# HELP! Hedgehog wobbles and pees a lot!



## Danielle-Pooka (Aug 18, 2011)

Hi everybody,

Since a few weeks my hedgehog wobbles a lot. He's 1,5 years old. I read about WHS, and I'm affraid my hedgehog has this...
I went to a vet. But I'm living in the Netherlands, and there aren't many hedgehogs here. So the vets don't know a lot about them!
But my vet gave me some medicines, called Dexamethason. He said that there was a chance it would work. (Not if he has WHS ofcourse).
But since yesterday, my hedgehog pees a LOT. It's like he doesn't have any control about when he pees. He also doesn't stand anymore when he pees, so his whole body is wet...
He really pees often, and a lot. When I let him walk in the room, it's like he pees many times in a few minutes! Sometimes he pees when he's lying on the floor, and sometimes he pees during he's walking...
He never did this! I'm very worried about him, I hope you guys can help me...  

(I'm dutch, so I don't know if my grammar is right  ...)

Danielle


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## Guest (May 14, 2012)

what has your vet checked for? 
and could you look around for another vet who ahas experience with hedgehogs?


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

At which temperature do you keep your hedgehogs cage? Could he have an urinary infection? If you keep him too cold it could be he got some infection going on as well. 
Wie is je dierenarts als ik vragen mag?


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## Danielle-Pooka (Aug 18, 2011)

The vet looked at him and looked into his eyes, and said it might be his brains... And I thought that to! But since he pees so much, I'm not sure anymore.
It's a big and quite known clinic, and they do have some experience with wild hedgehogs!

Dierenkliniek Den Heuvel is dat...
His cage is around 21 degrees Celsius now..
When hedgehogs have an urinary infection, could they before they pee a lot wobble a few weeks?
Can wobbling be the reason of that?


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

21 Celsius is too cold! Most hedgehogs go best at 25 Celsius, some like it a bit colder, some even warmer. It could be an early stage of hibernation (which is dangerous)
It could be he is wobbling because of the cold. Does he feel cold? His belly or feet? Is he eating and drinking normal? How long do you have him?
If they're too cold, they can easily get an infection, for example runny noses or urinary infections, because they're weakened. Those should be treated by a vet.
You should keep his cage warm enough do you have a heat source? Like a CHE (warmtelamp)? If your hedgehog is cold to the touch as well, keep him warm under your shirt (he should be heating up slowly, big temperature changes can trigger hibernation as well)

Apparently they don't know enough about our type of hedgehogs, or didn't they ask about his cage temperature? It really is like priority number 1 with hedgehogs; keeping the right temperature. Hibernation can be fatal.


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

Can't edit my post any more but wanted to say that if it is an hibernation attempt and it's caught in time, they'll usually recover. So then there's still hope it isn't WHS (but I don't know for how long he's doing it... just hoping he'll be okay!)


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## Danielle-Pooka (Aug 18, 2011)

Really...? Yes I have one. But I think he doesn't work that good, when I'm putting him on 23 degrees, he slowly goes to 21. I didn't know they needed that temperature! At a lot of sites I read that they like a temperature of 20 till 24 degrees, and at some sites they say that they don't need a lamp or something, that they only LIKE it... But I'm going to buy a new one as soon as possible!

But he's not feeling cold. And I'm pretty sure it's not hibernating... He's eating and drinking normal, and he acts normal to. (Except wobbling). I'm having him for 1,5 years. If I knew they really needed that temperature, I did that before! I think he started a little bit wobbling 2 months ago...

Thank you for your information!


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

I would call your vet. increase urine is a side effect of dexamethasone, so it's something you should call your vet about.


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## Danielle-Pooka (Aug 18, 2011)

Oke thank you. But it can not be that my hedgie loses his control about urinating because he has WHS?
Or that he has another disease with this symptoms?
So he maybe has an urinary infection because the medicines...


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

Danielle-Pooka said:


> Really...? Yes I have one. But I think he doesn't work that good, when I'm putting him on 23 degrees, he slowly goes to 21. I didn't know they needed that temperature! At a lot of sites I read that they like a temperature of 20 till 24 degrees, and at some sites they say that they don't need a lamp or something, that they only LIKE it... But I'm going to buy a new one as soon as possible!
> 
> But he's not feeling cold. And I'm pretty sure it's not hibernating... He's eating and drinking normal, and he acts normal to. (Except wobbling). I'm having him for 1,5 years. If I knew they really needed that temperature, I did that before! I think he started a little bit wobbling 2 months ago...
> 
> Thank you for your information!


Sometimes they get more temperature-sensitive when they get older. I think it's a good idea to call your vet (or another who has experience with this kind of hedgehogs) and I also think it's a good idea to keep the cage at a proper temperature. I know a hedgehog who ate and drank normal, just slept quite a lot and was wobbling, it turned out that she was kept too cold. 
I don't know where you live but I can give you the address of my vet if you want (Hilversum) and I know there's a Hyves about the 'Afrikaanse witbuikegel' (that's the name as well) where they keep a list of proper vets around the country (I don't have Hyves so I can't check it, but maybe you can)

And did you read it on Dutch sites? 'Cause I know there's a lot of wrong information about the temperature on such sites  I found them when I was researching before I got a hedgehog and when I checked out some American/English sites I found a lot of different information.


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## Danielle-Pooka (Aug 18, 2011)

Okay! Yes I know that hyves. I'm living in Eindhoven, but at those list are only vets in the nord of the country... So I hope I can found one closer to me. 

Yes I read that on Dutch sites... Before I got Pooka, I read a lot about Hedgehogs on sites. Dutch sites... I was seventeen, so Dutch was easier to understand for me haha. But from now I will read American and English sites! I'm very glad this forum exists...

I saw my hedgehog drinking today. He was drinking a LOT. So that explains why he pees a lot... Why would he drink that much? Could that be of the medicines? I'll call the vet...


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

If I were you, I wouldn't mind going to a vet further away if he/she was more experienced. It really makes a difference; I know vets with experience with wild hedgehogs, but those still have other needs then ours. I thought there was a good one in Eindhoven though but I don't know his/her name. I have to travel to my vet as well there's none with experience in my city unfortunately.

There's a lot of wrong information on those sites, sadly  you're not the first one who's misguided. I started doing my research in Dutch as well but found out there wasn't that much information so I went over to American/English sites and those are way better.

Good luck with your hedgehog, I hope he'll be okay! Are you going to call the vet today?


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## Danielle-Pooka (Aug 18, 2011)

I think a found a good one (with experience) in Eindhoven!

Yes I'm going to call the vet today.

Thank you!


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

Probably the same one, that's good to hear! How did it go?


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## Danielle-Pooka (Aug 18, 2011)

They said he was drinking that much because of the medicines.
I gave him 1/4 each day, and now I have to give him 1/4 in two days.
Pooka is doing well. He's walking pretty good!
Sometimes a bit wobbling.
I hope it's going better these days.
If he's not doing better after these medicines, we're going to the vet again.

By the way, your hedgehog is really beautiful!


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

I'm glad to hear he's doing better. Hope he'll be fine soon! And thanks!


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