# My hedgie is acting weird. I need help.



## plop (Mar 23, 2011)

I joined here because I just don't know where else to go. I'm a hedgehog noob.
I can't afford the vet, so I'm trying my best to find out what the problem is and if it can be treated at home.

My hedgehog is pretty young, maybe like 6 months? Or so I've been told. She was active and loved attention for the first while I had her.

I switched up her food because I couldn't find the same one she was eating.
I mixed it together with her old food so that I could slowly switch over to this new brand without upsetting her much.

I'm completely out of the old brand now, and I noticed immediately that she doesn't eat this new stuff as much.

But now I'm wondering if there's a reason why, rather than simply not liking it...

Lately she's been wobbling about with her eyes half open. She seems to still eat, but doesn't poop very much. Her water bowl is almost untouched. I gave her some scrambled egg, which she nom nom'd. Still no poop. She still runs on her wheel, but does so rather weakly.
She sleeps a lot too, of course. But she doesn't curl up into a tight ball.

I was confused for awhile as to whether anything was actually wrong, since she still ate and ran on her wheel.

Today I found her laying around, pretty unresponsive as I poked her. I picked her up, she went into a half-ball, and I put her on a heating pad with a towel. I noticed that there is brown flakey stuff caked on her face and ears. I can rub it off.

In the past, I have given her warm baths with a drop or so of olive oil, and wiped bits of polysporin on her to prevent skin issues. It seems I have failed.

I dunno what's wrong. If she's starving herself because she doesn't like the food, or if she is attempting hibernation. My room is always really warm, so I dunno why she would...
I dunno what's up with her skin either. She seems to have a dry nose as well.

She started moving around more with the heat, but she still looks pretty pathetic.


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## Sky Halcyon (Sep 18, 2010)

Do you have a thermometer? The temperature in the room needs to be 75 minimum, and if she's attempting hibernation it should be around 80 to prevent her from trying again, I believe. Can you visually inspect her for any clues as to what might be going on, like is one of her legs hurt or what? They will wheel even if injured so that's not a great indication that everything is okay. The brown stuff on her face, can you tell where it's coming from? Is it from her pores or hedgie-pore equivalent, or is it from something in her cage? Keep her really warm, keep an eye on her, take her to the vet soon, _please_. If possible, find out what food she was on before, go buy more, and switch back to it. Good luck, I hope she's okay!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

What is the actual temperature of her room? If she is becoming better while on the heating pad then her cage environment needs to be up a couple of degrees. 

Brown flakey stuff could be mites droppings. If so, she needs to be treated with Revolution, NOT ivermectin. 

She also needs to eat and you probably should think about syringe feeding her. How much exactly is she eating? Count her kibble and she may need to be syringe fed. 


It sounds to me like she needs a vet check. She doesn't sound well and it may be more than not being warm enough.


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## pearlthehedgie (Feb 15, 2011)

Exactly what is the temperature inside her cage? Can you use a digital thermometer and check. If it is by a window, outside wall, or on the floor it might be cooler in the cage than you expect. Do you use any sort of supplemental heat? Hedgies really need it warmer than most room temperature homes.

What kind of food is it now that she is not eating? Most people here feed a mix of high quality catfoods. Commercial hedgehog food is just not adequate and some can even be dangerous, believe it or not. 

When you pick her up, does her tummy feel cool or warm? If she is too cold she may be trying to hibernate. 

Does she get 12-14 hours of light every day?

Can you tell where the brown flakey stuff on her face and ears is coming from?


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## smhufflepuff (Aug 28, 2008)

Based on your description is... oh... look at that, Nancy just beat me to the punch mid-post. I second everything she says: start syringe feeding, bump the heat up and keep it at a steady temperature (you don't want it to go up and down), make sure she's getting light for 12-14 hours a day (even if she's hiding under a blanket, you need the light on), and get her to a vet.

Also, what food was she on before and what new food did you change her to? It might not be the right one for her.


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## Judi (Jul 9, 2009)

If she's barely eating, she may be eating her poop. They'll do that sometimes if they feel like they're starving.

