# Bloated lower belly



## hedgieluvr (Aug 22, 2011)

Ok so, he poops normally and everything seems fine only hes gotten grumpy and bites me all the time..but hes got this lump.. and is huge:














<dont mind the pee lol he pee'd while i was taking the pic.>
The only thing is when he walks it drags..if hes standing he stands like this:








My mom says she doesnt want to take him to the vet since she thinks it will be a lot of money and i know it will be. But if its something bad he may die.
I just want to know if there is anything to help him while i try and convince my momma and if its THAT bad so i can show her. she thinks its fine. :/
Anyways thank you so much <3


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## Guest (Sep 16, 2011)

Since its a boy although I am not experienced with hedgies that much it looks like his testicles are swollen which could be even some sort of cancer of course that's just speculation. He needs a vet immediately.

Providing the following could be beneficial:

- How old is your hedgehog? Please state year plus months as a 3 year 1 month old hedgehog is not the same as a 3 year 11 month old hedgehog.
- How long have you owned your hedgehog?
- Has there been any changes in the 2-3 weeks prior to the symptoms starting, such as, you on vacation, hedgie cared for by someone else, new cage, different cage location etc
- What is the temperature of the hedgehogs cage? 
- What is the lighting schedule?

Please add dates that symptoms occurred such as, Aug 11 green poop. August 13 diarrhea plus vomiting

Weight
Do you weigh regularly? If so, how much has hedgie lost or gained over X number of days.

Poop
- normal size and texture, soft but formed, mush, liquid, jelly like
- colour normal, slightly green, very green, bloody
- smell normal, stronger than normal, put you out of the room rank
- Pooping in bed

Urine
normal, dark, bloody, less or more than normal, straining to pee, peeing in bed

Nose
sneezing - wet or dry, frequency, when first waking up, all the time
Mucous - clear liquid, thick clear, coloured
Licking nose?

Breathing
normal, slow, rapid, laboured, wheezing, open or closed mouth, 

Eating
- normally, less than normal, not at all
- How many kibble per day? 
- Any difficulty crunching food?
- Has there been a new food or treat recently and if so, how long ago? Was this one time, or given daily?
- Is the water the same as usual? Water intake, less, same, more

Skin
Scratching – excessively, frequent, occasional, rarely, frantically
Dry skin – small powder like flakes, large flakes, huge sheets of flaking skin
Sores – size, location, scabbed or raw
Rash – red skin, pin prick size, hives, location
Quills - minor quill loss, massive quill loss, bare spots

Vomiting 
mushy food, frothy white, frothy green
How frequent is he vomiting? Is it after eating, drinking, activity or random?

Activity
normal, lethargic, wobbly, tires easily

Meds
- name
- When started
- frequency


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## Hedgehog Grove (Jul 21, 2010)

He looks completely fine, some male hedgies are very well endowed in the boy region and this is exactly what it looks like. I have a few males that look like this.

If he is eating the same, poop is normal and activity hasn't changed then there is nothing to worry about.

The fact he is grumpy and bites could be due to his age (he may be going through his hormonal boy spurt) it happens in some males when their hormones are gearing up to adult standard and they usually get over it. Think of it as an "teenager boy going through puberty".


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## Hissy-Fit-Hazel (Jul 15, 2011)

Bahahahaha...thank goodness! I would have been freaking too lol


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## surfingthehedges (Aug 8, 2011)

I would have to agree with Hedgehog Grove, my Sonic looks just like this as well, and since I have had male guinea pigs that looked the same I just figured it was a guy thing. As long as everything else seems fine, I wouldn't worry to much, doesn't seem to bother my boy that hes on the larger side. :roll:


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## lehaley (Jun 25, 2011)

Felix looks similar, but a bit smaller back there. I've seen similar things on hamsters, so I always assumed it was just part of his male anatomy. It's a bit strange though, because sometimes they look super swollen and other times they're not noticeable at all. As long as it's normal, I'm not asking questions... :shock:


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

I thought the same thing lol I have a boy and this looked similar.


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## moothecow (Jun 4, 2011)

Yup, looks exactly like my Misha. To be honest, when I first got him, I was also all "Oh no, what IS that?!"... and then I figured it out. Just a boy, is all it is. 

Are there any other symptoms that are concerning you? Is he eating, pooping, drinking, wheeling the usual amounts? If so... I would say you have nothing at all to worry about. As for the biting, did you switch your soap or handcream or anything like that recently? The change in smell could have set him off, too.


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## hedgieluvr (Aug 22, 2011)

Okay so im glad to hear that it is normal  i was freaking out lol.
Well now another thing, he bit a white shirt i had on the other day and the spot was red after he released it.. teeth problems? i started to crush his kibbles tho.. but then he doesnt eat them :/


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## AstonKiara (Sep 22, 2013)

Hey all. I'm new to this and I noticed this thread. This is a photo of my hedgehog Sonic and I was really worried as to what this lump could be? It appears to be causing his leg to stick out like in the first photo and he can't walk properly. He sneezes every few seconds and he isn't his usual active self. He's eating and drinking normally but his poos are not normal

We had a close call with him a couple of weeks ago where on a particularly cold night he almost went into hibernation and I don't know if he picked up an infection or it could be a tumor. I thought it looked similar to the photos at the start of the thread but i'm not sure. I was going to take him to the vets on Monday but would be great if someone can just tell me it's a testicle.


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## zamxonk (Mar 6, 2013)

That last photo's a bit blurry but it looks like there's some redness and inflammation there. I think you should go see a vet.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Definitely not a testicle - they're internal on hedgehogs. It almost looks like the start of a rectal prolapse or something like that to me...but I'm not a health expert. Definitely get into a vet ASAP. If it is a rectal prolapse, it'd probably be a good idea to try keeping the area moist, but I'm not 100% sure on that. Hopefully someone with more health experience, like one of the admins, will come along soon.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

A better picture, straight on would be helpful. Perhaps take a couple more. I agree with seeing a vet asap.


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## AstonKiara (Sep 22, 2013)

I'm taking him to the vets today, poor chap looks so ill.


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## zamxonk (Mar 6, 2013)

Glad to hear that. Let us know how it goes!


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