# New hedgehog won't poop HELP



## Fluttershy (Aug 15, 2013)

So I got a four month old hedgehog yesterday, he pooped twice on the way home but he hasn't pooped since, so it's been like a day and a half. The lady said he use to eat iams so I got him a kitten one and an adult one and mixed them together, he eats but not as much as I would like, he probably ate like 10-15 kibble a today, he drank lots of water yesterday but only a little bit today, I don't have a wheel for him yet but I ordered one that will come soon, I tried giving him a warm bath twice, does anyone have any idea how I can get him to poop I am very scared


----------



## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Some people have had success feeding their hedgehog canned pumpkin as a laxative.

If he doesn't poop overnight, take him to a vet. I'm not a hedgehog-expert, but 2 days is crazy-long between poops, especially for such a young hedgehog.


----------



## zamxonk (Mar 6, 2013)

Iams is not a great food, so that might be part of it. Switching abruptly could give him diarrhea though, so consider that too. Maybe buy a higher quality food and put it in a separate dish so the hedgie can choose? 

If you can get some small animal benebac (from a pet store) or acidophilus (from the grocery store) and sprinkle that on the food, that may help. 

You could also get a variety of baby foods to offer and see if your hedgie likes any of them, then mix the benebac or acidophilus powder into that. Sweet potato and meat flavors are popular, my hedgehog loves peas and carrots.

Make sure he's getting water too, give it to him with an eyedropper if you think he's getting dehydrated.

If you don't see poop soon (check everywhere in the cage, they are good poop-hiders) take the hedgie to the vet, home treatments for constipation are pretty limited and he needs to keep things moving through so he can eat and grow!


----------



## Fluttershy (Aug 15, 2013)

He pooped one time today it was pretty big but half of it was green, I assume from stress, but the rest of it was normal, he won't drink now though, he hasn't had anything to drink today and barely eaten any of his kibble, is he just stressed from a new home or do you think something is wrong, oh and he peed at the same time he pooped, and I went to a few stores and they said they don't sell canned pumpkin at this time of year


----------



## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Look for pumpkin baby food, maybe? I really don't know. But he needs to eat, drink, and poop. Basic requirements for a baby hedgehog.


----------



## Saca523 (Jul 21, 2013)

I had this same problem when I brought my four month old hedgie home. It took her a few days to poo. I fed her non spiced pumpkin mixed with newman's own organic wet cat food. She really liked the cat food but wouldn't eat the pumpkin plain. You can find the pumpkin with the other pie fillings, I bought some about 3 weeks ago so look for the baking aisle at the grocery store and the pie filling. There should be spiced and plain, look at the ingredients it should only say pumpkin. Good Luck.


----------



## Saca523 (Jul 21, 2013)

Also try putting him in a small amount of warm water, it can sometimes help them poop and do you have a wheel for him? They seem to poop well while running.


----------



## zamxonk (Mar 6, 2013)

Pumpkin baby food? Sweet potato might also work. 

Just wanted to check - when you say he hasn't eaten, pooped, or drank much "today" you mean during the night, right? 

It's normal to pee at the same time as they poop. Half-green is also half-brown! I would assume stress until it's been a week or so. 

Was his pee extremely yellow and stinky, or light yellow and only a little smelly? If you're worried about the amount he is drinking, I would put him on white/light colored liners and look for pee stains. My pig's litter liners are white fleece and it's extremely reassuring to see that yellow circle every morning.


----------



## Fluttershy (Aug 15, 2013)

Thank you everyone  and I haven't checked how much he eats/drinks while I'm sleeping so I'm doing that tonight, no stores had the pumpkin though :/ is the sweet potato canned?


----------



## zamxonk (Mar 6, 2013)

All the grocery stores near me have sweet potato baby food. You can also just buy sweet potatoes and cook them and mash them up, but more labor that way.

Hedgehogs are nocturnal, so I'm guessing unless you are too he'll mostly be eating, drinking, and moving around while you are asleep. It's best to refresh their food and water in the evening so it's fresh when they wake up (and always make sure there is enough food and water in the bowls that he always has some, even during the day, as some hedgies will wake and snack in the day). I hear that babies are more likely to wake and eat during the day, but it's rarer for hedgies to do that. Have you been leaving out food and water during the night?

Since you don't have a wheel, can you hedgie-proof a room (nothing to eat on the floor, no corners or underbed spaces to wedge themselves into, nothing they can get smushed under, nothing they can jump off of) or make a playpen for him to get some exercise at night? My hedgehog poops not just on his wheel but also when he is running around his playpen.

I'd really recommend getting Benebac or acidophilus (I got my benebac from petco, small animal powder that I sprinkle on his food, you can get acidophilus caplets from the vitamin sections of most grocery stores, pull open the capsule and sprinkle a good pinch of the powder on the kibble) just to give the beneficial intestinal bacteria some extra support. Can't hurt!


----------



## Fluttershy (Aug 15, 2013)

Thank you for everyones help, I could not find canned pumpkin anywhere but you guys were right after getting more comfortable with me he has been pooping more (mostly during warm baths) and eating a lotttt more and drinking, his wheel should arrive Monday and I think he will be perfectly fine then, thanks again everyone!


----------



## Cuddlebuddie (Jun 30, 2016)

So I have a 7 month old hedgie and he's an albino he hasn't pooped at all. I've looked all over his cage I wake up during the night to check up on him and he's healthily running on his wheel and drinking his water. But I haven't seen him eat anything other than a yogurt treat for hedgies. I'm feeding him Vita Promas hedgehog formula and he hasn't eating at all from what I can tell. His tummy is also grumbling like crazy. My boyfriends hedgehog poops all day everyday and so it worries me that my hedgie hasn't pooped at all. Is there anything I can do to stop the tummy rumbles and to get him to poop. It's been 5 days which is crazy long for a hedgehog and my parents probably won't want to take him to a vet. I need help!


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Please start a new topic - it can get confusing when people post on old threads and your post may get ignored.

However, I have to say, if your hedgehog hasn't eaten for 5 days, you need to syringe feed him immediately. They can have serious health issues start from even a couple days of no food. Check the stickies section of the health forum, there's one on syringe feeding. I'm on mobile, can't link. He's probably not pooping because there's nothing for his body to get rid of since he's not eating.

Is the food you're offering what he was being fed? You can't switch food immediately for hedgehogs, they need the same food for a couple weeks in a new home and a slow switch over 2-4 weeks. Find out what he's used to and get that.

On the subject of food, that hedgehog food is one of the worst quality food available. There's a good reason he won't eat it - it's basically cardboard. Check out the stickies in the nutrition forum, you want a good quality cat food, preferably a mix of two or more, for his main diet. If your boyfriend's hedgehog also gets hedgehog food, that's very likely why he poops so much. There's nothing but fillers that his body can't use and gets rid of with poop.

Edit: Will your parents refuse to take him to a vet at all or just wouldn't think this is important enough? Because honestly, either way is a problem. Vet care for a hedgehog, or any animal, isn't optional, and exotic vets tend to cost more. You need to be able to get him to a vet if he needs it, whether it's for this situation or a future issue.


----------

