# Blood everywhere :(



## skellington1994 (Jul 11, 2012)

Hey everyone, I'm a first time hedgie owner and I've had little Gizmo for a few months. He's still pretty antisocial, and I'm STILL having a hard time getting him to trust me.
Last night I discovered little brown specks all over his liner, and discovered that it was blood, because there was a bunch on the wheel.
I consulted some other forum topics and found out that it was coming from his feet, so I took out his wheel, cleaned his feet, and put him back in his tub. 
This morning, there was even MORE blood  I thought taking the wheel out would fix it, but now it was on the walls, on his igloo, in his water, and on his food. 
I cleaned him again and completely took away his tub and put him in a storage box with paper towels so I could monitor him temporarily. Since then, there has been no blood and he's fine. 
I think running around and finding things to climb reopened his cuts, but I'm still so scared. 
I don't want my little guy to be sick!


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

This just happened to me last night, actually. One of our boys got his wheel bloody last night from a little cut between his toes. It can be scary, especially when it's the first time, but it's somewhat common and not a very severe issue. Sometimes hedgehogs will just run their feet raw, which then requires a day or two with the wheel removed so they can fully heal. Having the wheel gone can make them antsy and overly active running around the cage instead, which is probably what re-opened the injuries on his feet. Just give it a few days and make sure to keep his feet clean so the cuts don't get infected. He'll be fine.  

I'd also suggest checking his nails - if they're too long that could be related, because long nails can either get tugged more easily while they're running, or they can curl under the foot and dig into the pad. 

What kind of wheel does he have? This happens even with wheels with flat surfaces, but if the wheel is made of wire, that would definitely be the problem. A wheel that's flat but with ridges, like a Comfort Wheel, can also be rough on their feet, but isn't dangerous the way a wire wheel is.


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## MurE (Aug 29, 2011)

Yikes, that is so scary! Maybe have a peek around to see if there is anything in the cage that could be sharp or broken. The aluminum trays that some owners keep under the wheel can sometimes tear and create a sharp edge, plastic edges can sometimes be sharp, paper can cause paper cuts, chloroplast edges, wire ends... 

I had a hamster that once bled to death. The scene was horrific. I had noticed tiny drops of blood one day, but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from plus it stopped happening. But one day, I came home and the hamster was just lying dead in a pile of bloody tissues. On examination, it turned out that there was a wound under the base of her tail. I think she had a fight with her daughter and the daughter bit her tail. The wound must have sort of healed, but maybe they had another fight or something... sigh.


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## fairywinged (May 15, 2012)

I am sorry for your hamster but I would be cautious of telling an extreme story like that to a new hedgehog owner. Personally that freaked me out and I am not even the one experiencing this. but if I was it would cause more anxiety and worry. I have heard of alot of hedgehogs running so much they cut their feet I would personally do a body check on my hedgehog make sure there are no series wounds then continue to do what she did. if after several days yours still seeing blood or if the rate of blood increases then take him to the vet. I do agree that you should check the things in his cage and see if there is something wrong. I hope your hedgehog gets better. And please note that I do not have my hedgehog yet she comes home in about two weeks, but I have raised animals scorpions, lizard, lots of fish  rabbits, goats, cows, pigs, cats, dogs, birds, and helped with exotic animals. Again I personally would take his wheel out do a body check and keep his feet clean to avoid an infection and then just keep an eye on him.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Agreed the hamster story is a bit extreme. Probably did wonders to freak the op even more. 

Check the feet again tonight. You'll probably find nothing because feet wounds heal very fast. If your hedgie is a very avid runner, you may want to give a bit of supervised wheel time. (by supervised I mean put the wheel in for an hour, then check feet and take wheel out, or leave in for another hour if you'll still be up and feet look ok)

Also, you may want to create some distractions for overnight. If you have egg cartons, cut a bunch of them and hide kibble throughout the cage. Hide things under various toys etc etc.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Foot wounds bleed and they bleed a lot. One tiny cut can coat a wheel in blood, and you’ll find tiny foot prints everywhere. It always looks much worse than it actually is. 

