# cold and flu season



## Crowley is loved (Aug 27, 2014)

ok, so iv read and been told that hedgehogs can't catch human colds and flu's

but after living with, dogs,cats,hamsters, guinea pigs, parakeets and lizards all my life that can all catch human illnesses im still kinda worried that she might catch something (human or otherwise) and i know 'accidents happen' no matter how careful your being.

is there anything i can do to add any extra preventative measures?

vitamins or probiotics, 'special food' if i can get her to eat it, i can give to help her immune system or anything?

i check her heating, food, waste and sleeping habits regularly [hands are always washed up to the elbow before going anywhere near her cage]but anything changing there would only be a sign that something was ALREADY wrong.

sadly with cold and flu season apon us and almost everyone in my house working with the 'germ spreading public' someone always end up sick and giving it to the rest of us :/

any advice to help me keep my Crowley baby just an extra bit safer would really help put my mind at ease.

also for info- im allergic to a lot of cleaners so a lot of the cleaning when anyone is sick is done with Lysol wipes, gain dish soap, and vinegar all than rinsed with water.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I would just keep her cage clean as usual, and make sure hands get washed before handling. If anyone's currently sick, try to keep handling by that person down to a minimum as much as possible to avoid any issues.

The only thing I can think of for supplements that I know would be safe is Vitamin C. It helps boost immune system and it's water-soluble, so it's difficult to overdose since it's excreted in urine. It CAN still be overdosed though, so I wouldn't get carried away with it. I'm not really sure what the dose would be for a hedgehog though...It would likely be very small. Perhaps a question you could ask your vet about and see what they say?


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