# Odd coloured urine



## max (Oct 29, 2008)

Hi folks, I'm new to this forum. I came across it while searching for answers to a question I have about my hedgehog. I was hoping someone on here might be able to assist me.

For the past couple nights, when my girlfriend and I have taken max (our hedgehog) out to play and let him run around, his urine has been a strange colour. Some of it has been the normal darkish yellow colour but mixed in has been a sortof brownish colour that looks a little like spilled cola. It doesn't look like blood as was my greatest fear and the vet didn't seem overly concerned with this urine description when we brought max in to get another issue checked out.
The reason we brought him into the vet is because a couple nights ago, we noticed that his rear paw pads and bum appeared raw, with scabs forming on them. The vet said that he had gained some weight since his last visit and he was possibly just dragging his feet and butt when he runs in his wheel. This was a possibility that we had also considered but we checked online a little and others have mentioned allergic reactions resulting in scabs on the face and feet.
We have some cream for his feet and backside but if it's an allergic reaction, this is unlikely to help.

I'm curious if anyone else has noticed a similar problem or heard of anything like these two (quite possibly related) symptoms. Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks all!

Cheers,
Cam


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Is there any chance that the brown is urine mixed with poop? Is he having diarrhea or are his poops normal.

Old blood in urine does have a brown tinge. When my Kei had a mild UTI, sometimes her urine would have a hint of pink, sometimes it would be brownish, sometimes it was normal coloured. She was on two different antibiotics which didn't work and nothing ever showed up on urinalysis so we had her spayed assuming it was uterine. She continued to sporadically and the vet suggested we try a urinary health food. One can later Kei had quit bleeding and never did again. The vet figured she had a very low grade infection that wasn't enough to show on testing. 

If your guys urine is very acidic, it could irritate his feet more than normal. 

How old is he and how long has he had his wheel? Sometimes they run their feet raw but doubtful his bum. 

What type of bedding is he on? If aspen, I heard of numerous hedgehogs that have had dermatological reactions to aspen.


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## max (Oct 29, 2008)

Thanks Nancy,

Everything else seems normal (his poops included). We had been using aspen, but now we've covered them with towels for the time being because we were under the impression that they may be easier on his feet. He's almost three years old now and has had his wheel almost all his life. We're planning on bringing him back to the vet Monday (the first morning that we can) to get his urine checked if it isn't showing any signs of improvement by then. Is it possible to buy this urinary health food online? Where we live only two types of foods are available and max is only willing to eat one of them.

Also, we took his wheel out of his cage while his feet are on the mend. It's been only two days since the vet gave us a cream for them (but we also covered the shavings in his cage with a towel) and they seem to be doing quite a bit better already.

Thanks again.

Cheers,
Cam


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Remember that loops on towels can be dangerous for little toes and nails. Rather than a towel I'd use a pillowcase or old t-shirt. Just make sure there are no loose threads or thread loops. 
Baby receiving blankets make good emergency liners or go buy some fleece and cut to fit. 

You can buy the urinary health food at the vet. With Kei, I used one can of Hills C/D. It changes the ph of the urine to make it less hospitable to bacteria and infection.


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