# Drinking less, eating more - Should I be concerned?



## SnufflePuff (Apr 16, 2009)

Ever since I moved Puff to her new C&C cage she seems to be drinking less and eating more. Should I be concerned? I had her on a water bottle before which I marked to keep track of her water intake but she started drinking much less when I moved her so I also added a water bowl but now she won't touch the bottle and only drinks a very small amount from the bowl each night. How much water DO hedgehogs need? She doesn't seem dehydrated, in fact she's running around in her hedgie bag in my lap right now and seems perfectly fine. Should I be worried or am I just being paranoid?

She also eats WAY more since I moved her. She used to eat 10-15 kibbles a night and now eats 25-35, but she has more room now so maybe she's more active? I was also thinking about feeding wet cat food as a treat which is 80% water anyways so maybe that will help her get more water. Maybe she's just not thirsty and I'm just being silly but it seems odd that she's drinking less now because her cage is kept at a constant warmer temp (75-77F) now than it was before since I got my new thermostat. 

Any advice???


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Some hedgehogs drink a lot, others not much at all. What she is drinking may be the right amount for her. What are her poops like? If they are dry and small then she probably is not getting enough water. You can also check for dehydration by pinching her skin for a few seconds and see if it pops back to normal quickly when let go.


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## SnufflePuff (Apr 16, 2009)

Nancy said:


> Some hedgehogs drink a lot, others not much at all. What she is drinking may be the right amount for her. What are her poops like? If they are dry and small then she probably is not getting enough water. You can also check for dehydration by pinching her skin for a few seconds and see if it pops back to normal quickly when let go.


Well by the time I scoop out her litter box in the morning her poops are fairly dry and hard, but there is the occasional flat dry poop on her wheel so I'm assuming that it's soft enough initially for her to run on it and flatten it and that it just drys up by the time I get to it. I'll try pinching her skin although I'm not sure she'll love it, maybe I'll wait till she has her bath in a few days for that. If she does turn out to be a bit dehyrdated what do you recommend I do?

Thanks for all your help


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