# Drinking less and less and less.



## Erizo (Jul 25, 2012)

Hedgie's water consumption has been steadily dropping and now seems impossibly low.

Female hedgehog. Got her at 6 weeks old 146 grams (5.15 ounces). Is now 27 weeks old 332 grams (11.71 ounces). Peak water consumption was about 12 teaspoons (1/4 cup) per night. That has been steadily dropping. It was fine at first, when her growth rate dropped and metabolism shifted to slower growth.

She ran into trouble maintaining weight and continuing to grow. Her diet has been adjusted to compensate. Lost weight was regained over a period of several weeks and she is currently 'self-adjusting' her food intake and gaining about 1% a week the last couple of weeks.

She gets 20 mealies, 3/4 ounce chicken or turkey baby food (with 1 gram of her 'second choice' kibble (Solid Gold) finely ground and mixed in), and is free fed Royal Canin (34%F). She eats 1 - 4 grams of the RC, averaging about 2 1/2 grams. I'm prepared to change the diet mix, but had a hard time stopping her weight drop and getting her back on the right track. She seems to only eat a certain volume and that's that. Ramping up the fat content was not my first choice, but seemed necessary, and it got her fixed up on the weight loss issue and she seems to be making her own adjustments and leveling off (not excessively 'fattening up'). I was expecting to have to put her on a ration of the RC when the weight issue was resolved, but she seems to be handling that herself at the moment.

Her water consumption has been continuing to drop, however. There is some moisture in the mealies and the baby food, but surely not much. The baby foods are not exactly 'liquidy'.

I measure her water with a graduated cylinder (like you'd find in a lab). It would otherwise be impossible to measure.

Recent consumption amounts in ml and tsp. -- 
15 ml / 3.0 tsp. 24 July
12 / 2.4
16 / 3.3
12 / 2.4
15 / 3.0
17 / 3.5
15 / 3.0
16 / 3.2
14 / 2.8
19 / 3.9
16 / 3.2
18 / 3.7
15 / 3.0
14 / 2.8
20 / 4.1
26 / 5.3 9 July

She gets three foot baths a week and poops and pees pretty soon after hitting the water. Pee looks okay; lightish yellow, but there isn't much pee to see these days. No surprise, as little as she is drinking.

I can smell her litter pad and am pretty sure that she is peeing there, at least a bit.

How little water intake is too little? What is the average range of water consumption? What to do? In the last three weeks, water consumption has dropped into the 'barely a tablespoon a night' range.

She wheels about 2 1/2 hours a night as usual. Sleeps 18 hours a day or more, as usual. She has a CSW wheel, 20 sq. ft. C&C cage, and three PVC tunnels. She seems to love running around, seems happy, behavior is steady and good . . . . Her body shape looks good. It's a bit scary though, seeing how very little she is drinking.


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## AngelaH (Jul 24, 2012)

I don't have an answer for what a normal amount of water should be or how to get your hedgie to drink more, but I've seen people suggest giving Pedialyte if you are worried about dehydration. Also try mixing some water in with the baby food or other foods you are offering so she gets a little more in her. Maybe she doesn't like the bowl or bottle you are offering water in and try a different container? Maybe she doesn't like the water? Tap water can have things like chlorine or flouride in it, maybe she can taste or smell something she doesn't like about the water, try bottled or filtered water? 
Good luck!


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## Erizo (Jul 25, 2012)

Her body shape still looks good, but I'm especially very interested in knowing the low end of 'average range' for water consumption. I'd think she'd have to be dehydrated drinking this little, but isn't showing any signs that I recognize. Less than a tablespoon in a night? It seems impossibly low. Looks and acts fine.

She has a low sided ceramic dish and it has always been fine with her. She maxed out at 12 teaspoons a night during her maximum growth spurt. I haven't minded watching consumption drop bit by bit, but now she is down to a range that seems awfully low. 16 ml / 3.3 tsp. last night and 3 hours on the wheel.

City water, but the quality is considered to be very good. 'City', in this case, is smallish town in Smoky Mountains.

Do hedgies suddenly refuse water that they have been raised with? (She is a special snowflake. Perhaps she should be getting Voss water or another designer water.)


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Have you done a skin tent to check if she's dehydrated? Take a pinch of skin and gently pull outwards and then let go. The skin should pop back <2s if she's properly hydrated. 

It may not be a bad idea to switch to paper towels for a night to see the colour of her pee.


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## Erizo (Jul 25, 2012)

That's a new one for me. Her skin wasn't 'loose', so I had to take pretty good pinches (which didn't seem to bother her). After letting go, it didn't 'hang' or 'sag'. It just dropped back to the way it was.

Foot bath day today. She usually poops and pees pretty quickly in the water (which is easily changed out, so no big deal). Poop looked fine. Not a lot of pee, but looked normal (just less than usual because she is drinking what seems to be so little). Lightly yellowish, as has always been usual. Not dark. Not clear. Nothing suspect to me.

I could do the towel trick over her litter pad, but wouldn't expect a better look than I get from watching her during foot baths.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

As long as her skin springs back like that, she's properly hydrated. So there shouldn't be much worry about her hydration. 

If she was dehydrated, the skin would "stick" and not pop back as fast.


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## newfie_nurse (Apr 28, 2011)

I use one of those ceramic dishes too.. After a few days I notice they build a film.. And Chloe doesn't drink as much . I have to scour the bowl ever two to 3 days not just rinse it.. Plus some days she just doesn't drink as much. 

But sounds like your hedgie is fine. Normal skin, poop, urine.. Plus a lot of moisture from the foods.. Unless u notice a change I wouldn't worry too much


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