# just got my hedgie



## sic_infested (Jan 8, 2009)

so i just brought my hedgie home from the breeder sunday... i set up his cage and he's got his food bowl and water bottle... the breeder told me he drank from both with he was with her... so i figured to give him more room just keep the bottle... but anyway... since sunday it doesn't look like he's touched his food or water... is it normal for them to not eat or drink for a bit when in a new home? anything i can do to get him eating and drinking? please let me know... i'm a bit worried... also on the drive home he seemed to be throwing up 3 times... and as soon as he got home he seemed better and hasn't thrown up since... i'm guessing that was just car sickness... but i'm sure that could have something to do with the not eating or drinkin possibly...


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## Shelbys Mom (Mar 27, 2009)

When I first got Shelby she didn't eat for a few day's either.
So if you little one don't come around in a day or so I'd start Worrying.
And when I brought little Wicca home she also got car sick. Although she NEVER turns down food :lol: 

So it might take yours a few more days to adjust.

I hope he starts eating soon.
And congratulations!!!


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

Sometimes when hedgehogs are "water bottle trained" at the breeder, they will come to a new home and not want to use a water bottle because of the switch. I would go ahead and take the bottle out and put a dish in. Quentin started out with a water bottle and spent 5 minutes at a time lapping at the thing trying to get enough water; I thought it was a waste of his time and switched to a bowl, and now he doesn't spend nearly that long trying to get water. Most people here will recommend a switch to a bowl.

Give him a day or two, and he'll probably start eating then. When first in a new home, some go on a hunger strike for a few days. If he doesn't eat within the next day or so, then you might need to schedule a vet appointment. Most likely it's just because he's in a new place. Is it the same food the breeder had him on? If not, he may not want to eat because it's not his normal food.


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## sic_infested (Jan 8, 2009)

i have the same food the breeder used in his bowl... then i have some of the hedgie food i bought sitting beside the bowl incase he wanted to try that... and then i have some kitten food sitting beside that so he can pick from what he wants... as for the bottle i'll take it out tomorrow if i don't see him using it... i was gonna exchange it anyway cuz it seems to drip slowly and i don't like that... so maybe i'll just return it all together... hopefully he eats tomorrow tho... i don't know if i should get him some small mealies to get him eating first... then maybe he'll start eating his kibble... i don't know.. i just worry things r wrong... he was very active sunday night so i'm guessing all is well... he's just being stubborn...


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## dorasdaddy (Dec 23, 2008)

what hedgie food is it? most hedgie food is crap at best and some is even deadly.


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

sic_infested said:


> i have the same food the breeder used in his bowl... then i have some of the hedgie food i bought sitting beside the bowl incase he wanted to try that... and then i have some kitten food sitting beside that so he can pick from what he wants... as for the bottle i'll take it out tomorrow if i don't see him using it... i was gonna exchange it anyway cuz it seems to drip slowly and i don't like that... so maybe i'll just return it all together... hopefully he eats tomorrow tho... i don't know if i should get him some small mealies to get him eating first... then maybe he'll start eating his kibble... i don't know.. i just worry things r wrong... he was very active sunday night so i'm guessing all is well... he's just being stubborn...


You shouldn't introduce new foods for a week or two after getting a hedgehog home. If he's never had mealies before, it wouldn't be a good idea to introduce them because they can cause tummy problems in an already stressful situation for him. I'd also remove the hedgehog food and the kitten food for the same reason.

Keep in mind he got carsick on Sunday, so his tummy is upset anyway. And now he's in a new home with new smells and new stuff, which is stressful. You want to try to minimize tummy upset as much as possible and stick to foods he's used to for a week or two.

You said you were using a bottle because you were worried about cage space; I would use the bowl that one of the extra foods is in and put water in it instead (as long as it's food/water safe). You can take the bottle back, if you want, and just use one of those extra dishes for the water.

After two weeks, slowly mix a little of the other foods into the food he's used to--a very small amount of those other foods, that can be increased over the span of a month or so. This helps keep tummy trouble to a minimum.

I have to agree with dorasdaddy about the hedgie food. Check this list for suitable hedgehog foods: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=45 If the one you have isn't one of them, sometimes the store will take foods back within 30 days. Often hedgehogs don't like those foods anyway and would prefer a good cat food instead.


