# A Limp?



## Pippin (Sep 4, 2011)

Hello! My Hedgehog, Vic, is the sweetest most active little buddle of joy.. but tonight, upon taking him out to play I noticed one of his front left leg was being held up by him and would only gently rest on the ground. He can't walk on it easily either.. He's never had any issues before, I take him to the vet regularly to get him checked out and he's always been healthy. Basically in a nutshell, he has a limp which, seems to have developed over the past few hours..Help?! What should I do? I'm going to take him to the vet, but any help or advice would be so much appreciated. 
Thanks, 
Sam and Vic. <3


----------



## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Personally, if it's not swelled up into a tree trunk, and he's not majorly favouring the foot, I wouldn't stress him out more by bringing him to the vets. How bad is the limp really? And not the overly/motherly analysis  But actually see how different it is from his everyday movement.

Watch how he is, get a gentle feel of his foot and leg to see if he flinches, and if so, how badly and where? Get a real good look at his feet, are his nails long? Could he have poked himself somehow? Maybe he even stepped on his own quill.

Depending on how much he likes his wheel, perhaps take it out for the night, give his leg a break. But you may want to supplement with other activities, like cutting a bunch of egg cartons and hiding random kibbles everywhere, just to keep him stimulated overnight. However, some hedgies do love their wheels so much that they will either try to climb, or throw a tantrum. If you find that he turns into a climber to retaliate, you are better off giving him his wheel.

If over the next few days you see no improvement, THEN call the vet and bring him in. But if there's improvement, even if he's still slightly limping, it's most likely just a minor sprain/strain/pulled muscle, and will slowly heal on its own.


----------



## Pippin (Sep 4, 2011)

Thank you! This was soooo relieving to read.  He doesn't generally run in his wheel, although I took it out anyway, he just runs in circles all night, and he seems to love doing that and he always has.  As for his leg, he doesn't seem to be able to put pressure on it without almost falling on that leg. My assumption, much like yours was just a sprained little foot (considering all he does is run circles all night) But never having anything like this happen before, i googled it and all the sites seemed to say, go to the vet! But I really appreciate this, I will certainly wait a few days for improvement!
thanks again, 
Sammy and Victor. <3


----------



## CourtneyFaye (Jul 31, 2011)

If the leg seems broken or disfigured, then yes go to the vet. If it looks normal and he just has a limp, I would see if it goes away in a day or two. If you notice the leg starting to swell or turn colors then of course bring him to the vet. Im sure you have checked, but is there any cuts on the bottom of his paw? Or too long of nails? What kind of bedding his he on? Is it possible he could of gotten a splinter? I bet you've checked most if not all of these things, but I just wanted to make sure


----------



## Pippin (Sep 4, 2011)

It doesn't appear as if anything is wrong, I gave him some food so he'd just stay still so i could actually look aha and i didn't see anything wrong at all :/ No visible cuts, hairs, strings, i just trimmed his nails a day or so ago, and his bedding is recycled newspaper bedding, (he's never been on anything else) and i just can't find anything visibly wrong :/ Like I said, he loves running in circles, but he's recently just discovered his wheel (that has been there the whole time aha) so maybe he hurt it on the wheel? But yes, I certainly think i'm going to give it up to three or so days and look for improvement, i'll keep you guys posted though! Thanks so much for all your help and time to give your feedback, we really appreciate it


----------



## Guest (Oct 4, 2011)

Just curious...

What kind of wheel?


----------



## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

hedgie feet heal really quick so it's possible that he got a little cut on his paw and you just can't see it or it's already healed or may be between the toes even. or sometimes when a hedgie first discoves a wheel they will run so much they will run so hard they cause little cracks in their feet that will bleed sometimes (sometimes not). or he could have gotten a nail caught somewhere and as mentioned has a sprain or pulled it out of socket neither of which will show up on a vet xray. agree keep an eye on it, maybe try a little triple antibiotic (do not use the extra strength it's toxic, use regular strength) on the bottom of the foot if there are any small cracks you can't see that may help to soothe it a little and will also help to heal it and prevent infection.


----------



## Pippin (Sep 4, 2011)

Thank you everyone for your help! We both appreciate it  and I use a bucket wheel, absolutely no place for his little feet to get caught :')


----------



## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

If he can't put weight on it without almost falling, I think a vet visit would be a good idea. Hedgehogs hide illness and pain very well and for him to be showing that much reaction there may be more wrong than a simple sprain.


----------



## alex_le_renar (Feb 21, 2011)

I Have the exact same problem at the moment. take a look to this thread if you want viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13967
I am taking mine to the vet on Monday, as I mailed them and told me that there are many things that can cause a front leg issue and I do not want to risk it.

I hope your hedgie gets well soon


----------



## Cbux (Jul 31, 2017)

*Worried new parent*

New hedgie parent here: my Bernadette started limping the day after I got her. She was fine the day/night I brought her home but the next day I noticed the limping and her not fully using her front right arm. I let her rest a couple of days with not much improvement. I'm taking her to the vet as soon as I can since they aren't open on Sunday.


----------



## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Please check the date on a thread before posting, this thread is from 2011.


----------

