# Anyone ever spay/neuter their hog???



## mdelu (Aug 14, 2013)

Not sure if u guys remember...but I think we may have purchased the sweetest hedgehog ever!!!! :lol::lol: ( yes I am biased) ...but he rarely hissed, or spinned and would let you hold him 4 ever...UNTIL @ 1 month ago when he became the most angry unsociable hog ever...my voice made him hiss!! I took him to the vet it was such a change. He got a clean bill of health and we were informed he was in puberty, testosterone peaking, not breeding ect....it was making him aggressive, angry, moody, ect...and to expect it on and off for @ 6m...2 weeks later, hes still unhappy, my kids r unhappy....and hes just flat angry!! NOT the sweet laid back guy he usually is.....so I contacted the breeder to see if she has ever neutered or heard of neutering a male...she says YES! Anyone here have first hand experience? It just seems like a long time for him to be so moody and my kids to have to wear socks on their hands....Left a message for our vet today...the sameone our breeder uses...hoping to get real life experience!!!


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## Beloved Doll (Nov 21, 2013)

First off...CUTE hedgehog photo! 

Secondly, I don't know if things have changed over the last decade or not. But the last time I have heard about the spay/neuter thing was about 12 years ago and people then were saying it wasn't worth doing. This was because hedgehogs are so small and their parts are even tinier. Even when in the hands of professionals who know what they are doing, the survival rate was given as something like 50%.

Again, that was what the consensus was 12 years ago. Anyone have up to date info? I'm interested in knowing how this area has evolved.


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## mdelu (Aug 14, 2013)

yikes...if it threatens his life...no way!!!! i thought the samething about tiny parts, but this vet recently had to do csection/ hysterectomy on one of our breeders hogs...she blogged about it...and Buttercup did ok...it was emergency...hopefully this is an indication of improved outcome if she survived emergency surgery???


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## abbys (Oct 13, 2012)

You got him in August, correct? He could easily be going through his last quilling stage. Definitely wait it out a few more weeks before jumping to something as serious as surgery. Neutering males is risky and the chances of it calming down an aggressive hog are minimal.

How often do you handle him? Does he have an appropriate heating setup and cage supplies? Have there been any changes in his environment, like new pets, people, smells, etc.?


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## mdelu (Aug 14, 2013)

He lives in'hedgie disney' we play with almost daily...no quilling...nothing...all great ideas...we also tried to think of those thing  we r going to wait a few weeks but im goin to start researching 4 ou plan b...


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I saw in your other post that he's been pretty sweet again tonight! I agree with the above posts to wait a few more weeks & look more into your options & different vets. With a responsible vet, hopefully there wouldn't be complications, but a surgery is still a surgery - and with any animal, there's a certain amount of risk (even if it's minimal) with going under anesthesia. I've also read (though I have no personal experience with spaying or neutering hedgies) that neutering hedgies is more difficult than spaying females because their testicles are on the inside rather than more external like dogs, etc.

I hope he continues to be sweet for you guys! Keep us updated on how he's doing.


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## sonichedghehogbreyer (Jul 23, 2013)

OMG! That hedgehog looks like my hedgehog, Smart Jones! Almost the same pattern too.


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## hedgiebum14 (Jul 25, 2011)

Hedgehogs are not aloud to be neutered or spade because of the anaesthetic they use around here, its too strong for their tiny bodies


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