# orange quills?



## Hedge1989 (Feb 2, 2009)

I was just wondering if anyone has ever heard of hedgehogs getting orange quills? I went to pick up my two hedgehogs last night and they each had about three quills on the top of their heads that were kind of an orangy color. I'm pretty sure it wasn't food, but i'm not sure what else it could be, any ideas or suggestions? thanks


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

They may have annointed with their food and got it smeared on their visor quills. Have they had any new foods or treats lately?


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## smhufflepuff (Aug 28, 2008)

My first thought was they anointed with an orange colored food.

But, since you said you went to pick your hedgies, perhaps it's a paint that their breeder used to mark those as your hedgies rather than someone else's hedgies. Mine had a little blue spot on her back when she came home to distinguish her from the other little ones in the litter.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Yeah, smhufflepuff's got a good point. Lily had a little yellow spot on her back towards her butt when I first got her, and she actually still has a couple of quills that have yellow on them. :lol:


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Oh, maybe I got confused. I thought picking them up just meant taking them out of their cage. Whoops! :roll: 

In that case the breeder probably marked them and that's what it's there for.


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## Hedge1989 (Feb 2, 2009)

Sorry, i meant i picked them up last night to cuddle with them, not from a breader, i have had the one since april and she had a baby in may. they haven't had any new food lately though, it kind of looks like an orangy scab, and they both have it right on top of their heads, but its on their quills not their heads. the mom has like five quills with the orange and the baby has two quills with the orange, and its not their natural color, i hope that was more descriptive, and thanks for all your help its much appreciated.


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## Cimredopyh (Oct 13, 2008)

The orange crusting is likely because of mites. They are not very obvious in this picture but they were distinctly orange to the eye. About the same orange as pumpkin. 
This was taken when Angel was being treated for mites and the orange color had me baffled as well so i asked others about it. I always knew crusting was indicative of mites but never knew it could be orange :lol: 
Check around the base of the rest of their quills to see if there are others that are starting to get the orange crust
The crusting went away a couple months after treatment.


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## Hedge1989 (Feb 2, 2009)

Hi, i'm not sure its mites since its at the top of the quills. It kind of looks like food, but there food isn't orange so i'm not sure. I've added a picture, so maybe that will help. What do you guys think? Thanks again.


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## Cimredopyh (Oct 13, 2008)

Do they scratch themselves or have any of the other symptoms of mites? The crust that Angel had was the same texture, but only around the lower half of the quills...I am stumped.


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## Hedge1989 (Feb 2, 2009)

no they don't really scratch more than like the average hedgehog, and when they do its more on their side, the orangyness is right on top of their head


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## Mallasfamily (Feb 6, 2009)

This may be no help but, especially now that you have a picture of it, you could try washing it off. If it comes back then maybe you can figure out what it's from. I have no experience with mites or anything, plus I just got my HH. But if it's mites that caused it then doesn't it make sense that it would come back but if they found something they both anointed with then it's unlikely they will both do it again. Just a thought...


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

I would try bathing them to get it off and see if it returns or not. It may just be partially digested food...hard to tell.


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## Hedge1989 (Feb 2, 2009)

thanks everyone, i bathed the mom today, and it seemed that i could just pick most of it off, so i could have been digested food, thanks again for all your help and suggestions!


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