# New Hedgehog Owner! He has bad diarrhea, NEED HELP



## Guest (Apr 19, 2012)

Hi, I just recently purchased a hedgehog who is about 8-9 weeks old. I've been feeding him Blue Buffalo and Wellness cat food on top of some veggies, and in his cage I have a water bowl and water bottle. He was fine the first week I had him, but lately he has been having bad diarrhea, and I do not know what it's from. I heard it could be from dehydration, so I have been trying to hold up the water bottle to him to see if he will drink, and he won't.

What should I do?!


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## DasIgelPoggie (Oct 21, 2010)

Has he had the same habits (running, eating the same amount, drinking the same amount, etc.)? Is he sleeping more or less than usual, or the same? Is this the same diet his breeder had him on? Have you offered him any new treats recently? Is he behaving differently (listless, cranky, unresponsive)? There are a lot of things it could be, the more info you can provide the better!  Has he been to the vet recently and/or had a fecal smear done?


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## hedgieluv (Oct 29, 2011)

Did you change him from something else to the Wellness and Blue Buffalo? Hedgies have sensitive tummies and sometimes an abrupt food change can cause diarrhea.


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## Guest (Apr 19, 2012)

When I first brought him home he seemed healthy and I didn't notice anything strange, he was really friendly and ready to run around! The only issue I have been having really is the fact that I don't know if he has been getting enough water to drink, but then again he could be doing most of his drinking while I'm sleeping. As for food, the owner was feeding him a different brand (Friskies I believe), and I just mixed it in with the current food he is eating. Also, I gave him a little bit of chicken flavored baby food about a week ago, and if I remember right the diarrhea started immediately after that, that's why I stopped feeding him it. What I know for sure is that he is still running on his wheel every night and eating regularly, because I wake up every morning to a mess! I'm new to this whole hedgehog owner thing, so I don't know what I should be looking for, and I'm trying to learn... I just don't know if it's from stress, change of food, or dehydration! Is it normal for young hedgehogs to poop a lot and have diarrhea? And do you have any suggestions as far as what I can do?


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## DasIgelPoggie (Oct 21, 2010)

His tummy is probably just adjusting from being on a low-quality cat food to being on a high-quality kitty food. If everything else is still the same, I'd say just give him a little more time to adjust.


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

Is it diarrhea or just poop splattered on his wheel in the morning? (Just to clarify - in your most recent post you said you "wake up every morning to a mess".) Do you mean he's having diarrhea in addition to that? Is it diarrhea as in kind of loose, soft poop, or watery/liquid-ish poop?

I'm no vet, but I've never heard of diarrhea caused by dehydration - it causes dehydration. Given that dehydration means not having enough water in the body, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me that that would cause diarrhea, which is poop with an excess of liquid.

Regardless, I agree with DasIgelPoggie - if he's behaving normally otherwise, it's most likely an upset stomach from the new situation and change of food. The food transition might have been too fast, especially since you already have him on two new foods and have gotten rid of the old one, all in the course of a few weeks.

Also, which Blue Buffalo and Wellness versions are you using? Wellness especially can be too rich for some hedgehogs and cause upset stomach.


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## Katiehogletnewbie (Mar 22, 2012)

8-9 weeks and with a wheel...just to clrify thats ok as mine is over 7 weeks and has a wheel but the english forum seem to think it's wrong. she loves it so much i dont wanna have to take it away from her ..i hope he feels better soon xx


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## kittyeats (Nov 23, 2011)

Yes! A wheel is awesome to have! The diarrhea might be from changing foods, as moxieberry said. It should go away soon.  Hope he feels better!


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## hedgieluv (Oct 29, 2011)

Hi there,
It's reassuring that your little hedgie's food has been changed as this can cause some green colored poo. Most of the threads here will recommend changing food slowly to let the hedgie tummy get used to it. At this point, you have already started the change and with close observation to be sure your hedgie is not suffering any other ill effects, you could watch and just keep doing what you are doing. If you are concerned, though, a knowledgeable Vet can help set your mind at ease or pinpoint other problems. No one can really diagnose the problem without seeing your hedgie, so the option is always there. You can never go wrong with an expert opinion.
Good luck to both of you and Persephone and I send our hedgie hugs your way!


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## Guest (Apr 20, 2012)

He has soft/wet poop all over the place, on and off the wheel. As for the brand of Wellness and Blue Buffalo I am feeding him, it's just Indoor Health I believe?! Is that good, or is there a different brand I should be feeding him?! I guess I'll just have to keep watching him and see if he gets better, thanks for all the help!


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## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

A vet visit is in order, imo.

Every animal you bring into your home should get a wellness exam.

If he's upset because of the food, usually it causes green poop, not diarrhea. Diarrhea is a serious health concern because, as others have mentioned, it can cause dehydration.