You can get a syringe to feed her at any pharmacy, usually for free. It's the kind used to give medicine to babies, not the kind with a needle. Just ask if you can buy one to feed your sick hedgehog, and they'll usually give you one for free  

As far as what to put in the syringe, I'd probably get a can of vanilla Ensure and a jar of turkey baby food and mix equal parts, and try that just for a day or two. I don't have as much experience as the other posters here, but I had a hedgie who used to quit eating sometimes. I made food for her because I had to syringe feed her for a long time and the little baby food jars get expensive.

Have you called the vet to see how much an office visit would be? It might not be as much as you think and it sounds like she really needs to be seen.


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## plop (Mar 23, 2011)

I have no clue how warm the room is, I don't have a thermometer. I guess I should get one...

Currently I have a portable heater blowing at her too, but I just dunno how hot is too hot. I don't want to overdo it. Or underdo it.

I turned the light on just now based on what you guys have said. She usually gets the best of both worlds, but lately she gets a lot of darkness because I read somewhere that a sick hedgehog prefers it... So there's one mistake.

As for the brown stuff, I have no idea where it's coming from. Her bedding is currently Aspen, which is not particularly dusty, if just a bit. It's definitely not as horrible as pine, and her owner was dumb enough to have her living on that before. I could change it. Newspaper? Fabric?

I don't think her legs are injured either, but I can't be sure. She huffs at me and resists if I try to handle her when she's sleeping. (Which is... a lot.) I can't even feel her belly properly.

The food she has now is Brown's Zoo Vital. I read about bad food to feed your hedgies before, and this wasn't on that list, so I got it. Now that I read more, this could be mistake #2.
I'm not sure what she was on before... I just remember what it looks like.

I want to take her to a vet too. But I need money, and I'd have to take her on a long ride on public transit.

Does anyone have any suggestions for mixtures when it comes to syringe feeding? And how do I get her to take it? I will look it up online, but I don't know what to trust anymore.


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## plop (Mar 23, 2011)

Judi said:


> If she's barely eating, she may be eating her poop. They'll do that sometimes if they feel like they're starving.
> 
> You can get a syringe to feed her at any pharmacy, usually for free. It's the kind used to give medicine to babies, not the kind with a needle. Just ask if you can buy one to feed your sick hedgehog, and they'll usually give you one for free
> 
> ...


I will call the vets and see. I just... will hate to take her on the bus.

Thanks very much for the suggestions. I will go out and get those things.


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## emeko (Nov 28, 2009)

Hedgie on a bus is a small price to pay for a healthy, live hedgie. I feel your pain for not having your own transportation. I'm a student myself, with no car, and I technically should not have a hog sitting beside me right now. BUT, I promised myself before I decided to bring him along to school that I wouldn't let him suffer my decision to have a dormitory animal. You're lucky that your vet is at least on a public transit route-- I have vivid, prickly memories of walking a hog, in January, against my own chest, wrapped up in my shirt, sweater, and hardcore winter jacket for a half hour trek down the hill to get to the vet when he started going bald last year. My poor tummy was so sore and red that my shirt hurt me for about two days after :0 Thank goodness the vet's is on a bus route now. 

Anyways, whatever the circumstances, if she needs a vet, she needs a vet.


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## Judi (Jul 9, 2009)

Lulu wouldn't eat Brown's Zoo Vital at all...I bought it because I thought it was neat that Petsmart had hedgehog food, and mixed it with her cat food. She ate the cat food but wouldn't touch the Brown's. I tried it with Spikey also (who will eat anything) and he didn't eat it either.

You should get some cat food. There's a list of brands on here but really, anything that she'll eat for now would be good.

I have a video on youtube of how I syringe-fed Lulu, but Lulu had WHS and was pretty weak, so I was always able to hold her by her scruff which made it easier. 



 Your little one might also be willing to lick from a spoon, if the syringe is too tricky.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Don't have the heater blowing right on her. Drafts, even a warm draft is not good. Her cage needs to be warm but draft free. Where in the room is her cage located? 

Browns is horrible. No wonder she isn't eating much.


