# Tattered ears, hibernation, wobbling



## dragonfly3007 (Feb 14, 2010)

I have a few questions that I already know partial answers to but am having a hard time getting clarification on. I thought I'd try asking here to make sure I'm taking good care of my pet.

I've read that tattered ears can mean mites or a fungal infection, but it can also just be dry skin. I read that if it is dry skin you can use cocoa butter or vitamin E to help moisturise the skin. Is this true, and also what brands would you recommend to buy? Her ears are very dry looking, but I want to make sure what I'm using is safe.

My second question is about hibernation. It's very hot right now where I live, and Bellie has been very active all summer. I went away on holiday for a week and left my mother in charge of taking care of her. A few days before I got back, my mom changed the litter but when she put the wheel back it was in such a position that it couldn't spin. My mom didn't realise this. I got home late Sunday night, fed Bellie and went to bed. The next morning her food was gone so I know she had gotten up, and I saw the wheel and fixed it. That night (yesterday) as I was getting ready for bed, I noticed that she hadn't been up yet. I reached in to have a little play, and she barely stirred. It took me several minutes to get her to come to and unball, and just as I feared her stomach was as cold as ice. Do you think she went into hibernation because she hadn't been able to run in her wheel for a few nights? As I said it's very hot here and the room temperature is consistently warm. She's not by a draft or a window, and even to prevent drafts I have a towel along the backside of her cage (it's a wire cage with a metal tray, very open, lots of air flow). She's 10 months old.

Once I had her awake, I put her by her food to see if she'd eat anything. Then she started wobbling. I know before I got a hedgehog I read somewhere that when a hedgehog can't get it's balance and is shaky/wobbly, that's really bad. What caused the wobbling? Was it because she had been woken up from semi-hibernation? And what can happen as a result of wobbliness? I'm worried about that aspect of things.

I checked her this morning and she was her regular grumpy self, huffing at me for waking her up, very alert and responsive. I'm fairly sure she went into the hibernation as a result of not being able to run on her wheel, but I wanted a more "expert" opinion on it. Also the dry ears/wobbling has me concerned. Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated. Thanks.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

Hedgehogs do not hibernate because of a wheel.
You say her belly was cold? Yet it's very hot where you live :? 
I would suggest taking her to see a good exotic vet.


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## dragonfly3007 (Feb 14, 2010)

LarryT said:


> Hedgehogs do not hibernate because of a wheel.
> You say her belly was cold? Yet it's very hot where you live :?
> I would suggest taking her to see a good exotic vet.


I figured it was because she had nothing to do for 3 days. She can walk around her cage, she has some little balls with bells to bury and dig out, but she primarily runs on her wheel to stay active. Which is why I figured since she wasn't being active, her body just started to slow down. Does that not make sense? I'm not trying to be sarcastic, I mean genuinely, is that reasoning illogical?


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

She did not hibernate from a lack of exercise/wheel. It would be from tempature or lighting issues.


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## dragonfly3007 (Feb 14, 2010)

Okay. I'm just trying to understand what's changed though because it's been a hot/humid summer, and the temperature in my room (where she is) sits at 75F pretty much all the time. Sometimes it can go up or down a degree, but literally a degree. All summer she's been fine, and the only thing that was different was the wheel being off it's hinge. If you say she's sick then I will look into a vet. Thank you.


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

I agree with Larry, take her to a good, exotic vet as soon as possible. We might be able to help you find a good vet. What state are you in, if you don't mind me asking.


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## dragonfly3007 (Feb 14, 2010)

I'm in southern Ontario in Canada, close to Toronto. I actually might know of a good vet. Several years ago I had a guinea pig who got really sick and I took her there. I don't know if he specialises in hedgehogs as well but I can call.

Ironically a few minutes before I got my thread posted, someone else asked about tattered ears so I know to use Vaseline on them. However do you have any ideas about the wobbling? Was that related to the hibernation?

Despite being mid-day, I've just checked on her again and she's totally fine. Warm tummy, grumpy face (for waking her up). When I first got her she went into almost-hibernation and wasn't eating, but it turned out to be because she wasn't drinking. I got her a water dish (even though she'd used a water bottle at the breeder's) and she was fine after that. That's why this little "episode" seems so random to me. Right now she's poking around my legs like "What'd you wake me up for?!"


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

She might have just been dehydrated, but I'm no expert. I would still monitor her food and water intake for the next few days.


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

Here's a great thread for vets just in Ontario. Nancy goes to one of them! :mrgreen: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=5618


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

Once the hibernate they 1st time it's easier for it to happen again.
There is WHS wobbly hedgehog syndrome but if your hog is only 10 months old I doubt that's what it is.
Did she come from a reputable breeder or pet store? Does she have a pedigree?


