# 2weeks almost no eating and drinking no reason



## potato29 (Feb 16, 2015)

My hedgehog (ihave 2) hasnt eaten ever since I got her she barley drinks or eats and every thing is normal no cold temp is right idk but I gave her a hit of chicken baby food and she likes it can I give her the whole jar


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

If she's not eating and drinking normally for two weeks she should have a vet appointment asap.


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## potato29 (Feb 16, 2015)

K ima see if I can take her tummarow although I gave her the rest of the baby food I think she might be missing teeth because she ate it all o.0 shes 3years old


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## Buttons (Dec 21, 2014)

I obviously agree with nikki on going to the vet. Have you tried wetting her food for now? You could try syringe feeding her until you get into the vet as well. That's an awfully long time to not have much nourishment.

You should also be aware that hedgehogs have a hard time eating stale food. What are you feeding her?


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## Raven13 (Mar 3, 2015)

I hope I don't get "in trouble" for this since the forum is for support and learning, but this post seriously pisses me off.

This hedgehog needs veterinary care immediately. The excuse that it is doing this "for no reason" is ludicrous, just because the poor animal can't verbally tell you what is wrong does not mean that there is no reason for it. Your hedgehog has stopped eating and drinking for a reason, that reason is because they are sick, whether it be something as simple as GI upset or something as serious as a tumor. And they are telling you they have an issue by stopping their eating and drinking, or drastically reducing it. Animals live on routines, when they break that routine you can bet something is wrong with them and it is for a reason, not just because they felt like not eating for 2 weeks or that they like to watch you squirm in frustration trying to figure out what's wrong with them when nothing really is. Animals run like clockwork.

If you stopped feeling like eating or drinking you would seek medical attention for yourself, do it for your animal sooner next time something like this happens. I'm a little shocked at how nonchalant you are about this, even after nikki told you that you should seek medical attention for her ASAP.


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## BellEll17 (Oct 18, 2014)

Dehydration and not eating for 2 weeks? That is a huge problem. Dehydration is very fatal and by drinking, when they pee it gets all of their waste out of their system. You need to seek attention to the vet right now. Something is obviously wrong and if she hasnt been eating/drinking, you need to get a syringe and hydrate her ASAP.


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## potato29 (Feb 16, 2015)

I understand why your mad, she has high quality cat food. Not stale but mabey I should restate this ,,, she doesnt eat like my other hedgehog she eats slowly,,, and she drinks water only sometimes I guess db im not seeing her,, she has lots of energy im just worried that shes acting weird by not dogging at her food which she did when I gave her moist food to me thats barely eatting since my other hedgehog eats piles of food (yes they are housed sepretly)


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

If I understand your post, she isn't eating the hard, dry food like she used to eat her moist food, but she is eating, correct? Do you have the same food that she was eating before you got her? Did the former owner give you any transition food? Hedgies don't like a sudden change in their diets.

It sounds like she may have some mouth or teeth issues. Try moistening her food with a little water.

But if she's not eating or drinking then you need a vet TODAY! Fatty Liver disease can start after 3 days of not eating. This is an emergency and numerous people have advised you to get this animal to the vet. If you are not willing to provide vet care when necessary please reconsider hedgehog ownership.


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## potato29 (Feb 16, 2015)

My breeder gave me the same food she has always eaten when I got home today I took her and put her in a bin with only food and water (I made the food a tiny bit warm and its her food crushed up with warm water) she ate some and drank water so I waited a bit untill she ate allmost all the food so shes aallstuffed up now I think its just her teeth she had a good eat today


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## kieah (Feb 23, 2015)

*Soak that stuff like there's no tomorrow!!!*

My Hedgie is about a year old - the guy we got her from treated her like crap and she has been in an out of the vet since we got her almost a month ago. Broken leg, infection, malnutrition - you name it. Anyway we changed her food all in one go coz it was causing malnutrition, the vet said she had a healthy appetite but she wasn't eating much at all for me (like less than 5 bits of kibble nothing else at all)when she was home at night.

I couldn't figure it out - people here are talking tablespoons of food, vet said she's all good with food intake but she was eating hardly anything for me, new food and all but she ate it at the vets??? So a few questioning sessions later we worked it out. He _*soaked*_ her food - I put enough water in to dampen the bits, he _*drowned*_ those suckers. The food is literally swilling around in water. Since we have started feeding her that way she has been eating like crazy. She went from 5 bits max to 30 bits twice a day.