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## plop (Mar 23, 2011)

I have it far away enough to not feel the airflow. The room is nice and warm now. She's still on the heating pad...

I live in a basement flat, with a living room and a bedroom. She's in my bedroom. She usually lives in a cage on the floor, because the cage is so large that I can't really put it anywhere else.

That must be it then. I'll buy her better food tomorrow, and call around for vets.
For now, I'm going to make up for it with this Ensure and baby food. Maybe some cat food. I hope she eats it and makes a poop.


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## pearlthehedgie (Feb 15, 2011)

I hope she gets feeling better for you! Hang in there, I know it must be scary!! We hate it when our babies get sick...Maybe you can think about getting a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) for her cage for the long term. Then you can heat the cage without having to heat your whole bedroom up. There's a great post under "housing" called "Heating your Hedgehog's Cage--Simplified". It helped me immensely when I was setting up my cage for my new hedgie. Good luck with the feeding tonight. I hope you get some cooperation :?


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## plop (Mar 23, 2011)

I truly have an awesome hedgie. There is hope yet.

When I opened the room to feed her, she was bumbling about on her feet, and there were two pooplets laying around.

I scooped her up and she didn't know what to think of the syringe at first. Didn't even take a minute before she was chewing on it and taking it like a champ. Guess she really loves the stuff.

It also seems like the brown stuff crumbled off her face, it looks a lot clearer. I switched up her bedding for some newspaper. After I put her back in, she drank a lot of water and I stuck the heating pad under her sleepy igloo.

I must ask, how many times per day or how many hours should I wait before feeding her via syringe again? Should I leave her wet cat food overnight? I have FancyFeast: Ocean Fish Feast and Tuna Feast. I'm not sure if fish is okay for them. I also have dry cat food too though... Or should I make more egg?

I also gotta ask this, I noticed that there is a buildup of poop/pee? staining her underside, so I wiped her as clean as I could with a warm cloth... Her crotch looks... Damp and weird. She was like that another time I looked at her, so it isn't just this once. I'm wondering if that's normal or because she's unable to go? Should I take a picture?

I'm still gonna call around for vets tomorrow, just wanna know what I'm in for.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

If you have a white or light colored bed sheet, I would suggest you using that now instead of newspaper. That way you can keep track of her pee/poop color more easily. And the dyes in newspaper aren't really good for them. 

I can't tell you how often to feed her. Is she eating the wet cat food? Maybe you could put some out in her cage and set your alarm to wake you up in a few hours and replace with fresh food, so it doesn't go bad. 

Is her poop formed or did she have diarrhea?


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

Forgot to say: heating pads can get really hot, way hotter than her skin can tolerate. It might be a good idea to put it under the cage so she's not resting directly on top if it.


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## plop (Mar 23, 2011)

Her poop is solid, believe it or not.
Also not to worry, the heating pad is under her cage and set on low.

And unfortunately, my mother would brutally stab me if I used any sheets. I can look to buy some of my own though, or a towel.

So these cans of cat food are okay for her??
In that case, I'll give her some, and wake myself up to feed her by syringe too.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

If you are going out to buy some fabric for the cage you can get fleece in the fabric section. The sheets and pillow case work better than the newspaper (the inks can be toxic and they don't dry quickly making it feel cold) but if you are going to the store the fleece works out good long term. Towels don't work good because the loops can cut circulation off if they get wrapped and it snags a lot. 

You can get a good digital thermometer and they are pretty inexpensive, I think last time I looked they were 7 dollars. A CHE works good if you don't want to heat the whole room. Space heater is an option too just make sure you check the thermometer in the cage to verify accuracy.

The seafood in the wet cat food will probably cause smelly poop. It's good that she is eating that is key but as long as her teeth are in good condition you may want to check out the recommended food list for dry cat foods for when she gets back to eating on her own. You will want to incorporate slowly to avoid an upset stomach. All the foods on the list are no more than 30% protein, under 15% fat, no BHA/BTA or exthyoxlin and have meats or meat meal as the first few ingredients. I know your situation is a little different because you are having to syringe feed but I wanted to put it out there for when you go to get a dry food.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Take the cage off the floor. Floor level is the coldest part of a room and basement plus floor level is a bad combination. Heat rises so any heat the heater is producing is going to the ceiling. Sometimes there can be 5 or 6 degree difference between the floor and 6' up. 

