# Bleeding quills



## Milo-and-Otis (Sep 23, 2016)

So I fixed the climbing problem but I woke up this morning to my poor little boy bleeding. Rushed him to the vet and they couldn't find the source of the blood. We came to the conclusion that he fell while he was running and stabbed himself with his quills. Has anyone had any experience with this? He starts running super fast and will trip himself. Is there anything I could do to prevent it besides supervised running? I washed him off and he is resting now. I just don't know how to keep it from happening again and what to expect after like more bleeding or any bruising wise.


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## Milo-and-Otis (Sep 23, 2016)

Update!

Called the vet at k state and he said what it sounded like was he was knocking out so many baby quills at once and quickly, it is causing a secretion to come from where the quills came out along with a little bit of blood. Has anyone else had an experience with bleeding quills?


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## Sewingdame87 (Sep 3, 2016)

Hi there, I'm new here but my guy is on his second round of quilling. He can be quite clumsy and is on his wheel all night and I've never had an issue with bleeding quills like that. He has had maybe 2-3 that cause a small pin-prick of blood once they came in but nothing like that. Not to say it's not possible, but I would maybe get a second opinion from a different vet. That's seems like a large amount of blood and just not normal. I could be wrong, like I said I'm new here but that amount of blood would concern me.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

That is not normal. I would find a different vet.


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## Milo-and-Otis (Sep 23, 2016)

I visited my vet and called the vet at k state where they have vets that specialize in hedgehogs. My vet checked him for any source of blood and found none. The vet at k state told me that sometimes when quilling there is a secretion and that is why it is an orange color and only a few spots of red blood. He did this maybe 4 times last week. Every time he did it I would rinse him off and do what I could first aid wise and he didn't have any more blood or secretion. The vet told me there wasn't anything I could really do besides what I have done. He is eating fine, drinking fine, and acting like his normal self.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

I have owned over 30 hedgehogs over the time I was breeding and have never seen or heard of this, or have any other breeders I know.


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## Milo-and-Otis (Sep 23, 2016)

Then what would any other possibility be? He hasn't had it happen again now that he has had nothing to climb or even shortly fall off of. I called several vets and i either got told he poked himself with his quills or that answer from the vet who specializes at k state. Blood is not orange so what came from his skin minus the small bright red spots was not blood.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Orange substance around quills is often a sign of mites.


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## Milo-and-Otis (Sep 23, 2016)

He is being treated for mites. Two weeks ago he started revolution on Thursday. This all was going down last week after he started treatment


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