# Falling asleep while eating...? (pictures)



## shu2013 (Oct 29, 2010)

I have had my wonderful hedgie Splinter for a month now. He is a joy and is very friendly. On another note, he tends to pass out in the middle of eating his bowl. One minute I hear him chomping on his food, the next it goes silent. I will look over and his head is completely in his bowl and he's slowly breathing. I did not realize what he was doing the first time until he stayed like that for a half hour. Now it's gotten to the point where he passes out and then climbs fully into his food dish and falls asleep again.
I was just curious if this was normal behavior for a hedgehog since he is my first. I mean, it doesn't seem normal for anything to pass out in the middle of eating, but I could be wrong.


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## Sheryl (Sep 9, 2010)

That does seem extremely odd. The only thing I can possibly think of, is that that bowl looks pretty of high-sided for him? Maybe there is something going on where his hind end is up on the edge of the bowl and his head is way down deep in the bowl and he gets too much blood flow to the head? I'm really just grasping at straws here but I wonder if a much lower-sided bowl might help him?


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

First I apologize, since that picture made me laugh out loud.

Sheryl has a point about that dish, its really too high for him, would be better if you could burry it into the bedding so its at least maybe an inch high, I know its its annoying cause they'll get the bedding into the dish, but again going with what Sheryl said, maybe its possible that the blood is rushing to his head and making him pass out, or doing something with his breathing. He isn't choking on his kibble by any chance, though if that happened he'd probably pull away from the dish to take care of the stuck kibble.

The only other explanation I could think of is, does he fall asleep at random at any other time, say on his wheel or when he's out and about. I've never read nor could I find anything that said a hedgehog could have narcolepsy, but its at least one thing to ponder. Its the human disease where you fall asleep at random, but if its only at the food dish, I'd say maybe lack of air or blood rush as Sheryl suggested.

If you got a Walmart, go to the pet section, they have these nice dishes that are only about an inch high, but definitely offer him something different and mainly shorter than what he's got.


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## shu2013 (Oct 29, 2010)

Thank you, both of you, for your quick replies. I will definitely look into a new dish for him. When I did look for a different dish they only had ones that were that high (or higher). So far the only shorter one I can find is one called a "meal worm" dish. But I will find a Walmart and see what they have by me. The dish is under the bedding also, so I cannot make it any shorter. I'll just have to go out and buy a new one.
And yes, it is very funny when I see him do this. And every person I've shown that picture to also laughs. (Even though it does concern me at the same time).


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## leannem (Mar 27, 2009)

i am so glad you were able to post a picture of that!! lol


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

i highly recommend this dish:
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n181 ... MG3464.jpg
http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n181 ... MG3465.jpg


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

:lol: What a cute picture! But it doesn't look very comfortable. 
There are also some creme brule dishes at Pier 1 imports for about $1 or so. I also remember someone saying there were some at the Dollar Store. 
Let us know how it goes & Welcome to HHC.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

most dishes won't be heavy enough. the one i suggested is very sturdy if you get the right kind.


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## Tomato (Aug 8, 2010)

Low and wide dishes ar definitely more stable, but I got my creme-brulee ones from the dollar store and it works incredibly well. It's only tipped a few times when she decides to eat the bowl clean or has been busy digging around and it tips because she's crawled under the liner tipping it over. Some other ones I've seen are similar to yours but the top rim/edge is slanted so the hedgie doesn't have to reach in so much.

That's funny though, I wonder if it looks "dark and protected" enough so when your hedgie stays there it's actually dark and "comforting" for him. :lol:


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## EryBee (May 23, 2010)

Yes I wonder if he just associates the bowl space as sleep space in his mind, and so when he is eating his brain simply clicks into sleep mode. This happens to me too, depending on where I am....or if I stop moving for long enough. In college, every little nap is important  

The picture itself is hilarious! Thanks for sharing that. His little behind is high in the air and his little face is deep in food land. 

I just use ceramic cat dishes for my hedgie. They are very wide and heavy enough so that Phinneus can rest his weight on them and not worry about tipping them over.


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## RalphsMum (Oct 14, 2010)

aaaw bless him 

i do know what you mean though...i have joked a few times that i think Ralph is narcoleptic...he'll be doing something then the next thing you know he's asleep! 
Almost like he's ...."I'll just wander over here and investiga...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!"


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## shu2013 (Oct 29, 2010)

Thank you all for your suggestions. I will look into all of these dishes and pick the one I think will be best for Splinter.
And yes the picture is hilarious. I always laugh so hard whenever he does this. :lol: Last night was probably the best because he fell asleep in that position again, and start snoring. I wish I could have recorded it to share it all with you. I'll to if he does it again.

ps. Thanks for the welcoming!


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## QuinntonsMom (Aug 11, 2010)

If you haven't gotten a dish yet, we use the top of a take out soup container from a Chinese restaurant. It's plastic and just like a plate with a little lip so the food doesn't fly everywhere, but it's no trouble at all for him to eat out of it. He very rarely will crawl under it and fling his food everywhere, so there is a higher mess factor, but we know it takes no effort for him to get to it.


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## shu2013 (Oct 29, 2010)

*UPDATE*

So I went out and got the reptile dish for Splinter, which he has now declared his toilet. I guess it's just too flat for him to even tell the difference. So I'm back to square one. I tried plastic dishes and plates and he would flip them over instantly. I'm thinking of one of those food holders that stand up right and have an opening at the bottom. This way he can get to his food, but is not able to crawl into it to sleep or go to the bathroom. I will let you know how it goes once I find a good one!


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## Littlefootsmama (May 23, 2010)

You certainly have an interesting situation with Splinter. What time does he typically eat? I'm just trying to think of reasons as to why he might think his food bowl is nap time. lol 

Let us know how the other dishes work for you.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

What a quirky habit he has. Perhaps you should get a big bowl for him to sleep in & put his food in his house? lol  
Or perhaps he's like some of us & finds food comforting. :lol: 
I'm interested also, in uncovering the mystery. What unique creatures.


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## hedgieguide (Nov 20, 2010)

I apologize too, but that photo is soooo freaking adorable, and I imagine it should have a funny caption at the bottom of it, like those cat photos. x) Sorry.


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