Newspaper is not an ideal cage liner. When wet, newspaper is cold so she has 3 cold producing issues against her.

I suggest fleece liners. Fleece is cheap from a fabric store. Put her cage on a desk or table so it is off the floor and up where it is warmer.


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## Judi (Jul 9, 2009)

If you're sharing a washing machine with your mom, she may not want you washing hedgie cage liners in it...I know when I lived with my mom, she tolerated my pets but her washing machine was sacred to her  

I use aspen shavings in my cages, and then little sleeping bags. One of my hedgies shreds fleece, so he gets denim sleeping bags with a layer of quilt batting between the denim. If you can sew, it's easy to make a hedgie bag. If you can't sew, a fleece baby hat would probably work well...just check it for loose threads or thread loops and trim them off if there are any. Put it where she sleeps and you'll find her snuggled into it. 

About the poop on your hedgehog's bottom, if she was so weak she was just laying there yesterday, she may have been too weak to stand up to go to the bathroom. I wouldn't give her a bath right now but a little warm water on a paper towel would take care of it pretty well.

Besides feeding her dry cat food, once she's feeling better you can try a few other things, like a few tiny chunks of cooked chicken, or fresh strawberries or peaches. The turkey baby food works well as a treat too.


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## pooka dotted (Jan 5, 2011)

update?


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## plop (Mar 23, 2011)

Thanks everybody for your suggestions. I'm trying my best to accomodate them as well as I can by whatever means possible.

An update...
Her current status is... Well, unknown. She's still wobbly as ever, but there have been a few pees and tiny tiny tiny poops made. It looked like she was trying really hard to poop at some point, but nothing was coming out. Like, she was walking around dragging her ass almost. I tried a warm cloth on her underside and massaged her belly. Nothing happened. Her butt is really poopy yet she can't make poops. I'm wondering if she's constipated or if she just doesn't have enough food in her to poop fully?

I've been coming to her with a syringe every couple hours. I feed her until she's disinterested. But I wonder if it's enough? I came to her with a spoonful of wet cat food a few times today and she didn't even care. She ate it last night, so I dunno if that means she's worse or what.

I'm almost convinced now that perhaps she simply starved herself to this point. The room is warm enough to make me sweat, floor level or not, and she still just lays there. I think I'm going to have to be really persistent with the syringe feeding.

Can anyone give me an approximate amount I should be giving her every couple hours? I want to make sure I don't screw this up.

The syringe I have is quite small. The kind you'd put antibiotics into. It goes from 0.1 to 1.0 mL. She seems to take 1 - 2 of these before she decides it's enough.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

Here is a thread that explains how much to syringe feed.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=8494

If you can get your hands on some Hill's A/D canned food, that would be better. You can get it from a vet, call and ask if you can go pick some up. It's a high calorie food for sick animals, easy to syringe. It's also quite tasty so she might eat it on her own.

She might be constipated. You can get a jar of squash or pumpkin baby food and syringe feed her some, it should help with constipation.

I should assume she isn't drinking any water on her own? Try mixing a little bit of honey in her water. Sometimes the sugary water makes them want to drink.

You gotta get a thermometer. They're cheap. Do you have a Sterilite bin sitting around, one with walls high enough that she wouldn't be able to climb out? If so, it might be a good idea to transfer her to that as a smaller bin would be easier to keep warm than her large cage.

Keep us posted please.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

You need a thermometer and she needs to be off the floor. Regardless of you sweating in the room, you still need to know the temperature and the thermometer needs to be put on the floor to check. Regardless of what the temperature is, something is not right with her. Is her stomach cold or cool? It should be nice and toasty warm. Is she getting adequate light during the day. 

