# My hedgehog is sleeping all day and night



## sc2001

Hi everyone,
I have had my hedgehog Bean for about 5 months now. She is a super sweet pinto. She rarely huffs and seems to be quite happy in her home. 

A week after I got her from the breeder, I brought her to the vet to see if she was a healthy hedgie. The vet said she was very healthy and at the perfect weight for her age. 

She is usually extremely active at night. Running on her wheel and playing with her toys from about 11pm to 6am with some resting here and there. She has always had a great appetite. I feed her blue buffalo weight control cat food as her main meal. She also gets meal worm treats and veggies when she is out of her cage. Her cage also has a heating pad that keeps her warm.

I take her out every night when she wakes up for play time. She is usually out for about an hour or so. She gets her treats, her toys, and tons of space to run around and explore. She also gets a food bath if she feet are dirty and I give her a full bath when needed (once every few weeks or if her skin is irritated and itchy).

So… all that being said,
I have noticed that she has been a little different the past two nights. She hasn't run on her wheel at all (I don't hear her running and there is no poop on her wheel). Also, when I take her out of the cage, all she wants to do is burrow in my blanket and go back to sleep. I felt her tummy to see if she was cold but she wasn't. I checked her nose and ears for any discharge but i didn't see any. I also made sure she wasn't constipated by giving her a warm bath to see if she would do her business. She pooped and peed just fine. I also checked her skin to see if she was having any irritation but her skin looked very healthy.

I haven't found any signs of illness or discomfort, so I am very confused as to why she has been lazy for the past few nights. 

I am wondering if a few nights of laziness if normal. Should I wait a few more nights to see if this behavior continues? or maybe I should take her to the vet for another checkup? 

Thank you!!

-Bean and her loving mom


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## Lilysmommy

Is she still eating and drinking normally? What's the temperature in her cage? Do you have a heating set up? And does she have a light schedule of 12-14 hours?

It may be that it's just cool enough in her cage to keep her from getting up & coming out of her warm bed for longer than necessary, but not enough to cause a hibernation attempt. Likewise with if she's not getting enough light during the day. Another possibility is if there's any kind of light or noise at night that could be disturbing her & keeping her from going about her normal activities.

Check her nails too, and see if they're getting long. Sometimes that keeps a hedgie from wheeling normally. Double-check her wheel while you're at it, and make sure it's not too wobbly or might have a weird angle to it that's upsetting her.


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## sc2001

Lilysmommy said:


> Is she still eating and drinking normally? What's the temperature in her cage? Do you have a heating set up? And does she have a light schedule of 12-14 hours?
> 
> It may be that it's just cool enough in her cage to keep her from getting up & coming out of her warm bed for longer than necessary, but not enough to cause a hibernation attempt. Likewise with if she's not getting enough light during the day. Another possibility is if there's any kind of light or noise at night that could be disturbing her & keeping her from going about her normal activities.
> 
> Check her nails too, and see if they're getting long. Sometimes that keeps a hedgie from wheeling normally. Double-check her wheel while you're at it, and make sure it's not too wobbly or might have a weird angle to it that's upsetting her.


Hey Kelsey! thanks for the reply!

Bean is drinking normally. When I took her out of the cage she ate her treats happily. However, I did notice that she did not eat much of her kibble she she was in her cage. Im going to keep an eye on her eating habits.

The temperature in her cage is good. She also has a heating pad in one of the corners in her cage for some extra warmth (its always at a constant temperature). This is where she usually sleeps (I have an igloo over the heating pad so she has a warm place to borrow and sleep. The weird thing is, she hasn't been sleeping there the past few nights. Instead, she has been digging up her fleece liner that lines her cage and going underneath. I don't know why this is comfortable because she is lying in between the bottom of the plastic tub and the fleece&#8230; but apparently she likes it. So I don't think its the temperature because if she was cold she would go sleep where the heating pad is.

Her cage is in my room. I am a college student so Im usually never in the room during the day so she had plenty of quiet time when she is sleeping. I leave the blinds open so she gets enough light. I usually go to sleep at around 1 am. My room is usually pretty quiet. I have a single and I am not in there often besides to sleep and do school work.

Her nails are a bit long so I am going to give them a trim tonight when she wakes up! maybe that will help. Her wheel is also quite annoying&#8230; very loud and squeaky! however, I just ordered her a new wheel (the carolina storm bucket wheel), which i heard was an awesome wheel.


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## DesireeM81

A hedgehog might not move to a warm spot even if they are cold. Sometimes they want to be lazy and not move because it is too cold.

She needs a constant light between 12 to 14 hours a day. With the coming of fall, daylight not only shortens but it weakens as well. This is something your hedgehog will notice. I suggest leaving a lamp or the over head light on while you are away. You aren't home to turn on a light if a storm rolls through which means her light isn't consistent and could be causing her to be less active. 

Also, it's getting colder. The temps are dropping. A heat mat just doesn't cut it. She shouldn't have to move to the only warm part of her cage to get warm. She should have a constant temperature so when she eats, she's warm and when she's wheels, she warm. I know I hate getting up in the morning when my house is cold. Hedgehogs don't think the same way we do. She may just be associating the cold with hibernation and may not attempt to get warm on her own. 

As a hedgehog owner, you need to know the exact temperature in her cage. It's not just about a range of temps but about a constant temp as well. Temperature fluctuation is not healthy for them and temp should be kept constant.


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## sc2001

I think the problem was her nails. I cut them and she hopped right back on her wheel. She's been running ever since. She seems to be acting normal now. 

Thanks everyone for the tips!


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## sc2001

Also, I took the heating tips very seriously. 
I went on amazon and researched some heating domes/bulbs/thermostats. I posted a new thread to see if people thought my choices were ok. hopefully ill be able to order them tonight!!


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