# Possible diarrhea



## Kpjenk21 (Feb 3, 2013)

I'm at work right now and my wife texted me and said that our 6 week old has diarrhea on her wheel. I can't confirm that 100% because one, i'm not there, and two, my wife isn't very familiar with hedgie stool. I am still kind of learning about the younger hedgie stuff too, so what may be diarrhea to my wife, may be just squished poo from running on her wheel. If i post a picture when i get home of her wheel, could someone confirm that's what it is? last night before we washed her fleece, i noticed solids poos on the bedding so i haven't been concerned bit i have been looking and investigating her stool all the time to look for anything abnormal. the reason i'm paying attention to her stool so much is because we only had her a week and she's trying to get settled, and also because she isn't very active out of her cage, she just balls up and sleeps. i know it's somewhat normal for a younger hedgie but i still try to pay attention to what comes out of her. I just read a thread someone posted title "smelly poop!!" and our hedgie is doing the same EXACT behaviour as that posters' hedgie had, minus the poop being so smelly. That posters' hedgie ended having some bacterial infection i think, and now with the possibility of mine having diarrhea, i'm fearing the worst  

what other things should i look for and how long should i let her go before i take to the vet because of diarrhea (pending that that's what it is)?? 
also like the other poster, my hedgie is on Purina One Chicken and Rice, that's what the breeder fed her and i haven't weaned her off it yet.


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## Kpjenk21 (Feb 3, 2013)

> have had my hedgehog for about a month, I got her at 6 weeks old... Since I have had her, her poop stench has increased to a diarrhea like smell. It is very different for her because I haven't changed her food from the breeder or given her anything new. I have a Vet appointment in a few days and wondering if it is a problem I need to ask about? Thanks everyone!





> The food is Purina One Chicken and Rice. I haven't tried anything new yet and haven't started weaning her on to a different food type. I have fleece bedding and she doesn't really use the bathroom anywhere except her wheel. She doesn't seem as adventurous as the first few weeks I had her. She would run around all the time and now she just sleeps in my lap. I clean her cage/wheel out everyday





> Thanks for your help! I took my hedgie to the vet and they said she had a parasitic and bacterial infection but it was not caught from my household and she has been put on meds!


this is what the other poster had and the same thing i'm dealing with minus the strong smell.


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## Kpjenk21 (Feb 3, 2013)

ok, made an appt. for the vet on tues. just to establish one and just for a general checkup and they will look into it. should we limit Penelope's handling until then in case she is possibly sick?


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## Kpjenk21 (Feb 3, 2013)

This is the wheel. Does this look like diarrhea or just from running? It's not discolored. I should also say that I used flax seed oil in her feed a couple nights ago and this could have made her poo like this too I don't know if the oil has that affect. But the oil has been on her kibble since yesterday. I gave her new oil free kibble last night.


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## hedgieglue (Jan 5, 2013)

Have you ever tried holding her for a long period of time, playing with her, or giving her bath? Usually, hedgehogs poop around those times, especially mine when I hold him. It allows me to see how his poop looks though!
Maybe you should try that with your girl. If it's solid and not discolored, it should be fine, but if you're absolutely worried for her, then it won't hurt to take her to the vet for a stool sample and a quick check up.


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## Kpjenk21 (Feb 3, 2013)

hedgieglue said:


> Have you ever tried holding her for a long period of time, playing with her, or giving her bath? Usually, hedgehogs poop around those times, especially mine when I hold him. It allows me to see how his poop looks though!
> Maybe you should try that with your girl. If it's solid and not discolored, it should be fine, but if you're absolutely worried for her, then it won't hurt to take her to the vet for a stool sample and a quick check up.


yeah she usually gets taken out in the evenings for an hour or more. Though since she just tucks her head and sleeps, she doesn't move around a lot therefor never goes to the bathroom while out (not complaining! :lol: ). We have had her in water a couple times now and to my surprise she never went to the bathroom then either so i'm kind of going off what her wheel looks like. this morning when i checked in on her, she was on her wheel and there were some poops that hadn't been run through yet and they seemed on the looser side but were solid and in one 'piece' not liquidy or anything. i don't think there's really anything wrong with her, she just is shy i'm guessing and still getting use to everything as it's only been a week since we brought her home. Since she's still young she probably isn't that interested in exploring right now and just wants to sleep when she's out. Nonetheless, she has an appt. on Tues. anyway  thanks for the response!


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## hedgieglue (Jan 5, 2013)

It just sounds like she's still getting comfortable with the new home c: Sometimes people will give their hedgehogs some canned pumpkin to firm up poops, if you wanna try that~!
But, overall, I think she's doing good and there's nothing to worry about!


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