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## Hedgehog Grove (Jul 21, 2010)

Greenwood Park Animal Hospital
1041 Gerrard St E.
Toronto
416-778-6666
Dr. Munn

Highly recommended and specializes in small animals/exotics and hedgehogs.


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## dragonfly3007 (Feb 14, 2010)

> Once the hibernate they 1st time it's easier for it to happen again.
> There is WHS wobbly hedgehog syndrome but if your hog is only 10 months old I doubt that's what it is.
> Did she come from a reputable breeder or pet store? Does she have a pedigree?


I got her from here http://www.heritage-pets.com/index.html The people kept the hedgehogs in excellent condition (I got a tour) and they also keep several other kinds of animals (they had a few pet dogs, a cat, and some budgies). I was given a packet when I got her (in February) including a booklet comprised of 8 full-sized pages on proper hedgehog care. I was also given a health guarantee with her specific gender, colouring, and birthday noted.

I'm going to assume the little bit of wobbling/shaking was from coming out of hibernation. She just seemed a bit disoriented. The 1st time she hibernated was pretty much right after I got her (in February). She wasn't drinking and as a result not eating, and then I went to play with her one day and she was hard to wake up and had a cool stomach. This was probably 3-4 days after bringing her home. As soon as I got her a water dish (that very same day), she was 100% fine and hasn't had a problem like this since. Why I assumed the lack of exercise would have something to do with it is because when she wasn't eating, I assumed her metabolism slowed causing her to try and hibernate. I figured lack of exercise = slowed metabolism, so it would have the same result. I guess I was way off base?



> Greenwood Park Animal Hospital
> 1041 Gerrard St E.
> Toronto
> 416-778-6666
> ...


Thank you.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

So I was thinking... could the hibernation attempt be due to the lighting? If it's not the temperature... Did your Mom regulate the lighting? Because if she just left the lights off, that perhaps could trigger it. ??


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Hibernation attempts are not related to excersise in any way. They are caused by cold or fluctuation temperatures or not enough light. Since the temp is stable and warm, I'd be making sure she got enough light while you were gone, 12-14 hours, not just depending on daylight. The wobbling would have been caused from the hibernation attempt as it makes them groggy and unco-ordinated for a bit after.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

As well as being too cool or not enough light, a hibernation attempt can be a sign of illness.


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## dragonfly3007 (Feb 14, 2010)

I must admit, I did not know that hedgehogs need a certain amount of light every day. I don't keep her in a dark closet or anything, but I don't have a light specifically for her. Her cage is in a sunny room, but she spends her days in her little house which is quite dark inside. At night time, I'm usually in the room with a lamp on. She will sometimes come out when the lamp is on, but mostly won't make an appearance until it's dark, so some nights I don't turn the lamp on so she'll wake up and go to the bathroom before I take her out (to avoid getting peed on). Are there special bulbs I should be buying? Like for instance, for my turtle I have a UV bulb so her shell doesn't go soft and she can bask. Is it just the presence of light that's important, or what the light is providing? Again, she's had the same lighting and temperature conditions for the last 6 months, so I'm leaning more towards illness as opposed to the conditions of the room now that I've spoken to everyone here. Thank you.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

They need 12-14 hours of light, not bright sunlight but a reasonably bright room. Her being in her dark house makes no difference, they still need the light. Any light will do. For my gang, I leave the center light in their room on from 7ish am to 9ish pm. 

Peaches was almost a year old before she decided to become light sensitive and the same goes for temperature. They can become either light or temperature sensitive at any time during their life.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

As far as special bulbs, from what I understand, each hedgie is a bit different. Some do fine if there is a red light on at night, or a bit of ambient light. While others like it to be pitch dark at night. 
My boy has his own room, so I don't really know what he likes. It's usually pitch dark in there at night. I turn the light on in the room (even though it has a window) every day from 5am to 6pm.


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## dragonfly3007 (Feb 14, 2010)

Thanks everyone for the help. I just had her out of her cage for about 1.5 hours on my lap in a bright room. She napped mostly or gently poked around my legs (it is early for her, after all) but she eventually woke up fully and had a big poop and pee on my lap (nice) then got really active and curious. I let her run around the floor for a bit but then put her back in her cage and made sure there were lights turned on for her. She immediately started chowing down on the food I'd just given her and seems to be totally back to normal. She's been highly responsive all day, and when I checked on her in the afternoon and had her out this evening her tummy has been warm and she's seemed totally normal. I'm going to keep an extra eye on her for the next few weeks and call the vet tomorrow to get an estimate on how much it will cost to take her in. The trouble is that I just got laid off and I really don't have any extra cash. Obviously if it gets really dire then I'll go no matter what, but right now she seems fine so I'm going to pay extra attention to her lighting. I know the temperature has been stable but maybe the fluctuating humidity has affected her too. Thanks again everyone for your help.


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