# I dropped my hedgehog and don't know what to do!



## DavidB

I just recently got my hedgehog and I was trying to give him a foot bath. As I was carrying him, he started to crawl onto my arm. I didn't think anything of this since he likes to curl up in my elbow. Next thing I know, he walks off my arm! He dropped from about 3-4 feet on carpet and some clothes on the floor onto his back. I didn't see if he was curled up but he rolled over and started walking and trying to explore. He hasn't been limping or acting strange (aside from being bit angry), I'm just very worried. Is he going to be okay? Please help!


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## Annie&Tibbers

1. It happens to everyone sooner or later. On carpet, on clothes, and on his back not a limb are pretty much the best way to learn the painful lesson that our small friends are escape artists.

2. If you can, try feeling up his legs and notice if he reacts in pain (instead of usual hedgehog "Go'way, you're bothering me!"). Do your best to evaluate if he has any bruises or sore points.

3. Be a paranoid poop-watcher for the next few days. Blood in the poop from internal injuries can be anything from tarry black (high up in the digestive track) through to bright red (at the end of the digestive track). Keep an eye on blood in pee, too.

4. And hey, also be paranoid about activity in general the next few days. Changes in mood, wheeling, etc can all be indicative of a hidden injury.

If anything makes you suspect an internal injury, head to the vet for a proper check and see if they can help your tiny friend. If it were me I'd probably just be a hovering hawk the next few days, but some others would be a bit more pre-emptive with lining up a vet appointment just in case (and a checkup never hurts!)

It sounds like you got lucky. Always sucks when your first post is during an emergency!


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## Beloved Doll

Annie pretty much has this covered but I just wanted to chime in anyway. 

I think if hedgie fell on some clothes on the carpet, he should be ok. Injuries can happen but it sounds like he at least had a cushy landing. 

My first hedgehog fell on tile floor and broke 3 bones in her foot. Ultimately, the leg got amputated. 

So just make sure all signs are clear. If anything does pop up, do beeline for the vet. I would think that if after 5-7 days you still don't see anything changed, hedgie should be in the clear.


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## akane

We temporarily used a former rabbit cage for hedgehogs and before we clipped it tighter if they ran out of food or water and when babies got old enough to explore they'd slip out the edge or through the shelving panels and fall from 4' up to a wood floor. No one ever got hurt. We just had to hunt them down and actually had a mother give birth outside the cage and had to move her because she escaped the night she was due. Thus the cage has been quickly replaced with one that has foot high solid sides instead of 8".


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## DavidB

I felt his legs and he didn't seem in pain just annoyed since I was grabbing his legs. I checked his stool and all the new feces looks normal, but I just wanted to know since I'm not very familiar with black tarry/bloody stool. Is it a more of a liquid or could it be solid? Could there still be blood in solid dark stool?


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## Beloved Doll

Blood can appear regardless of the solidity of the stool.


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## nikki

akane said:


> We temporarily used a former rabbit cage for hedgehogs and before we clipped it tighter if they ran out of food or water and when babies got old enough to explore they'd slip out the edge or through the shelving panels and fall from 4' up to a wood floor. No one ever got hurt. We just had to hunt them down and actually had a mother give birth outside the cage and had to move her because she escaped the night she was due. Thus the cage has been quickly replaced with one that has foot high solid sides instead of 8".


Why would they run out of food and water?? They should never run out of either. If you had a hedgehog escape from that cage once and fall why didn't you fix it right away instead of taking the risk of someone getting hurt? I can't imagine ever letting that happen to any of my hedgehogs.


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## Keith

Also, just letting you know, the reason hedgies will just willingly jump off of high places is because they lack the depth perception the we have(plus they just have bad eyesight in general). This all happens to hedgie owners at some point and like others are saying, it looks like your hedgehog will be fine, I felt so bad the first time my hedgie fell off a bed(and did a similar landing to your's and was okay). Best wishes though!


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## hedgiebum14

hedgehogs will fall a lot, my hedgie used to climb out of her cage and jump out, it would worry me so bad, but unless she fell on Concrete, i think shell be okay, keep an eye out for any crying, blood, or unusual behaviour. dont feel too guilty  everyone makes mistakes.


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## nikki

hedgiebum14 said:


> hedgehogs will fall a lot, my hedgie used to climb out of her cage and jump out, it would worry me so bad, but unless she fell on Concrete, i think shell be okay, keep an eye out for any crying, blood, or unusual behaviour. dont feel too guilty  everyone makes mistakes.


