# suddenly lethargic, won't walk around, and is sleeping on stomach



## pettyb (Mar 20, 2019)

My hedgehog is a little over 4 months old, and apart from a URI when I first took her home (~6/7 weeks old) which was quickly treated, she hasn't had any health issues until now. 



This morning when I woke up I found her laying out in the open on her stomach in her cage instead of in her igloo where she normally sleeps. Usually when I pick her up she tries to walk around or at least stand on my hands. Now when I pick her up she just melts into my hands, which is something she never used to do. When I put her down, she won't walk around and will just lay down wherever she is. I put her back into her cage and she went into her igloo and has been laying down on her stomach (not splatted, just laying flat with her chin on the ground) but she seems to be having trouble sleeping. It's pretty clear that she's experiencing some discomfort, maybe a stomachache or constipation? I checked her legs and feet and they seem fine, and she is able to move all of them.



For context, she hasn't been using her wheel in several days, and I'm not sure why. Her nails have been clipped and cleaned, and the wheel was cleaned as usual. But I have been letting her run around my apartment for a little while the past few days (including last night, and she seemed totally normal). She's a VERY picky eater so she wouldn't have eaten anything off the floor even if there was food on the floor. She ate all of her food last night too and seems to have been drinking normally. It's hard to tell how much she's pooping because it's not on the wheel, but it seems fairly normal to me as well. I just don't understand why she would so suddenly lose all of her energy and seem like she's in pain. Her cage is the same temp it always is, and she's definitely warm enough. 



Has anyone else had a similar thing happen or know what could be bothering her? It's only been a few hours since I noticed this so I don't want to rush her off to the vet when it could just be something simple, but I also hate seeing her in pain.


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

If you cant see anythig, her belly doesnt feel cold then defintly worth a trip to the vets as soon as you can. It could be anything from something so simple to something thats really bad. And its really hard to know what it is over the internet, some people may be able to give suggests of what it could be, but its still best to go to a vet to pinpoint exactly what it is to give you the right medication if its needed.


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## Hedgekitty (Nov 11, 2018)

Sometimes when Hedgehogs act very lethargic it can be because of the temperature of their cage. The room could be hot but the cage could be cold or the room could be cold but the cage can be hot. I’d just check the temperature and look out for any more strange behaviour. If it’s still going on maybe consider the vets. Good luck


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## belties (Oct 2, 2018)

If the temp is fine (which is the normal cause of these reactions) and she was perfect and in such a short time now not moving around and not balling up ,a quick vet visit is needed. These little guys can go down hill pretty fast. Like Ria said it may be something simple but to have that big a change in behavior that fast it needs to have the cause found. Evan something simple can be a big deal if not treated in a timely manner.


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## pettyb (Mar 20, 2019)

UPDATE: She's feeling a lot better today, walking around normally, lots of energy. But now she's so bitey! She kept trying to bite me when I went to pick her up, and when I put her back down she was biting the side of her food bowl. I didn't see very much poop in her cage, so I'm thinking maybe she's still a little bit constipated and has reached the angry stage of her constipation. Or maybe she was just super hungry from not eating much yesterday. Either way, I think she's definitely feeling better.


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

I'm glad shes seeming a lot better. Still keep an eye on her for a while though


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