# Consistently bloody feet



## jabment (Nov 14, 2008)

Okay so I noticed a few weeks after I got Spork that her feet were a little bloody in between the toes. Nothing major, just some dried looking blood. I even made a post about it then for advice.

Well I've given her a footbath, taken the wheel out for the night and she's recovered. Been fine the next day. I even had her out and looked her over as of noon today. Well I just got her out to hang out on the couch with me and she was running on her wheel, as usual around this time. And once again she had the dried blood look going. She's had this a few other times between the first time I noticed it and now.

Is there anything I can do to prevent this aside from just never giving her the wheel? Is this common? I hadn't read about consistently bloody feet but you never know.


----------



## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

What kind of wheel are you using?
There has been cases of hedgies loving to run so much that they end up running their feet bloody. But for a hedgie who is so obsessed with running, I would worry they would get bored in the cage and start climbing and/or doing laps around the cage, rubbing their nose against the walls until its bloody and raw.

Also, how are her nails? Are they kept short?

Are you sure the blood is coming from her feet? And not from bloody poop/urine?


----------



## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

When you washed the blood off did you notice anything that looked like a wound on the foot? Like Immortalia said it could be coming from somewhere else. Is there blood in the cage?

If you're not already on liners I would switch to white liners (you can use a pillow case temporarily as long as there are no loose threads) to make sure you can see how much blood there is and if it is with droppings or pee. If you're just seeing bloody foot prints that will give you an indication that it is coming from her feet.


----------



## dorasdaddy (Dec 23, 2008)

feet typically dont bleed just a little. Dora ran her feet raw one night and the next morning you would have sworn her cage was a slaughter house.

[attachment=0:3oubbodx]Picture 017.jpg[/attachment:3oubbodx]


----------



## leannem (Mar 27, 2009)

gross


----------



## jabment (Nov 14, 2008)

I use the Cake Walk Supreme. She is on liners but they're orange right now. I'll get some white ones this week.

I haven't seen an actual injury on her foot, just what appears to be a smidge of dried blood between the toes. None of her stools or urine have been bloody so I don't think it's that.

Her nails are a little long, nothing bad. I've just been working up to her first nail cut because she doesn't like me touching her feet. She'll let me when she's in the bath tub though so I think that's my best option. 

Other than this, I think she's doing really well. She seems to have finally settled into things here. Yesterday, I cleaned her whole cage out (removing/washing the liner and wiping the plastic bottom out) and when I reassembled it, she came out and ran on her wheel. Middle of the day, with me in the room and the lights on. I was shocked. I even got video on my phone.

I have noticed her igloo moves around more now than when I first got her and that she seems to be getting under her liner because I find poop under there. Her nose appears fine though. Maybe I'll swap out some toys and see if she was just bored. I'll cut her nails during her next bath and switch to white liners as soon as possible.


----------



## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

It's quite common for the injury to be between the toes. When they first start running it can cause little splits in the skin. It also is quite common for them to have bloody feet a few times as they toughen up to running. Keep her wheel out the night after she's made them bleed. You can also put something on her feet to soften the skin, vasaline, vit e, flax oil, jojoba oil.


----------



## jabment (Nov 14, 2008)

Oh alright. Thank you so much, I'll be sure to do all of that. Thanks everyone!


----------



## James McNeely (Sep 7, 2009)

My hedgehog kept having the same problem. My advise is to just take his wheel out for a day or two after he gets bloody feet, and within a few weeks his little feet will strengthen up enough to where it doesnt happen anymore.


----------