We are now changing her food again (the vets is the kitten variety so too fatty and she barely moves due to the broken leg so we don't want a weight issue) we got the cat version of what she eats now and the kibble is bigger, we gave it to her last night, drowning in water too. She ate it all and hubby even put 5 more in her bowl today just in case she needed more - I will upload a photo of that so you can see what I mean. Those things almost double in size and there is still water in the bowl.

She has been checked by the vet - no teeth or mouth issues. Now granted I live in a different country and I am thinking there are some differences in the way each country deals with hedgies. But my vet here thinks you cannot feed Hedgies dry kibble without soaking it first - it's just a thing here. Maybe your Hedgie is like mine and either cant cope with or just doesn't like the hard, dry stuff so much. I suggest trying the 'drowning in water style' we are having such luck with.

(***DISCLAIMER*** Just in case someone who reads this doesn't know) 
BTW adding water to dry food is a recipe for bacteria and other gross stuff - think food poisoning, vomiting diarrhea etc etc. So if you do try this you MUST clean her bowl *properly* every morning. Like wash it out type clean. You cant leave that concoction for a day or two, or just think it looks clean - it's a breeding ground for nasties, especially in the heat of the cage. This is also true for wet food as well.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

If she's having trouble eating dry food then she could very well have something wrong with her teeth. This isn't just something minor, she needs to see a vet to find out what the problem is. She could very well be in pain.


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## Amanda1987 (Jan 30, 2015)

You got me all worried when I read this yesterday. I have come back to see updates and there aren't any?.. What is the current status and how is your hedgehog? Did you bring to the VET?
_________________
http://mylittlehedgehogspike.tumblr.com


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## potato29 (Feb 16, 2015)

I think I may have been over reacting today she took a big poop on me it was brown  yayyyyy o and she acts normal tho always anointing


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## Raven13 (Mar 3, 2015)

potato29 said:


> I think I may have been over reacting today she took a big poop on me it was brown  yayyyyy o and she acts normal tho always anointing


I fail to understand why you asked for advice if you weren't going to take it.
It has now been three days since you posted the original message in this thread in which you expressed great concern that something was wrong. Multiple people told you that something was most likely wrong including myself, yet you continue you brush us all off and make excuses.

This hedgehog has still not seen a vet, WHY!?

Stand up, be responsible and own what is happening to your hedgehog. It is part of animal ownership to take care of them and get them to a vet when they (may) need it. If she doesn't need it what's the worst that can happen? The vet tells you she's fine, you have peace of mind and "lose" a few bucks.

I've read through your previous threads and all of them are panicked and you even admitted in one that perhaps a hedgehog was not the right pet for you, at that time you had one. In this thread you state you have two, why did you get another if you were over whelmed with one??


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## potato29 (Feb 16, 2015)

The vet is like 2hours away (the one that can see exotic animals) and on top of that my car doesnt have heating but I honestly think I was over reacting because o think im just sleeping when my hedgehog eats because of the big dump she took on me and the regular behavior


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

If you're not sure if she's eating or not (and even when you're not concerned about her health), you should be measuring or weighing her food in some way so that you can tell exactly how much she's eating. If you're not already doing that, start now.

Are you still feeding her soft food of some kind (soaked kibble or wet food, etc.) or is she getting her regular dry kibble now?

If she's still eating soft food fine, but not eating her dry kibble, you NEED to take her to the vet. It doesn't matter if the vet is 2 hours away. Bundle her up in a hard-sided carrier with a few fleece blankets, put in a handwarmer or hot water bottle if you need to, and take her to the vet. 

As already said, mouth and teeth issues are not something to brush off. Think about how close her teeth are to her eyes, her brain, etc. If she has an infected tooth or something else going on, it needs to be checked NOW. If it gets worse, it could spread to other locations and cause even more serious issues.

Your hedgehog depends on you. Please get her checked out soon if she's still refusing dry food. You have a responsibility to keep her healthy. Everyone here is trying to communicate that to you and you don't seem to be listening.


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## potato29 (Feb 16, 2015)

Ok im going to take my hedehog to the vet since shes still on baby food (I switched from wet kibble to chicken bqbyfood) but I want to get them both checked out that way I dont have to go all the way back in like a week if my other one gets ill, is there a kind of payment plan that the vet can make because im a little tight on money


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

Call them and ask if they have a payment plan or if they can work with you. Some vets are really great about those things. 

Chicken baby food is not nutritionally rounded and will cause vitamin defects if fed over a long period. We use it to mainly help sick hedgies get back to health and then put them back on kibble. Your baby needs to be eating regular kibble as her normal diet.


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