# Hedgehog eating less



## tofrus (Oct 17, 2016)

good thing he just know how to use wheel after 2 months. but he still not run on it, just 'jogging' XD

but bad things since 2 days ago he just ate 1 - 3 kibble a day, he acting really normal tho, and he really like his wheel, i mean like he really crazy on the wheel, what should i do to make him eat more? i dont want him to get sick or lost weight, the temperature is normal as always, with heater etc.
In 2 weeks his age is gonna be 4 months.

Thank you.


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## Poppy_the_hedgie (Nov 14, 2016)

You may need to syringe feed him. How long has this been going on? What food do you feed? Have you taken him to a vet for their opinion? You could try force feeding vitamin E supplements and high quality kitten food that is higher in fat.


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## tofrus (Oct 17, 2016)

RandyMiller said:


> Tofrus, this link may help you http://www.hillspet.com/en/us/dog-care/nutrition-feeding/my-dog-is-a-picky-eater


Thanks alot for this! sorry for late reply.



Poppy_the_hedgie said:


> You may need to syringe feed him. How long has this been going on? What food do you feed? Have you taken him to a vet for their opinion? You could try force feeding vitamin E supplements and high quality kitten food that is higher in fat.


I think around 10 days, I feed him acana dog food (i read about the fat, etc) he was eating alot with that food as well, i didnt change anything. i didnt take him to the vet yet, can u suggest for vitamin e supplements? sorry for late reply and thank you for this


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## tofrus (Oct 17, 2016)

this is confusing, some people sayits normal. he is not sick either, he run like crazy as well... :s


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

How long have you had the bag of food? How big is the kibble & do you break it up for him? It might be worth trying a new bag of food to see if it's been getting stale & harder for him to eat. If he's still only eating a couple kibble a night, you need to get him eating more ASAP. Try offering some regular kibble, some that's crushed & dampened so it's soft & easy to eat, and maybe some wet cat food, cooked chicken, or scrambled eggs. See if he prefers any of the softer options - if he does, that could point to a tooth/mouth issue that needs to be checked by the vet. If he still won't touch anything, you'll need to start syringe-feeding him. The longer they go without eating enough, the faster they go downhill. There's more information about syringe-feeding in the Health FAQs section.


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## tofrus (Oct 17, 2016)

Lilysmommy said:


> How long have you had the bag of food? How big is the kibble & do you break it up for him? It might be worth trying a new bag of food to see if it's been getting stale & harder for him to eat. If he's still only eating a couple kibble a night, you need to get him eating more ASAP. Try offering some regular kibble, some that's crushed & dampened so it's soft & easy to eat, and maybe some wet cat food, cooked chicken, or scrambled eggs. See if he prefers any of the softer options - if he does, that could point to a tooth/mouth issue that needs to be checked by the vet. If he still won't touch anything, you'll need to start syringe-feeding him. The longer they go without eating enough, the faster they go downhill. There's more information about syringe-feeding in the Health FAQs section.


Thank you so much for this!
I have the bag since he was here (26 OCT), I will attach the size of kibble below, I usually damped the kibble for 30 - 40 mins so he can eat it easly, but I never crush the kibble because it is soft enough. i will try to give him regular kibble, if he still insist to eat i will do what you said. Btw how many kibble with the size below usually Hedgehog will eat? tomorrow hes gonna be 4 Months. thanks alot for this, its really helpful for me.

http://i.imgur.com/om76ltQ.jpg


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## tofrus (Oct 17, 2016)

Lilysmommy said:


> How long have you had the bag of food? How big is the kibble & do you break it up for him? It might be worth trying a new bag of food to see if it's been getting stale & harder for him to eat. If he's still only eating a couple kibble a night, you need to get him eating more ASAP. Try offering some regular kibble, some that's crushed & dampened so it's soft & easy to eat, and maybe some wet cat food, cooked chicken, or scrambled eggs. See if he prefers any of the softer options - if he does, that could point to a tooth/mouth issue that needs to be checked by the vet. If he still won't touch anything, you'll need to start syringe-feeding him. The longer they go without eating enough, the faster they go downhill. There's more information about syringe-feeding in the Health FAQs section.


okay I tried everything, I give up for now, syringe feeding doesnt work either, an hour to make him lying down is not working either, he just always try to escape no matter how good i hold him, its hard to do this because im alone, i let him sniff the wet cat food as well but he just doesnt care, is there by any chance that he just doesnt wanna eat that much? because we know that they will eat if they needed to. and still.. he run like crazy :sad:


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## Artemis-Ichiro (Jan 22, 2016)

Sadly, if hedgehogs feel bad they don't eat and the less they eat the less they want to eat, looks like they don't have that survival thing in them. And the less they eat the worse it gets. 

You might have to take it to the vet and they can find a way to feed it. Not doing it because you can't figure it out is not fair with him.


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## tofrus (Oct 17, 2016)

Artemis-Ichiro said:


> Sadly, if hedgehogs feel bad they don't eat and the less they eat the less they want to eat, looks like they don't have that survival thing in them. And the less they eat the worse it gets.
> 
> You might have to take it to the vet and they can find a way to feed it. Not doing it because you can't figure it out is not fair with him.


I said i give up for "now" is in that time, since it was late night as well and i had to sleep so i will try in tomorrow which is today, yes i will look a vet that can accept exotic animal, i know by leaving him alone is the worst case everyone can do. thanks for reminder tho. wish me luck.


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## Artemis-Ichiro (Jan 22, 2016)

Sometimes you have to spell things out since some people don't really get it or are very stubborn so I'd rather err on the side of being too careful. 

Good luck and keep us posted.


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## tofrus (Oct 17, 2016)

Artemis-Ichiro said:


> Sometimes you have to spell things out since some people don't really get it or are very stubborn so I'd rather err on the side of being too careful.
> 
> Good luck and keep us posted.


Hello, i realized he start eating again when I went out in the night time and go back in the morning (celebrating new years eve) and he eat alot, is it common that he eat alot because of the room really have to be totally dark? but he was fine with small light before and still eating alot, since i put him on my room i cant let all of the light off as well. any info? thanks


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## Artemis-Ichiro (Jan 22, 2016)

Some are very sensitive to light and don't come out until is pitch black. 

You can try covering the cage with something dark or moving it out of your room. 

Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals and that's something that needs to be consider before bringing one home, if we can provide the right environment for them to thrive.


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## tofrus (Oct 17, 2016)

Artemis-Ichiro said:


> Some are very sensitive to light and don't come out until is pitch black.
> 
> You can try covering the cage with something dark or moving it out of your room.
> 
> Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals and that's something that needs to be consider before bringing one home, if we can provide the right environment for them to thrive.


Will do bro, I will try to cover it, thanks for this!


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## tofrus (Oct 17, 2016)

Artemis-Ichiro said:


> Some are very sensitive to light and don't come out until is pitch black.
> 
> You can try covering the cage with something dark or moving it out of your room.
> 
> Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals and that's something that needs to be consider before bringing one home, if we can provide the right environment for them to thrive.


Covered now with bin cage lid, thanks for this. never think to use the lid before. :s


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## Artemis-Ichiro (Jan 22, 2016)

You still need to leave enough openings for ventilation. 

Can you move the cage out of the room?


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## tofrus (Oct 17, 2016)

Artemis-Ichiro said:


> You still need to leave enough openings for ventilation.
> 
> Can you move the cage out of the room?


dont mind about the ventilation, i already make a big hole on the bin from long time ago (he cant climb ofc). 
why i should move the cage out of the room? i already cover the cage from light  thanks for your concern.


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