# Please help!! Weak hedgie



## BeaSniper (Sep 1, 2011)

My little Altivo has always been a grumpy hedgie. Hes about 4 years, i adopted him from a previous owner who neglected him. Recently he can barely walk, he lost alot of weight, and he barely eats. His previous owner fed him omelet as his favorite meal, he hasn't been eating his cat food so i started making him omelets (thinking maybe its a tooth problem). He does eat it, but he wobbles from weakness. He doesnt huff up as much as he usually does and hes soo light. Should i prepare for the worst? Or am i doing something wrong?? Please help!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

What's the temperature in his cage? Do you have a light schedule for him? Has he felt cool at all? He needs to be at least 73-78* (and kept steady), and needs 12-14 hours of light during the daytime to keep him from attempting hibernation. Trying bumping the temperature up a couple degrees even if it's within the safe range - he might be becoming more sensitive to temperature (happens when they get older), or at least it'll help keep that stress off his body while he's sick.

If he's not eating, you need to start syringe-feeding him. Hedgehogs go downhill quickly without food, as you're seeing. Once they stop eating, their organs start to shut down, making them feel "icky". Then they don't feel good, so they don't feel like eating, and it just gets worse from there. I would also schedule a vet visit to get him checked out - definitely check teeth as well, but see if the vet has any other ideas.

You can get syringes at a pharmacy, usually in the diabetics section. You'll want needleless syringes, or ones with removable needles. This thread has ideas for diets you can use for syringe-feeding http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/19-soft-food-recommendations.html The easiest are probably crushing kibble & mixing with water, or using baby food. If you do go to the vet, they have diets that are made for syringing to sick animals such as Carnivore Care and Hills A/D, so you can ask about those if he's still not eating on his own reliably.


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## BeaSniper (Sep 1, 2011)

Thank you for the quick response. Hes really weak and im scared he won't last through the night. My lamp is on and he can't even walk to his house, he fell asleep face in food bowl. He is by the light so hes warm. I shut down all my fans and closed my windows to make my room extra warm. There aren't any 24 hour pharmacys near me. I have to go to work tomorrow but if he is still feeling bad i will call out and stay by his side, maybe even try to schedule an emergency visit to the vet


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## abbys (Oct 13, 2012)

Do you have a thermometer to know the actual temperature of the cage? Make a vet appointment as soon as possible, and in the meantime start syringe feeding him as soon as you can get to a drugstore for syringes and food off of the list lilysmommy suggested. Is he still drinking water? At the very least, try to keep him hydrated. Keep us posted.


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## grins&needles (Sep 10, 2013)

You say he is about 4. Is it possible he is older and that this is old age?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Given that we don't know the temperature and that he hasn't been eating in a few days, I would lean much more towards one of those (or both) being a main cause of the weakness before just going with old age, honestly. Hedgies just do so badly without food - here's hoping he might start to come back a bit once he's being syringe-fed.

Like Abbys said, get to a pharmacy as soon as you possibly can and get syringes to start getting food in him. I would also stop by a store to get a digital thermometer with probe as well. You want to know the temperature. It's possible you're going to need to do much more for him in temperature as well to keep him comfortable - staying by a lamp isn't going to work because of the light. He needs 12-14 hours of light, then darkness during the night. CHEs can give him heat without light, and so can space heaters (though they heat the whole room). Once you find out the temperature, keep him at least 75-78* - if your room is already around that, good, just make sure it stays that way. Wouldn't hurt to bump it up to 80* if possible, unless he shows signs of getting too warm instead. An emergency vet visit is also a good idea.

Keep us updated on how he's doing. I hope he starts feeling better with some food in him.


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## Chloethehedgie7 (Jul 24, 2013)

I would have to say, take him to the vet as soon as possible! Hedgehogs can barely hang on. They aren't that strong! Please what ever you do, go to the Emergency Vet!


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Lilysmommy is right, you need to get him warm by making sure his cage is at 75-80*F, make sure he has a proper light schedule and start syringe feeding him immediately. To me it sounds like he's gotten chilled with the cooler and shorter days.


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## BeaSniper (Sep 1, 2011)

Hey, thanks for the support. Altivo passed away about an hour ago. 
I tried calling about 12 vets and no one would take me cause they were all booked or the hedgehog doctor was away. i found a vet that would take him (very pricey too) but the vet was far so i arranged a car ride there. He passed away on my arms while i was being driven to the vet.


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## abbys (Oct 13, 2012)

I'm really sorry. *Hug*


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## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

I am very sorry to hear about this poor guy. I am sure he knew that you were trying your best to help him. I remember reading about him. I would say 4 is around the average lifespan for a hedgehog. My Snoball only lived 3.5 years before she came down with breast cancer. I am just glad that he was able to have good care at the end of his life. You did a very good thing taking him in and rescuing him from a bad situation. I know you had worked with him a lot and I am sure the last 3 years of his life made up for the first year. Once again, sorry for your loss.
-Susan H.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I'm so sorry.  RIP little guy. *hugs*


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