# Tymoor Stopped drinking water and eating much much less



## Amal (Dec 5, 2012)

Hello everyone,

Sorry if this is a repeated question, but I just couldn't find an answer for what is wrong with my Tymoor :-(

A couple of weeks ago, he stopped drinking water from his bottle, so I placed him a water dish, he just sniffed it out but didn't drink it at all..
I noticed that his blankets are often dry when I change them (I used to change them every day because he used to pee on them).
Also, he is eating much less than before although I'm offering him a big variety of food!! 

What could be wrong with him?
Is it a seasonal thing? (winter is almost here)

Thank you :sad:


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## Tongue_Flicker (Jun 11, 2013)

how old is it? its probably starting to quill. if not, its preparing to hibernate then? just keep temps up and the lighting for day sched in check as daylight hours get shorter as winter is approaching


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

If he isn't drinking, you need to make sure he does. You can check if he's dehydrated by gently pinching his skin, and seeing how quickly it returns to normal. Fast = healthy, slow = dehydrated. It can be tricky to pinch a hedgehog, so it might be easier to check pee or measure water.

Is he peeing? You mentioned he used to soak his bedding. Babies poop & pee way more than adult hedgehogs, but he should still be peeing out a few teaspoons a night. Try putting down white fleece to look for yellow pee-circles. If the yellow is really dark, he's dehydrated. If it's very pale, his hydration is fine. If he's not peeing at all... that's a huge problem!

Is he drinking water? You can weigh his water dish night/morning to see if it changes, or if you don't have a scale, measure the volume of water night/morning. If you don't have a tiny measuring device, a small glass marked with tape will work.

If he isn't drinking water, you need to fix that ASAP. You can feed water-rich foods like watermelon or wet kibble, or syringe-feed water. I don't have any experience with this, but the archives are full of stories about how fast hedgehogs go downhill when they're dehydrated.

Good luck!


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

What is the heat and light situation? If he can tell winter is coming and tries to hibernate, that can be really dangerous for him. I have no experience with it, so I'm just echoing the archives:

1. Make sure the temperature in his cage is 74-80F. Some hedgehogs are more cold-sensitive than others and their sensitivity can change over time, so you may need to crank it higher to 76F.

2. Make sure he is getting a regular 12-14 hours of light. If the days are getting shorter, plug a lamp into a timer so he keeps getting normal-length days. Any lightbulb will do, even a high-efficientcy-LED.

3. Is his belly cool to the touch? If so, he's trying to hibernate. Warm him up (slowly, with your body heat; do NOT shock him by putting him in warm water!), crank the heat, and keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't make repeat hibernation attempts. This should only happen if the heat or light is inadequate. Domesticated hedgehogs suck at hibernation and can get sick or die; their immune system is lowered (increasing chance of illness) after an attempted hibernation.

4. What's his activity level like? Is he using his wheel regularly? His usual self during playtime?


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## Amal (Dec 5, 2012)

Thank you dlonlyboy and Annie&Tibbers 
He is 2 years old I guess, so he is not quilling..
I switched his heat pad on yesterday and noticed this morning that he became a bit active, so I hope he will get back to his normal eating habit 
I really appreciate your valuable tips @Annie&Tibbers  I will keep you updated about Tymoor very soon...

Thank you <3


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Do you have another heating set up for him besides a heating pad? Pads aren't the best method since they don't heat the air as well. They can actually cause more problems by making part of the cage a little warmer than the other side - hedgie may decide against leaving his nice warm bed to eat/drink/run, or when he does get up, the change can prompt a hibernation attempt. Like Annie said, make sure the whole cage (air included) is 74-80*, and bump it up a degree or two if it's already in that range and he's still sluggish. CHE set ups and space heaters are two methods that heat things properly - http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/foru...-heating-your-hedgehog-s-cage-simplified.html


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## Amal (Dec 5, 2012)

Thank you Lilysmommy  Last winter he only had his heating pad and I was keeping him in a warm room near the fireplace so he was ok...
But now it is a bit early to switch the fireplace on, so I guess I'll get him one of those heating lamps until then 
And btw, once I switched his heating pad on, he started to drink water again, but still his food intake is less then before..
I'll tell you what will happen when I warm the air around him 
Thank you very much guys.. I don't know what would happen to us without you and your valuable advices


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## Amal (Dec 5, 2012)

Hello again...

Sooo, Tymoor was feeling cold, and that's it   he is drinking well now and his eating is bit better after putting his cage next to an electric small heater..
I noticed that he is not into meat anymore... he is into veggies and fruits now.. he is more active and feeling good 

Thank you very much from me and from Tymoor <3 <3 <3 <3


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Glad he's doing better!


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