It is not surprising to me that you found blood in his cage even though the wheel was gone. I’ve seen it. While foot wounds do heal quickly, they can reopen easily too. A busy hedgehog that is bored because you have taken away their wheel will dig, paw at the side of their cage, and otherwise get themselves into frenzy. It’s a tough situation to be in.

Imm gives great advice; provide lots of things to keep your hedgehog occupied. Extra toys, blankets, tunnels, ping pong balls to throw around. Anything to keep their mind busy. 

I’d leave the wheel out for a couple of days. Yes your hedgehog is going to be unhappy, but honestly it’s for the best. If the wound reopened, it’s been my experience that it’s best just to keep the wheel away for a couple of nights. Provide extra out of cage time on a soft surface for running around to work off some of that excess energy and lots of toys while in the cage. 

Keep his feet clean, watch for any redness, but don’t worry! These things happen, and feet do usually heal quickly. If the foot starts to look red or the wound continues to open, then schedule a vet visit to have it looked at and get some meds to treat it.


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## MurE (Aug 29, 2011)

Oops, sorry! I didn't meant to raise alarm and make you more anxious. Your title of blood everywhere just suddenly made me think of my hamster. I got the hamsters from a lady that told me to keep them together since they had been together since the baby was born, but it was bad advice. They didn't get along and they should have been separated.

The difference is that your hedgehog wasn't "cage fighting" so I'm sure he will be okay. It's like comparing a paper cut to a battle wound. Just keep the wound clean and dry and it should heal up in time. 

Good luck with your hedgie!


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## skellington1994 (Jul 11, 2012)

Thank you everyone, you all made me feel better. 
Little Gizmo didn't bleed at all last night (even though he made so much noise running around the box -_-)
I put some regular neosporin on his little feet, and everything has healed up, with only a few little scabs.
He has a Comfort Wheel, and it's being taken away for a bit, just so he doesn't give me another heart attack, but has been happily exploring in a hamster ball.
His nails aren't long, but they're a little sharp, is that okay? 
He hasn't had his nails cut yet because they haven't really grown, I think he kinda wears them down somehow. (Also, I'm terrified to hurt him XD)
My parents and friends kept telling me he'd be okay, but I guess I just worried as a mom  Not to mention it looked like a homicide happened there ._.
Again, thank you to everyone.
Here he is, showing everyone he's just fine, falling asleep in his ball XD


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## MurE (Aug 29, 2011)

Oh my gosh, he is so super adorable! I love, love, love him!!! What a lucky mom you are!


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## Keosha (May 13, 2012)

skellington1994 said:


> Thank you everyone, you all made me feel better.
> Little Gizmo didn't bleed at all last night (even though he made so much noise running around the box -_-)
> I put some regular neosporin on his little feet, and everything has healed up, with only a few little scabs.
> He has a Comfort Wheel, and it's being taken away for a bit, just so he doesn't give me another heart attack, but has been happily exploring in a hamster ball.
> ...


I'm glad Gizmo is feeling better and back to himself.  However hamster balls are not recommended for hedgehogs. The slits in the balls are a cause for concern as they notorious for catching nails as well as our little ones toes and causing injury. Furthermore, the slits do not provide adequate ventilation and therefore leave our pets to run around trapped in the stench of their own urine and feces. Other member on HCC have reported using the balls without any injuries but, majority of members still believe that they a safety concern as often they do more damage than good.

Instead, you could set up a playpen outside and let your little one explore, or allow him to free roam both are great alternatives with supervision of course.


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## skellington1994 (Jul 11, 2012)

Thank you for the advice  To be honest, he really doesn't move much around in the ball, he just kinda waddles and then falls asleep XD I just keep him in there when I'm cleaning up his tub or need to keep an eye on him. 
But I won't let him run around in it, thanks again!


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