# Rocky not eating,running, leans to left side



## rocky (Oct 15, 2013)

My rocky was born on July 4, 2013. I bought him from a breeder here in town when he was 5 weeks old. All her hedgehogs are very healthy. I feed him a mixture of Core Wellness cat food and Zoo med's Can O Worms mealworms. I have read that you only feed them mealworms a few times a week but the breeder I got him from feeds all her hedgehogs mealworms everyday. So I started rocky on the same diet. Except I feed him better cat food. I ALWAYS clean his cage and wheel daily. Temp is always at 75 or 76 degrees in his cage. He gets about 13 hours of light everyday. SO my problem is about a week ago I decided to feed him crickets. (I actually bought 2 hedgehogs the other one went to my sister which is rockys brother) His brother has been eating crickets for months and is still very healthy. I don't know if crickets are the problem but its the only thing that has changed. I only fed it to him for 2 nights cause it made his poop smell REALLY bad so I stopped. Now 3 days ago I noticed he didn't eat his cat food or worms or run on his wheel. I thought hmm that's strange maybe he took a night off. the next night same thing except there was pee and poop in his wheel but I could tell he didn't run on it. So when I was coming home from work yesterday my girl called me and said rocky is not moving he stays to his left side. I rushed home and saw that he could barely walk. he can only use his right arm and leg. I called immediately to find a hedgehog vet. I find this very strange cause he was PERFECTLY find 3 days ago. I took him to the vet right away. They said its not WHS but its possibly an inner ear infection. theres nothing coming from his ears or anything like that. theres no lumps anywhere. hes never been dropped. NOTHING. Can an ear infection have symptoms like what hes going through? They said hes to young for WHS. The doctor gave him a shot and gave me meds to give him twice daily for a week. Also said there might be to much bacteria in his intestines. Could it be from the crickets? the crickets were Zoo meds can o crickets. Any help or advice would be awesome


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

WHS can strike pretty early, but it's also slow-moving, so I agree it's definitely not that. Usually inner ear infections can definitely give symptoms that look like WHS, but I'm wondering if it's actually that if he can't use his left legs. That sounds more like a stroke to me...but he's so young. Some of the more experienced members might have more opinions/advice on possibilities though...I don't have a ton of health experience.

How old was the can of crickets and how long had they been open? They might have started to go bad by the time you tried giving him some.


----------



## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Yes, an ear infection can cause similar symptoms although his are more severe than usual. 

WHS can show at any age, even young babies, but WHS typically does not come on that quickly. I'd rule it out. 

There are many other illnesses that can cause the symptoms he is displaying. Stroke, tumour, inflammation, injury etc. 

Since he'es not eating he needs to be syringe fed until he is feeling like eating on his own again. They can show mobility type symptoms from not eating. Start syringing him multiple times per day.

Once he is better, I suggest you quit feeding Wellness Core. It is 45% protein which is too high for hedgehogs.

I hope the meds will work and he will be feeling better soon.


----------



## rocky (Oct 15, 2013)

The crickets were fresh just opened the can when I fed them. The Core Wellness I have is 38% Protein 12% fat 8% fiber Grain free indoor formula. Is that still to much? Which brand cat food is best? (Don't care about price) Update. I just took rocky out to give him his first dose of meds. Hes moving all over the place like normal just wobbles a little bit. (still didn't come out last night to run or eat) So i'm assuming the shot they gave him is working. He also ate mealworms out of my hand just now. I have noticed he sneezes a lot. Can it be from his bedding? I use aspen shavings. He seems very alert and active when I have him out right now. I am syringe feeding him and gave him his meds that way but its hard. He wont sit still. Hes also quilling for the second time and is very grumpy right now. but i'm still trying he needs it.


----------



## rocky (Oct 15, 2013)

He also weights 261 grams. Is that to big for his age? he goes into a ball fine.


----------



## SiouxzieKinz (Oct 10, 2013)

Well the sneezing could definitely be due to the Aspen from what I'd read on here. Most members suggest using fleece (you can find this at any sewing store - Joanns, Michaels, even some WalMarts carry fabric). Make sure you wash the fleece first before putting it in his cage as some fabrics are coated with a spray/chemical that makes them easier to iron and I don't know how toxic this is to hedgehogs. I usually wash my fleece in either Dreft (baby laundry soap) or in All Free n Clear - depending on what I have on hand at the time. Fleece does not harbor some of the same dust that shavings have, especially if you wash it after cutting it to the appropriate size for his cage. 

I'm glad you were able to find a vet. Inner ear problems do not necessarily have any signs of infection. I am a partially deaf woman who has had ear problems my entire life. If the inner ear is infected it can also inhibit balance. The bony tubes are called the bony labyrinth filled with perilymph fluid. 

You mentioned the vet administered an injection, "shot." Do you know if it was antibiotics or something else? If it was antibiotics I would anticipate that an ear infection will be cleared in a week or so.

Regarding the weight - I'd consult the sticky that was put up last night where hedgehog owners report the size, weight, activity of their hedgehog. This can be quite useful when attempting to determine if your guy is about "average."


----------



## rocky (Oct 15, 2013)

the shot was antibiotics. They also gave me antibiotics to give him twice daily for a week. It was expensive but I don't care I just want him to get better. Before I took him to the vet yesterday he couldn't really walk at all. Now just a day later he's walking and eating again. How do they get ear infections? I clean his cage daily. It's never dirty. I can't stand dirty stuff. It's weird to me how bad he looked all of a sudden. He was fine then he couldn't do anything. They gave him a shot in his tummy and gave him fluids. He seems to be coming back to normal so far. Thank god


----------



## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

rocky said:


> How do they get ear infections?


I'm sure there are many parents out there that wish they knew the answer to that question for their human children too. They just happen sometimes. No matter how clean we keep our pets and our kids, sometimes they get sick.

Hedgehogs hide illness to begin with. Often they will appear to be perfectly fine one day, or even earlier in the day then they will suddenly be very sick.

Inner ear infections can do quite a number on their balance, their ability to move, and even their desire to eat/drink. I had one a few years ago that had chronic inner ear infections. He couldn't walk without help. I laid his cage out so he had walking paths to help keep him on his feet. His got so bad that his ear drum did burst.

In your first message you mentioned not seeing a discharge, you typically won't see drainage unless the ear drum bursts, and then it will often be milky, bloody, yellowish, or a combo of the three. Its not something you ever want to see when you check on your hedgehog. Disclaimer: For those reading this and you see a thick orangish/yellow stuff in your hedgehog's ear... it is most likely ear wax. Some hedgehogs have such high ear wax production that it can come out and get on their fur. Its usually thick and not fluid.

If you are seeing improvements, that is great. If he starts to really improve a lot, contact your vet and ask about when you should discontinue the metacam. Metacam, like any other NSAID, can cause other problems when taken for a long time.

261 grams is a smaller hedgehog. As to if he is under weight or just right, well that will take seeing him. Hedgehogs come in a wide range of sizes. Of my current crew, I have one that is about 730 grams and one that is closer to 300. Both are in their ideal weight range. It all depends on the body shape and size of the hedgehog as to what is too big, too small or just right.


----------

