything moving on him or anything. I got scared when i saw the red blotches, but when i touch them it doesn't move so i assume they are scabs from him scratching and stuff. so i have just bathed him in flax seed oil (about 3 drops in the water) and i hope this helps him out. I really hate to see him in so much pain 

Is it normal for his underbelly to not have much fur? he seems to not have much fur around his ears either.. i don't know if that is normal, but where the scabs are right underneath his ears there is no hair at all. 

any help on this will help me and my little hedgie ^.^ Thank you in advance.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Honestly, your best bet would be to take him to the vets and whether mites are seen or not, to just treat for them anyways, so you can at least rule that out as a cause.

I brought my hedgie recently to the vets to get treated for mites. There were no signs of any mites on him, the vet didn't see anything, but we treated him with revolution anyways. 

Also, what kind of litter are you using? And has there been any recent changes in his diet? Hedgies, like humans, have allergies. It could be that it's his bedding, considering it seems that his underbelly is affected the most.


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## Shelbys Mom (Mar 27, 2009)

Also what do you bathe him in? and how often?

Aveeno oatmeal bath is really good for itchy skin.


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## smhufflepuff (Aug 28, 2008)

Immortalia said:


> Hedgies, like humans, have allergies. It could be that it's his bedding, considering it seems that his underbelly is affected the most.


That's what I was thinking too... If something is only affecting his belly and nowhere else, it seems like the problem might be caused by something the belly has a lot of contact with. What kind of bedding is he on? And if it's liners, what detergent/farbric softeners are you using?


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## Vogen (May 5, 2009)

i use this bedding that is like paper called care fresh. however on the packaging it says it is hypoallergenic,so i didn't think that it could create a rash or anything of that sort. i pretty much feed him the same thing that his previous owner has instructed me to feed him, but i can slowly rule things out one by one to see if it may be a cause. I just use water and flax seed oil to bathe him, and i only do this once every week and a half or so.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

It actually could be the carefresh. There was another post recently, about how someone was using carefresh and their hedgie was developing dry itchy sores. Something about how the carefresh was too absorbent and dried the hedgie's skin too much. I'll have to see if I can find that post.

*Edit* I found it
http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2395&p=19262&hilit=carefresh#p19262


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