# New hedgehog owner, have some concerns



## CoralV (Feb 2, 2014)

Hi, I apologize if i didn't create this form properly i am new at this. I have a 3 months old male hedgehog that i bought from a pet store. When i first brought him home i didn't bother him too much but the next day he was up so i decided to pick him up and take him out for a little. 
I noticed that his skin was extremely dry so i researched and called the pet store and they suggested an oatmeal bath, so i gave him one. He didn't improve but started getting a moldy smell to him. His poop is dark brown it looks black and i heard that it isn't good that their poop is that color. He is active, eats and drinks fine; although he does sleep alot if that makes sense. I am worried about him he is also becoming very huffy and will even attempt to bite if you put your hand out to for him to smell. I try not to bother him during the day until 8 pm or later because i know they will become aggravated if woken up. I am really upset because idk what to do i always wanted a hedgehog and when i finally got one he appears to be ill  i plan on taking him to the vet soon but i just want more knowledge so i can worry less.& by the way he eats what the pet store gave me and 3 meal worms a day twice a day they recommended. The manager owns a hedgehog.


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## CoralV (Feb 2, 2014)

also should i try this to bathe him?


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Welcome to the forum! Check out this lovely care guide for hedgehogs; it will help you out a lot.

I'm running out the door so can't help much at the moment, but I'll be back later if someone else doesn't drop in to answer your questions.

What's the exact food he's eating? Cat food, hedgehog food, some other type of kibble? Brand? etc

Any idea how old he is?

Is he loosing any quills? Do you see new ones growing in?

Does he scratch himself? Slow & casual, or really fast & frantic?


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## CoralV (Feb 2, 2014)

Annie&Tibbers said:


> Welcome to the forum! Check out this lovely care guide for hedgehogs; it will help you out a lot.
> 
> I'm running out the door so can't help much at the moment, but I'll be back later if someone else doesn't drop in to answer your questions.
> 
> ...


Thanks for reaching out he is 3 months and is eating hedgehog food it is called Vita exotics hedgehog formula. He has lost 1 to 4 quills i saw one growing in and he scratches fast


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## CoralV (Feb 2, 2014)

Lost***


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## MightyMichelle (Jan 13, 2014)

Sometimes it's good to put a t shirt of yours in his living space. That way he can slowly get used to your smell, and will be more open to handling. I've heard some hedgies just DO NOT like to picked up, but I imagine in patience you can slowly change that.

That oatmeal bath seems to have a lot of unnecessary ingredients. I personally take a cup of oatmeal, throw it in a big bowl of boiling water, strain out the oats, and when it cools just toss your hedgie in there!


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## MightyMichelle (Jan 13, 2014)

http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/23042-recommended-foods-list.html
Here's a good list of food. It's better to feed hedgie cat kibble. When I first got my hedgie, I had the vita exotics food too, she was not interested at all. I then switched to Blue Buffalo brand (which is in the food list in the link), but my vet said it's garbage, so I switched to a brand Medi Cal Feline Development recommended by my vet, and my hedgie gobbles it up with glee.


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## CoralV (Feb 2, 2014)

My hedgehog seems to love this kind of food when i switch his food is there a certain way to do it or do i just switch it right away?


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## Tongue_Flicker (Jun 11, 2013)

Switch slowly adding little by little for up to a period of 1-2 weeks. Doing a cold turkey switch would cause stomach upset and diarrhea to your hedgie for a while til its system gets used to it.


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Ok, new quills growing in means he could be a baby going through his quilling. Oatmeal soaks (raw oatmeal soaked in water until the water runs milky-white) can help sooth his itchy skin; just avoid petting his quills while new ones grow in. It's a bit like the hedgehog equivalent of teething -- miserable for everyone!

However, frequent, frantic scratching can be mites. Mites can be easily treated with Revolution (get at a vet; don't let them use Ivermectin). One thing you can look for is try rubbing your hedgehog with a dark cloth, then look for any moving dots, but you can't always see them. :\


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## Jocelyn3113 (May 28, 2011)

My hedgehog was also super grumpy he had ridiculously dry skin so I gave him an oatmeal bath, then 2 drops of olive oil behind the ears. He was a compleatly different hog the next day, no longer very huffy at all. 
How often should I keep giving him those baths?


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## CoralV (Feb 2, 2014)

Annie&Tibbers said:


> Ok, new quills growing in means he could be a baby going through his quilling. Oatmeal soaks (raw oatmeal soaked in water until the water runs milky-white) can help sooth his itchy skin; just avoid petting his quills while new ones grow in. It's a bit like the hedgehog equivalent of teething -- miserable for everyone!
> 
> However, frequent, frantic scratching can be mites. Mites can be easily treated with Revolution (get at a vet; don't let them use Ivermectin). One thing you can look for is try rubbing your hedgehog with a dark cloth, then look for any moving dots, but you can't always see them. :\


 Thank you, i tried the oatmeal and the shirt test the dots weren't moving but they did look like danfruff


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## CoralV (Feb 2, 2014)

Also how much times a day should i feed my little man?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Most people prefer to free-feed. Since you still want to keep track of how much they're eating (since change in consumption is a great early sign of illness), most people do this by measuring/weighing/counting out a specific amount of food. If hedgie has eaten all of that by morning, add a bit more the next night, and so on, until you have a bit of food left over in the morning so you know they're getting their fill & so you have a definite idea of how much is being eaten. 2-3 tablespoons would be a good starting point to see how much he'll eat.


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## CoralV (Feb 2, 2014)

CoralV said:


> Hi, I apologize if i didn't create this form properly i am new at this. I have a 3 months old male hedgehog that i bought from a pet store. When i first brought him home i didn't bother him too much but the next day he was up so i decided to pick him up and take him out for a little.
> I noticed that his skin was extremely dry so i researched and called the pet store and they suggested an oatmeal bath, so i gave him one. He didn't improve but started getting a moldy smell to him. His poop is dark brown it looks black and i heard that it isn't good that their poop is that color. He is active, eats and drinks fine; although he does sleep alot if that makes sense. I am worried about him he is also becoming very huffy and will even attempt to bite if you put your hand out to for him to smell. I try not to bother him during the day until 8 pm or later because i know they will become aggravated if woken up. I am really upset because idk what to do i always wanted a hedgehog and when i finally got one he appears to be ill  i plan on taking him to the vet soon but i just want more knowledge so i can worry less.& by the way he eats what the pet store gave me and 3 meal worms a day twice a day they recommended. The manager owns a hedgehog.


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