# Vet Visit Didn't Help



## Kmanzo (Jun 8, 2009)

My hedgehog has been losing an abundant of quills a day for about 4 months now (recently it's been an average of 20 quills per day). I took her to the vet and he did a skin scraping. It came back negative for fungal and mites but we treated her for mites just incase. 18 days into treatment there was still no improvement. Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong with her? She has very dry skin but her ears are not tattered, she does not itch all that much, she is fat (I'm working on that), and she is extremely active and happy. What is wrong with her!?!?!?!?!? Also, she is producing new quills very well so the balding really is not that bad. This all started up when it started getting colder, could the dry skin from the cold just be the cause? It seems a little extreme but the vet cannot find anything wrong.


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## PJsMom (Nov 20, 2010)

the same thing is going on with my hedgie too. He doesnt have mites, he's not itching..though he does have alot of flakes and he's losing alot of quills. not sure what's going on..maybe the weather does have something to do with it... :?:


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## pooka dotted (Jan 5, 2011)

2012 ahhhhhhhhhhhh! haha just kidding. hope you guys figure it out  doesnt seem to be hurting them though which is good


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Sounds like it's most likely dry skin. Hedgies are prone to dry skin anyway, and when the weather starts getting cold and the heat kicks on more, the air dries out a lot. You can help by putting flaxseed oil on their food, and doing a rinse with flaxseed oil after a bath. Try to keep the air less dry with a humidifier too, if you can.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

Kmanzo said:


> My hedgehog has been losing an abundant of quills a day for about 4 months now (recently it's been an average of 20 quills per day). I took her to the vet and he did a skin scraping. It came back negative for fungal and mites but we treated her for mites just incase. 18 days into treatment there was still no improvement. Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong with her? She has very dry skin but her ears are not tattered, she does not itch all that much, she is fat (I'm working on that), and she is extremely active and happy. What is wrong with her!?!?!?!?!? Also, she is producing new quills very well so the balding really is not that bad. This all started up when it started getting colder, could the dry skin from the cold just be the cause? It seems a little extreme but the vet cannot find anything wrong.


What did your vet use as mite treatment? How old is she?

As Lilysmommy said, using a humidifier and supplementing her diet with flaxseed oil a few times a week might help improving her skin. You can also apply a couple drops of flaxseed oil on her back, between the shoulder blades.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Did the vet check for skin infection? Because she is loosing quills for an unexplained reason, I wouldn't use any type of oil on her. Oils can seal in any infection or bacteria on the skin and if it's a skin infection, it will make it worse. 

There are non oil based hydrating sprays and shampoos. The vet will have something or there are ones available for cats and dogs, use a cat one. You can also treat internally by adding a few drops of flax seed oil to her food every other day. 

Running a humidifier will help raise the humidity and humid air is always a benefit as it makes the house feel warmer. 

What did the vet use to treat for mites? An active mite infestation needs to be treated every two weeks for 3 times. It can take time after treatment for them to quit loosing quills and the fact that new ones are growing in is good.


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## Kmanzo (Jun 8, 2009)

We used invermectin on her. The vet said that by the second treatment there should have been an improvement but there was none so we stopped treatment. I don't know anything about a skin infection, but the vet really looked into her skin and didn't mention in so not sure if that could be it. I've been using Vitamin E oil on her (my breeder uses it for dry skin) but maybe I will switch to flaxseed. I've also been using something by GNC (I'll get the exact name if anyone wants) that's meant for skin for cats and dogs. I remember reading it somewhere here that people have used it on their hedgehogs and it has improved her skin thankfully but it is still dry, just not as bad.


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## Kmanzo (Jun 8, 2009)

Also, where can I get a miniature humidifier for her? I've been putting in a bowl of water in her cage to add moisture to the air. It's a little trick my mom uses in the winter for herself when she sleeps haha.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

There are two types of small humidifiers. 

One is the cool air humidifier. The pro of this type is there is only a fan to circulate the moisture so it is slightly cheaper to operate. Cons are, it blows cool air which is rather counter productive in a room you are also trying to heat. In a big open area, it's not a big deal but in a small room, the cool air often means turning the heat up a few degrees to compensate. It causes a draft which can be an issue in a small room. It needs to be cleaned frequently as bacteria can build up in the water reservoir and on the filter. 

There is also a hot air humidifier. Con is that being a heating element, it is slightly more expensive to operate than just a fan. The pros win out though. Being that it is giving off steam, in a smaller sized room, it helps with heating. Although it does need to be cleaned on occasion, it is boiling the water so therefore, no bacteria. There is no worry of drafts. 

I use a hot air humidifier and when I use it, I have it on overnight. It not only adds moisture but extra warmth to the room and overnight is the ideal time to have it warmer when they are up and active.


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## Kmanzo (Jun 8, 2009)

Thank you very much Nancy! I'll definitely invest in one! Do you know where I can get one?


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I got mine at Canadian Tire.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Kmanzo said:


> We used invermectin on her. The vet said that by the second treatment there should have been an improvement but there was none so we stopped treatment.


It's a good thing that you stopped the invermectin. There have been issues with hegies in the past. viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6
Most people here use Revolution instead, as it's much safer.


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## Kmanzo (Jun 8, 2009)

I talked to my vet about Revolution, but he was very very against it since he says that there are no official tests of Revolution on hedgehogs


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

Revolution is the only safe way to go for treating mites as of now. If I were you, I would be running far away from this vet.


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## Kmanzo (Jun 8, 2009)

Hmm I'll definitely use Revolution then in the future. Thanks guys! I just wish I knew what was actually wrong with her. I had her out earlier today, only 11 quills today! And she was very active, ran in her wheel for over an hour


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