# hedgehog poo



## spontaneouscocoa (Dec 11, 2010)

so my hedgehog is about 13 weeks old now. i've had him for a week and a half. i was just wondering if hedgehogs in general poop an insane amount. it seems like everytime i hold him he poops at least 3 separate times. also, he poops and urinates in his food bowl. how do i break a habit like that? i thought he might poop a lot cause of the food he is on. which is cat food that the breeder gave to us. any suggestions?


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## HerbertsMommy (Jan 3, 2011)

Our hedgie is 3 months old, we've had him for 5 days, and he doesn't poop an excessive amount. From what I've read, they poop less the older they get. What are you feeding your hedgie?


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## spontaneouscocoa (Dec 11, 2010)

We are feeding him just what the breeder gave us which is a cat food of some sort. They just gave us a small ziplock bag full and said it was cat food. But we are almost through with the bag and might switch over to dog food simply because it's lower in fat and fiber.


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## Quilled1 (Dec 29, 2010)

Emma pooped in her water once when my dad got her. Thankfully she hasn't done that again but she does throw her toys in her water every once in a while. I hope she and your hedgie grow out of it :|


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## HerbertsMommy (Jan 3, 2011)

Gotch ya - My only thought would be the food (I'm not an expert by an means). Our hedgie had questionable poop his first night home, but it cleared up pretty quick. Are you using a litter box? 

Our breeder has us using a mix of Spike's Hedgehog food and Chicken Soup for the Cat lover's Soul brand Cat food. The balance of protein and fat is fantastic and the size of the pieces are perfect. I'd be careful with dog food that the size doesn't get too big since they have that choking reflex thing.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

It's best for food changes to be gradual so I'd try getting a hold of the breeder so you can find out the exact food. You'll need to know so that you can get some and then you can gradually add in a food you want to switch too. Their digestive tracts can be sensitive and sudden changes usually upset their stomachs. A lot of dog foods don't end up being good choices for hedgies cause the pieces are big and hard, you can try breaking them down if they meet the nutritional requirements but some hedgies won't touch food that has been broken. Your hedgie might be different but just wanted to let you know that some won't.

Good luck on the search


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## spontaneouscocoa (Dec 11, 2010)

I don't know what it is. Maybe its the amount of food that he eats or just the time of day that he chooses to eat it. But he poops everywhere. We are getting a bigger cage this weekend so hopefully it will be easier with the litter training. But like i said earlier he digs and poops. The poop is in his food bowl on the sides of the cage, on his feet on his tummy. just absolutely everywhere. and he hates baths. each time i give him one he gets all huffy with me later. aas for the dog food. i know of some that have kibble bits the size of the cat food he is eating right now. now we dont have a wheel for him quite yet. but we let him roam around in a ball. im wondering if it's the lack of excercise at night that could be causing all the poop.


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## PJsMom (Nov 20, 2010)

i'd be careful with the round-a-bout balls. little hedgie toes can get stuck int he slits causing bad injuries..plus..you dont know if hedgie is running out of fright or enjoyment..plus i dont think ventilation is good...with all the poop and pee... :|


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## Kaitlyn531 (Nov 29, 2010)

I definitely would not go with dog food. Here's a link to a posting that shows good options of food for your hedgie.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15

As for the pooping issues, Winston is almost 5 months old and he poops pretty frequently while I hold him. He's gotten better as he's gotten older, but it's not uncommon for him to poop on me, on his wheel, in the bath, etc. Pay attention to your hedgie to see if he gives you any signs on when he needs to go poop. My Winston can go from cuddly to extremely fidgety and start trying to run all over me when he needs to poop. Just keep some tissues nearby to help scoop up the poop. You could also try to put him in a small footbath with some oil and see if he can get it all out of his system them. I wouldn't do that too often though since it can dry out his feet, but it's an option, especially if he's pooping as much as you say he is - chances are he needs it anyway since it's probably all over his feet!


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## Killer quills (Jan 1, 2011)

I'm no expert but these are just some things I have learned with my hedgie. If it's pooping all over you, it might be due to stress. Millie had a lot of issues with stress when we first had her and would poop all over me and anyone holding her within seconds. She wasn't used to us and would get stressed and just go to try and make us not want to hold her. Even if she was out to play on a blanket or something, she would still just poop. Also, as the others said, you have to keep in mind if he is a bit younger, they will potty a lot more than an adult as they are still young and don't have much control. What I started doing with Millie is I'd have her litter pan out with me when playing and bonding with her. Anytime she pooped, I would take the poop, put it in the pan and then just put her in the pan with it. Most of the time she would just get out and play again, but that helped her learn she shouldn't poop on me as much. She is already much better. She hasn't pooped on me in a while... but will poop on my husband cuz he doesn't spend as much time with her. Maybe just some ideas to try out... If he isn't litter trained he won't know when is a good time to go and where is a good place to go yet. He may just be super happy he can release whenever wherever. :lol: 

Good luck!


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## tiredbutgoodmom (Dec 26, 2010)

You have to get your new buddy a wheel! They poop in that thing all night long. Apparently, the running stimulates the...going, I guess. Hedgehogs would be cruising several miles each night in the wild, so I have read that it is kinda cruel not to give them a wheel. I think you will eventually also get other unwanted behavior if he doesn't get the stress relief of the running outlet. 
Good luck.


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## spontaneouscocoa (Dec 11, 2010)

Our hedgie enjoys the ball. He goes in it on his own and every five minutes i'll clean it out and see if he wants to come out and normally he doesn't. He will hold on to the edges of the opening and scramble to get back in so...but yeah my husband is building him a wheel. Toby sometimes will go 30 minutes without pooping on me. so it really just depends


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## JLM (Jan 5, 2011)

My own experience tells me that after I wake him up it's best to put him back down for a little while b/c with in five min he poops and pees. Vet also said that moving stimulates their bowls which is why they poop and pee on their wheels and in their balls. So my best advice is if he's been sedintary either put him on a towel and see if he'll to move around a bit to do his business before you pick him up and cuddle him.


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