# URGENT: Not Walking



## Lwdlbrn (Dec 4, 2016)

This is going to be a bit long, but I will try to get to the point quickly. I have a 2 year old male hedgehog that was recued 6 months ago. He is pretty feisty as not was worked with very much before. He eats what they told me to feed him: dry cat food, wet cat food, water, and on my own I added in blueberries, apple, melon a little at a time (not all at once). He will take a bath, but only if he is in the mood. He has loved running on his wheel since we have had him: This is where the problem started...
After the fall back weekend (we live in Texas), QW (Qullie Willie Nleson) started acting odd. We would find him out at different times, and then I could tell he was not running anymore.
Some of it i assumed was the daylight issue. Then I trimmed his nails in case that was the running problem. After that, it looked as if he was running some, but there was little "poop" evidence on the wheel like usual.
Next odd occurrence was he skipped a night of eating. But my husband fed him, so I thought that might be it. He is temperamental. I fed him next night, no problem. But then he skipped the next night. But ate the next. So i am still finding "poop logs" in his habitat, but normally it would be run into his wheel. He officially is not running anymore. So we decided it was the cold snap we had in Texas finally. I thought maybe he was trying to hibernate. We installed a thermostat, and CHE light to monitor the temp. This has not changed anything. 
Then after not eating one night, I came hoe from school to find him laying in his habitat in the middle of the day. He did not hiss or spike up at me, just let me scoop him right up. I again was still thinking hibernation, so I rested him near a heating pad. He seemed to like that , as he got all feisty again. This is where the hand feeding begins. He actually ate all his food by letting me feed him. He ate apple, dry and wet food. I then gave him a bath as he was filthy and noticed he didn't try to climb out like usual. He would just fall over like he was "drunk." Now I am worried about "wobbly" hedgehog. But I read this is rare, and this seems so sudden. (all strange things started about a month ago with time change) I finished by blow drying him to make sure he wasn't cold. The next morning he was still laying out in the open, but my husband heard him drink his water.
After four days though, I have had to hand feed him, put him back in his cage in the daytime. He doesn't seem to be trying to walk at all.

His limbs look fine. He stretches them out when he eats, but he just lays to the side. His appetite seems great. But now I am trying to watch his "output." 

I tried calling 10 vets yesterday. Have yet to find one for my QW.

I don't have a clue. I can keep feeding him like this, but I don't know what this is. hibernation attempt, intestinal blockage, WHS, teeth, I don't know.

Thank you for reading!!


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## Artemis-Ichiro (Jan 22, 2016)

You mentioned daylight savings and CHE light. So you have a light schedule with a lamp? Does the CHE emits any light? What's the temperature in the cage? Do you have a thermometer in there?


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## Lwdlbrn (Dec 4, 2016)

Yes I have a CHE that does not give off any light. I have a thermometer velcroed to his cave that reads around 73-74 and the CHE is regulated with a thermostat.


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## SquirtleSquirt (May 9, 2016)

Do you have an actual light source?


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## Artemis-Ichiro (Jan 22, 2016)

You didn't answer about the light and that's important. 

Also I'd suggest bumping up the temperature, it's on the lowest end and some hedgehogs like it better warmer. Make it 75-76


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## Lwdlbrn (Dec 4, 2016)

No light source. He is in a room with a window. Does he need additional lighting? Leave the room light on? Thank you again.


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## Lwdlbrn (Dec 4, 2016)

Would this effect him not walking?


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Yes he needs a light source. He needs 12-14 hours of light a day and it's not safe to just depend on daylight. Not having enough light can cause them to attempt to hibernate or to partially hibernate so it could affect his activity and make him weak.

I would up the temperature and put him on a light schedule. If that doesn't help in a couple of days then he will need to see a vet.


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## Lwdlbrn (Dec 4, 2016)

Thanks so much for the responses. He is still "wobbly" and only eating if I feed him.. But he did crawl around with my help this morning and ate a ton of pumpkin which helped his digestion. 

New question: The only place he hobbles to during the night is a spot where there is no fleece--just bare plastic where his wheel was. How would I know if he is too hot now? No panting or irregular breathing.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

He's probably still wobbly because he's weak from not eating enough. You need to start syringe feeding him, there is a thread about how to do it and what to use. He needs to be getting 20-24 mls of food in him a day. Once they stop or slow down eating they start to feel less and less like eating and just go downhill if we don't intervene. 

He won't be to warm at that temperature, you only need to worry about that if it is in the high 70's or warmer.


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