Please take your hog to a vet ASAP and let us know what the vet says


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## Guest (Apr 20, 2012)

Well by diarrhea I meant a soft/wet poop, not actual liquid diarrhea. I assume it's just the food, so I'm just going to keep an eye on him for the next few days and see if it gets better, and take him to the vet if it doesn't! Again, thanks for all of the help you have provided. 

Another quick question, when should I start feeding him mealworms and crickets, and how often should they be fed? And what are some other good things for them to eat?!


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

No treats whatsoever until his tummy gets better.


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

That's why I asked - actual liquidy diarrhea is a serious problem, whereas soft/squishy poop isn't as severe an issue and generally indicates an upset stomach. Soft/squishy is a common result of food changes. (My boy also gets this when I occasionally give him watermelon.) You might have transitioned too quickly to the two new foods, which could exacerbate it, but it sounds like it's being caused by his system adjusting to the new food. Also, like I mentioned earlier, Wellness food can be too rich for some hedgehogs. If his poop doesn't firm up in a few days (it should ideally be slightly moist, darkish brown "turds"), consider removing the Wellness to see if that makes a difference.

They can be introduced mealies and crickets at any time once they're eating solid food, but you should make sure this poop issue is solved before introducing any new food or treats. That would make it harder for his stomach to settle, and if it happens to be a certain good causing a problem, more foods would make it harder to figure that out.

They can also have unseasoned cooked meat and fruits/vegetables. Fruits tend to be sugary and are better for treats, whereas vegetables can be a daily part of the diet. There's a list on here of safe/unsafe produce. Grapes are toxic to them and anything citrus or acidic (including pineapple, tomato, pomegranate) shouldn't be given to them either. Keep in mind that some hedgehogs are very picky and will either only like one specific kind of fruit/veggie (which you'll have to figure out by trial and error) or won't like anything but kibble. The same goes for insects.


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

My Milly didn't handle the Wellness Indoor Health very well at all... she regularly had very soft stools (mush instead of formed turds) until the day after I stopped feeding it. I have never heard anything about Blue Buffalo being too rich though, so you should be set with that.  2 of the 4 cat foods I have in Milly's food mix are Blue Buffalo and she's happy, healthy and has great looking poo.


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## Guest (Apr 20, 2012)

Okay great! What are some good brands of cat food that you have all had success with?!


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul (adult light) is a popular choice, and I haven't heard of any instances of it being too rich. Pretty much, Wellness is the only one of the commonly used ones that I've heard that about, which is why I thought it could be related. Innova, Solid Gold Katz-n-Flocken, Natural Balance Green Pea and Duck are some other good ones off the top of my head. There's also Simply Nourish (Turkey and Oatmeal formula) which is a petsmart-only brand - it came out in the last few months, and I just started trying it with Archimedes (along with CS light, which he's been eating since we brought him home), so I can't really speak from more than a week of experience with it, but he seems to like it and his poop went back to normal after being soft for the first few days after it was introduced.


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## Guest (Apr 20, 2012)

Wonderful! I will have to look into maybe giving some of those a try to see if that helps with his soft poop situation he's got going on. If it doesn't end up clearing up within the next few days, and the vet says that's all that's causing it. Thanks again!


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## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

taiganlunt said:


> Well by diarrhea I meant a soft/wet poop, not actual liquid diarrhea. I assume it's just the food, so I'm just going to keep an eye on him for the next few days and see if it gets better, and take him to the vet if it doesn't! Again, thanks for all of the help you have provided.
> 
> Another quick question, when should I start feeding him mealworms and crickets, and how often should they be fed? And what are some other good things for them to eat?!


Okay, sorry, I was confused because you called it a bad case of diarrhea on your thread title  If it's looser stool, I suspect, like the others, that it's from how rich Wellness is.

As for the treats, I would suggest maybe starting to give him treats once his poop has firmed up a bit.


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## Hillybean (Jun 10, 2010)

Also, keep in mind to slowly switch foods. A sudden stop of one formula/brand and right on to another can also cause more poo/stomach issues.

Even if you don't take your hedgie to the vet right away, you need to look up an exotic vet that treats hedgehogs and has hedgehog experience near you. There are many vets that say they will see a hedgehog, but honestly don't know a thing about them. It is also good to have a wellness check done before anything serious happens.

My vets have been a big help for me..

Do you have a gram scale? Using a gram scale routinely will help you to keep track of your hedgies weight, which can help in indicating if something is wrong with your hog.


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## Guest (Apr 20, 2012)

No I do not have a gram scale, I will look into buying one of those today.. As well as getting ahold of a vet near by that can see him for a check up to make sure he is doing fine, so let's hope all is good


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