# Really bad poop smell



## danishheikki (Feb 5, 2017)

Hello,
I am a somewhat novice hedgie owner. I have had my first ever hedgehog for a little over two years, and he will be three years old this month. I know they live 3-5 years in captivity so I know he is probably more prone at this point to falling ill. 

The Problem: I recently notice my hedgehog's poop smells terrible! normally It has little to no smell at all. But at this point I gag any time I get a good wiff of it. Most of his poops look pretty normal (color, size, stiffness) though he has had a few soft poops here and there, one or two darkish green liquidy poops, and one HUGE poop (or maybe it was puke but i think poop) where it looked as though he ate some of his bedding.

Backstory: He lived with me for a while in my dads apartment, then moved this past august to my dads new house, and now lives with me in my college dorm room for two months. He is registered with the school as my emotional support animal (ESA). 

Questions: What could be causing this terrible smell?! Is he just old? He has had ear mites before but didn't have a poopy smell symptom. The nearest exotic animal vet is a three hour drive and I have little money to cover it (though could ask for help from my parents). His diet has not changed since he was born (eats 4Health catfood). Though I recently am unable to supply him with his yummy treats of live meal worms, now I only have dead dry ones but he wont eat them.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I'd take a fecal sample in to the vet & have them check it. Really awful smelling poop can be an indication of an intestinal infection, they can check the poop for bacteria & such without you taking him in too. Just call first to make sure they're expecting you & try to make sure the poop is as fresh as possible. Less than 12 hours is best, and you can keep in the fridge until you can head to the vet's.

Side-note, but unless your parents are going to be willing to help with quite large expenses ($200-500), you should really figure out some different methods to afford vet bills. Hedgehogs are prone to getting sick & injured, especially as they get older. You need to be sure that you can afford the vet for him when he needs it as plenty of illnesses, etc. will not wait for you to scrape the money together. Check into Care Credit, which is a credit card that doesn't charge interest for set amounts of time for single charges over $200. You'll need to make sure the vet accepts it too, since not all do. And check into vet insurance from National. Pre-existing conditions aren't covered, but it only costs about $8.50/month. You still need the money up front for the vet visit, but for issues that are covered, you can file a claim to get some money back.


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