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## sic_infested (Jan 8, 2009)

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/images/Ca ... -smpet.jpg

^^^ thats the food i bought for him... the food the breeder gave me i'm not sure what kind it is.... all the kibble is round and there brown, red, and green.... not sure if that helps... it kinda looks like he was poking around in his food bowl last night tho... not sure if he ate much or any atall.. but i had the food flat in there and now its all messy... i guess spending hours on his wheel it got him alittle hungry... i'll tkae out the other food for now then and let him adjust...

as for the bottle... im not worried about cage space... i just thought it would give him that little extra space is all... plus it would be cleaner for him since crums from his food wont end up in the water... but obviously if he doesn't drink from it i'll be putting the bowl in...


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

sic_infested said:


> as for the bottle... im not worried about cage space... i just thought it would give him that little extra space is all... plus it would be cleaner for him since crums from his food wont end up in the water... but obviously if he doesn't drink from it i'll be putting the bowl in...


But you're taking out 2 extra bowls of food...I'm sure 1 bowl of water would be fine in there. What size bowls are you using?

If you go to the dollar stores, they have some nice very small ceramic crock bowls(2 for $1) and I find that it's a very nice size for my boy.


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## sic_infested (Jan 8, 2009)

the extra food i had in there i just left like 4 pieces on the floor thinkin maybe he's scared to lift his head still... so no extra bowls... i'm gonna put an extra bowl in so he can drink... i have small plastic bowls from petsmart...

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... =Small+Pet

there low and small... i'm just worried he'll flip the plastic... so i may go to the dollar store and get ceramic just to avoid that problem...


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## dorasdaddy (Dec 23, 2008)

some people also use medium sized reptile water dishes, they are very low and very heavy compared to a ceramic bowl.....would be almost impossible to tip over


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## smhufflepuff (Aug 28, 2008)

I agree with with the others are saying about giving him a water bowl. 

Is it possible he's eating when you're not looking? Is he still pooping and peeing? Starting tonight, count out how many kibbles you're putting in his dish and then count again in the morning. Hopefully, they'll be less. 

Good job putting his kibble closer to him. You could turn the lights down to let him feel a little more safe. And if he's on liners, you could put both him and his kibble under the liner. These little critters seem to operate under the assumption that if they can't see you, then you can't see them, so it's safe to do just about anything.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

that hedgehog food you got is not good for him. He needs to be on a mix of recommended cat foods when he's done the food that the breeder gave you.


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## sic_infested (Jan 8, 2009)

i do mix the food i bought for him with kitten food... i'll count the kibble tonight and see if there is a difference... i also replaced the bottle for a dish tonight too... he does poo and pee... but doesn't seem like alot so i can only asume he's not eating or drinkin alot.... so i hope it gets better tonight....


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## sic_infested (Jan 8, 2009)

so i'm low on the food the breeder gave me and i'm introducing my food to him... last time i mixed some of the breeders food with my food and he seemes to have picked all the food that the breeder gave me out of it... not touching mine... not sure if he doesn't like it or if its the fact that i've had this food since my last hedgie... i've had it in our cold room where its freezing during the winter so it should still be fresh... i broke a pice of kibble and it still feels crunchy... should i just go buy some food and throw out my old? or give him time? only reason i didn't yet is because i had just bought some more when tails died that i had quite a bit and didn't wanna waist it... but whatever is best for him... what do u think?


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## kitty_cat (Jul 22, 2009)

I'm having similar issues with my new boy. He is a rescue from Nancy, just picked him up yesterday. I did hear a little bit of crunching last night around 2am... and found some crumbs leading into his sleeping bag... and he pooped twice. His poop is very very dry... and it doesn't appear that he is drinking any water, so i'm becoming more and more concerned every hour that he will become dehydrated. The water is right beside his food... so i know he knows its there. "You can lead a horse to water, but you cant make it drink"... i assume this applies to hedgies too? Am i just being a worrisome new owner? :|


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## sic_infested (Jan 8, 2009)

well it took my little guy 2 days to touch ether food or water... so give it another day... mine has been eating his new food... but only after he eats all the breeder food first... then he'll start to eat my food.... lol... but he's coming along... i'm sure urs will too... i'm going to introduce cat food mixed wit his hedgie food soon too... i tried some moist food twice and both times i found it dry in the morning... so he's not into that... he didn't seem too crazy for temptations ether... took him 2 days to eat 1... so next i try the mealies... hope he likes those...


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