She needs to eat. FLD can start within a couple of days of not eating. She should eat 3-4 ml/cc every few hours. More if you can get her to eat it. If they go off their food then they start to feel rotten so don't want to eat much if anything. Once fld starts, it becomes a struggle to get them to eat and they need medication to help get the liver back working. 

She sounds like a sick little girl. I cannot stress enough how important it is to get her to the vet and make sure she gets enough food into her plus a warm environment. A little girl died just recently from fld caused by not eating. Even with the best attempts to save them, once they pass a certain point it is usually irreversible.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Have you spoken to a vet? They will often take pity and allow you to get everything done, then pay later. Try to talk to the vet rather than office staff...vets deal with the animals and office staff deal with bills...easier to convince the guy who doesn't have to pay the power bill. 

She really does seem to be at the point where she needs to see a vet. Like Nancy said - some things can't be reversed.


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## plop (Mar 23, 2011)

I can switch her cage to something significantly smaller. Otherwise I seriously cannot take her off the floor in such a huge cage. Her belly seems okay, definitely not cold anyway.

Just now she took 3 syringe fulls, is wandering around not wobbling much at all (eyes are still half open though) and is making pees/runny poops. Good sign/bad sign?

Yes, I've been leaving the light on for her for at least 12 hours in the day.
I'll go and get that pumpkin baby food as well...

I've tried the pity thing with my vet before. They won't have it. I may be able to take her to a different vet, but I don't expect anybody to cut me any breaks. I'm honestly afraid to go to the vet due to this. I'm afraid of going to the vet in general. I've failed to mention that I'm pretty much a person crippled with anxiety, so if I go out on the wrong day, I'll probably greet the floor with my face at some point. Not too fond of fainting in public. Otherwise she would've been there by now.

In the meantime, I'm trying to stay positive in hoping it's not too late to bring her back on my own.


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## plop (Mar 23, 2011)

Oh yeah, she seems to take water through the syringe too.


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## Judi (Jul 9, 2009)

When I was feeding Lulu with the syringe, we had a 5ml syringe and I usually refilled it three or four times. You can see their bellies start to plump up as you're feeding them.

Have you tried putting a little dish of the same mixture you're using in the syringe out for her? She might be more comfortable eating on her own, if she's not too weak and you can tell she's really eating.

If she's making runny poop, then she's most likely not constipated. It takes a little while for their bodies to process the food when they haven't been eating for a while.

Since you live with your mom, why don't you ask her for help with the vet? Transportation to and from, and a loan for the vet bill? I'm sure she doesn't want your pet to die.


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## connorshogs (Mar 24, 2011)

Where are you located? If in ct let me know ill see if I can help you im new to breeding but I have an amazing vet and would hate to see any Hedgie die.I know vets are not cheap but it seems to be a must.


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## plop (Mar 23, 2011)

Sheesh. I'll try to feed her more then. And I'll leave her some of the baby turkey food.
I'm going out today so I'm going to make a list of the things to pick up. My mom's going to be driving around so I hope she can bring me to a store. I do not think she will bring me to a vet, however.

She doesn't really care about my pets. Just blames me for them. She's the type of person to think it's my duty to do everything on my own. In fact, I wouldn't even be living here if I didn't benefit her somehow.

Oh and, I'm in Vancouver BC, unfortunately.


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## plop (Mar 23, 2011)

Btw guys, I'm following your advice. All food advice. Also going for fleece bedding and I'm gonna order that Ceramic Heat Emitter off Amazon I think. What I'm using now is a space heater, I just didn't know it was called that. I'll be getting a thermometer to make sure the temp is smooth until the other thing gets here.

As of now she is infinitely better, walking around like it ain't no thang, and devouring everything I give her. Including water. Still not much poop besides that runny stuff, one can hope her body is simply taking time.

I'm still worried about the way her groin looks, so I'm gonna take pics later.
I'll take her to the vet regardless, after I make some arrangements.


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## Kokomo4294 (Dec 13, 2016)

My hedgehog is acting weird, he's crawling around on his side. Still eating and drinking. His legs and feet seem fine, so don't know what it could be, any input is welcome!


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

This thread is from 2011. Please don't post on old threads and also please start your own thread with your own questions.


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