Please make sure you have a lid on your cage and that your cage is escape proof. There have been hedgehogs that have died from falls of less than 1 foot and landed on carpet. I all depends on the hedgie and the way they land.


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## Jessx55

I dropped my hedgehog last night & she hit off a low stand & fell on her side. I'm freaking out & I've been crying. Her paw looks a little swollen & I'm scared she might be have internal injures.


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## Lilysmommy

You need to get her to a vet, at least by tomorrow if you can't find anywhere that's open today. Until then, make sure she stays warm and keep a close eye on her. It might be worth taking her wheel out of her cage if you don't think she'll freak out more without it, to rest her paw & make sure she doesn't aggravate any other injuries.


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## knlght

well i guess almost 60-70% of 1st time hedgehog owner have accidentally drop our beloved hedgehogs. Now leason learned is to be very careful when we are holding them.

most of their injuries sometimes cause by humans and not by themselve


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## Prickerz

I have gotten THIS CLOSE to dropping my hedgehog multiple times, little thing does not enjoy being held and restricted on movement!! LOL
I always wrap her in a sack to transport her, and that really seems to help. 

I hope everything turns out ok!


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## sc2001

I had the worst scare last night... I have this blanket that bean loves to dig in on my bed. She was digging and I told my boyfriend to be careful because Bean is in the blanket. A few minutes goes by and I guess my boyfriend completely forgot that she was in the blanket... He lifted the blanket up off of the bed by one end so it was dangling and I screamed "she's in there!!" and lunged at the blanket to try to catch her if she fell out. Fortunately she managed to cling to the fabric and my boyfriend put the blanket back on the bed. I frantically dig through the blanket to find her... And of course she wasn't phased at all by what just happened (while I'm having a heart attack).... :roll:


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## Prickerz

LOL im telling you, boyfriends are about as useful as toddlers sometimes!! This sounds exactly like something my man would do


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## sc2001

Hahah so true. I told him he wasn't allowed to touch her anymore (just joking of course :grin: )... But I swear, when I say things to him my words go in one ear and out the other!


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## Prickerz

I would have done the SAME thing!! When I got home from staying with my paresnt over thanksgiving, the Pepper was in perfect care but my kitty was completely out of kibble! And he said he completely forgot to feed the gecko one night! 
There's a reason we nag so much


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## sassy1234

nikki said:


> Please make sure you have a lid on your cage and that your cage is escape proof. There have been hedgehogs that have died from falls of less than 1 foot and landed on carpet. I all depends on the hedgie and the way they land.


I learned this the hard way with my Luna. I didn't have a lid on her first cage and she used her litter pan to get a boost and climb out of her cage. She fell a good foot and a half and I found her exploring around the bathroom. She had wandered all the way across my apartment! Luckily, she wasn't hurt, but I learned my lesson and got her a cage with a lid right away. They are very good escape artists!


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## Rachel A

*I dropped my baby hedgehog!?!?*

Today mt baby hedgehog fell out of her hut with the mom and other babys. So I picked her up took her out to say hi and played around with her, by the way she is 4 weeks old. Then she walked up my arm and slipped and fell! She hit my leg 4 inches down then bounced off and fell another 4 inches to the ground! She got up right after the fall and proseded to roam. She looked a little, well, shocked. I put her in my hand until she stared to move around more, then put her back. Now I am scared she might be hurt! And I can't cheat her poop or pee since shes in with her mom and 2 siblings. &#128513; Has anyone else done this before????&#128549;&#128561;&#128531;&#128554;&#128546;&#128557;&#128542;&#128532;I don't know what to think help me!!!!!!!

Thanks!!!!&#128522;&#128541;&#128539;


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## Rika Ellis

I just read through everyone's comments. My brother came to visit us and asked if he may hold my Mash. Of cause Mash does not know my brother's scent and spiked him. My brother got a fright and dropped him on the tile floor. I grabbed him up off the floor and held him to check his legs and back. He had fallen on his back while balled up. He is walking around afterwards an cuddled up but im so scared that he got hurt and i cannit see it. Will be checking his stool and urine for blood. His legs seem fine though he was just agitated from the fright.


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## SquirtleSquirt

Please check the date of the thread before posting!


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## barongan

Loving this thread, I think this is a very interesting discussion


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