# is it possible?



## HedgieIsabella (Nov 24, 2008)

so basically, i have the typical winter cold/flu, 

but i was wondering if hedgies can get this,
it seems to me like Isabella has the same symptoms as a cold or flu
i.e runny nose, sticky mucus from her nose , green diarrhea, shes active but not playful, in the sense that she is very much awake and alert, but would much rather be held than on the floor tormenting the cats like she normally does, 

i figured i would ask on here because every vet in the HRM that i've called, basically laughed and said they know nothing about hedgehogs...

the closest vet to me is 2 hours away in Greenwood, and Isabella isn't the best traveller.

so, can hedgehogs get the Flu/Cold?


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Yes they can get upper respiratory infections that very quickly turn to pneumonia. With the symptoms your girl is showing, she needs a vet NOW!


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## HedgieIsabella (Nov 24, 2008)

oh my, i can't get to a specialized vet until next weekend!

do you think even a regular vet could prescribe antibiotics?
i'm going to school , and i really can't have a 2hr drive there and back on a weekday because of midterms

a regular vet could do something right?

oh i'm so worried.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Yes, any vet can prescribe antibiotics for a respiratory infection. Would she be co-operative and let them listen to her chest? If it's turned to pneumonia the treatment would be more aggressive than for a URI. 

Is she eating? Count her kibble to know exactly how much she is eating.


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## HedgieIsabella (Nov 24, 2008)

well , i've been watching her closely until i could get her to a vet, but it seems she just must have been dehydrated , i went to go change her water and set down the bottle, and she bolted over to it and went crazy drinking, everything seems fine now, no sticky runny nose or anything!

i don't know why she couldn't reach it, which also worrys me, 

i am worried about her pooping though, there is none, could i give her a TINY portion of a laxative?
or would it be harmful, i know you can give dogs human tylenol, so i figured i may as well ask, i changed her food from purina friskies to purina advanced nutrition weight loss management, 
could that have caused constipation?

there is no raspy breathing or wheezing, i listen to her breathe every few hours, she seems very active, but shes not eating regularly, i think it's due to the constipation. 

if anyone could help, so i don't have to spend 50 on gas and another 100 on a vet bill to tell me shes just constipated i would appreciate it 

her watter bottle is down now, i tried to put it in a dish but her whole head went in , then she dumped on herself.


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## sagesmommy (Sep 25, 2008)

it sounds to me that one problem is leading to another i dont think lack of water would lead to the runny nose, and if she isnt pooping for more than a day or two i would just take the trip. Call your vets and ask if any of them could possible see a hedgehog since they are becoming more popular. if not take the trip not pooping can cause death. a past thread had mentioned a hedgehog dieing from that. Do you feed her feed her freeze dried meal worms? if so, how many?


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## HedgieIsabella (Nov 24, 2008)

i don't feed her meal worms at all, 

i figured if she doesn't like any kind of meat why would she like meal worms?
but if it would help i could try it for sure

she does poop, but not enough, and its green and slimy.
i syringe - fed her today, she HATED it, but she ate very little of it, (the rest was on her) 
i'm worried it may be WHS, i red that they have digestive issues along with the balance issues, but the info may be wrong, her back left leg seems.. odd. it struggles as if it gets left behind. but it can move
i'm starting to think she's had past issues no one told me about
in Jan she'll be 3 1/2, i hope it's not her time  
i tried to call the vet but they refused any info over the phone. 
they just said "bring her in", in my opinion vets should be a little more giving for over the phone consultation a little free info never hurt anyone.
the runny nose is completely gone, i figure not pooping is due to not eating, she hasn't touched her food in days, which is why i syringe fed her.


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## HedgieIsabella (Nov 24, 2008)

intresting..
i found this when i'm lurking around to find a good idea of what she has

Hasn't eaten for 24 hours: This isn't necessarily a problem. Sometimes hedgehogs go on a hunger strike for as much as a day to three, then resume their business normally. If it persists longer than that or if there is notable weight loss, then you will want to schedule a vet visit right away. Also, if the hedgehog has not consumer water for 24 hours, you should schedule a vet visit, as water is quite critical. 


could her not eating, along with the change of diet cause her green stools?


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

Upset stomachs cause green stools. When you say slimy, how do you mean? It could be something bacterial, especially after having the runny nose. It really sounds like you need to take her to the vet. Even if the runny nose is gone, there seems to be a bigger issue happening and the fact that she hasn't been eating and you're now having to syringe feed is a huge red flag. You should get her to the vet ASAP and not rely on a phone consultation. 
I hope everything turns out okay. Best of luck to the little lady.


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## sagesmommy (Sep 25, 2008)

eating too many freeze dried meal worms can cause a back up so no i would not recommend giving them to her now... until you can get her to a vet i would try baby food. she might be able to handle that better...


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## HedgieIsabella (Nov 24, 2008)

i'm almost positive she's eating now, when i woke her up yesterdays she went over to her food sniffed and licked it, but she kept looking up at me, so i think she may have been just shy
but when i checked on her again this morning her food bowl was tipped over!
i'm hoping she's eating. i'm going to do a kibble count. 
i'm also going to try baby food, any recommendations? 

thank you all for your concern about my baby


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

I have never had luck with getting my boy to eat baby food, but I'd recommend Sweet Potatoes, Chicken and Rice, things like that. You can also offer the Gerber Baby meat sticks- I've heard of a lot of hedgies liking those.

If you want, you could buy some different canned cat foods, and see if she likes any of those.


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