# I am freaking out! Hedgehog fell!!!



## Constantine (Nov 28, 2014)

Okay a little info on Marius, he is a White bellied brown snowflake african pygmy hedgehog, he is now 3 and a half months old. 

Yesterday I gave Marius a bath, I was drying him up with a towel but i wanted to fold the towel on the other side the dryer one, so i placed marius on the table, I never thought that he would jump because he has never done that before!!!!! So after like 2 seconds I look back and he is on the floor!!! The table is about 3 feet high, He fell on some slippers idk if that helps, 

then after that I placed him on my lap to dry him up and he jumped out of my lap which is like a foot high cause i was sitting on a stool, I am freaking out!!!! I've been checking him constantly since yesterday for any bruises or negative reactions when i touch a specific body part but there doesn't seem to be any physical injuries, but internally idk!!!!

Marius is a morning hedgehog?,,,,, because he usually wakes up somewhere around 4 - 6 am and he sleeps at 1 in the afternoon, so I didn't really expect much poop today since he is still running but i did notice 3 poops, one was brown as usual but the other two were a dark color, it was the same consistency as his normal poop except for the color, but i think its because of the superworms i fed him last night and plus i am in the process of switching him to new kibble which is a dark brown color so could that be affecting it? He is running on his wheel, but as for eating and drinking it seems to have decreased. like he only ate 12 kibbles i believe cause i always give him 50, but also the food is placed in a new food bowl so could that be a factor?, also maybe it got stale cause i put the food there hoursss before he woke up so i replaced it with fresh one but he seems to be more focused on wheeling than food and drink.

I literally want to get an axe and chop my head off!!!!! I feel like crying, im shaking and idk what to do!!! what should i look for?? signs?? he seems to be alright but omg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## CashmereSkeleton (Nov 28, 2014)

First things first, calm down and don't chop your head off. Who would look after him them? :lol:

I dropped my hedgehog on the 3rd or 4th night of having her and felt the exact same way. Didn't sleep a wink and was terrified that I'd killed her. Luckily she was fine.

I'm not an expert on this but keep a very close eye on him. Keep monitoring his poo, anything abnormal could mean that there is some internal bleeding, especially if he's had two falls. If in doubt, take him to the vet.

I think because you said he is still wheeling we can rule out the chance of any broken bones. But as I said, I'm a new owner too so someone else may be able to give you better advice.


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## knlght (Oct 12, 2014)

well again dropping of hedgehogs happens to everyone sooner or later.

Be extra carefull on holding him, dropping him 2 consecutive times is very unusual.

Now you need to monitor his behavior in the next few days, a change in mood, wheeling, etc can all be indicative of a hidden injury. If anything makes you suspect an injury, or theres some bruises please visit a vet asap.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I don't think the slightly darker brown poop would be a concern (though keep an eye on it), but I would pay attention to the running more & eating/drinking less. Since it's a Sunday and likely only emergency vets are open, I would keep a close eye on him until tomorrow & see if his behavior is the same (more running, less eating, etc.). Look for any other changes in behavior. Personally I would call the vet tomorrow to see if you can get him in, just to be safe. Running can be a stress response for hedgehogs, which is why the fact that he may be running more rather than eating or drinking catches my attention. And the running on wheel does not rule out injury - one person posted recently that her hedgehog acted totally normal for several days after a fall, but when she took him in to the vet, it turned out he had a dislocated shoulder. Prey animals try very hard to act totally normal to avoid predator attention, which makes it difficult to notice injury or illness.

Another thing you could do - hedgehogs are hard to sneak up on, but if you can, try to watch him when he doesn't know you're watching. Sometimes they let their guard down more and you may notice some behaviors that he's hiding otherwise like limping or something.

Good luck and don't beat yourself up too much. Even the best owners have a hedgehog fall sometimes, accidents happen. The important thing is that you're doing what you need to & keeping a close eye on him now.  Fingers crossed that everything is fine!


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## teoleson (Dec 30, 2014)

*Self-Anointing*

So I used to have bedding in a litter type box under Greta's wheel. She used to only use that to go to the bathroom, but she was sneezing so much with the bedding so I took it out. She hasn't been going to the bathroom in the empty litter box, so I wanted to try some kitty litter.

After putting her in the box she started to self-anoint. I thought this was so strange, and wondering if anybody else has noticed their hedgehog do this, or what other type of litter you might suggest?

the litter i used was one for sensitive or allergy prone cats, and had no fragrance. It was clay.

Thanks for the help!!


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## Constantine (Nov 28, 2014)

Sorry guys i know this is late but I just wanted to say that I took him to the vet and my hedgehog Marius is perfectly fine, no broken bones or internal bleeding, his dark poop is probably due to me switching him to darker colored kibble plus im feeding him a lot of superworms for him to gain some weight so that affects the color of the poo as well, so yeah he is fine guys thanks for all the help


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## onesweetfairytale (Nov 25, 2014)

As scary as it is, I think almost every hedgehog owner has seen their little one fall or be dropped. Accidents happen unfortunately and it just reminds you to be more careful next time. Watson slipped off the bed once and I cried I felt so bad but I think he thought it was funny  

Glad to hear he's okay. Sounds like he may be a bit of a jumper so maybe play with him lower on the ground for now until you know he'll stay in your hands or lap when you hold him?


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## magicpaws788 (Jan 19, 2015)

Good to hear!
Is your hedgehog now okay? Maybe next time more careful.


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