# concerned about his breathing



## Floyd (Oct 26, 2016)

okay my heart is very worried right now.

Best way to describe it is like a really faint breathing sound, similar to that of their regular huff, but in a constant breathing pattern. It's not loud at all you can barely hear it actually, but it's there and it's constant. I don't believe it was as pronounced before.. in addition to that lately his behavior changed in that he pretty much stopped wheeling in his cage unless on my bed with me. he spends most of his night time under his fleece..I am a night owl so I am present in the room and periodically lift up his fleece and throw him a worm, then he comes out to eat and chill on the surface but not for long. 

His night is pretty much just coming out from under his fleece for food and toilet.

he's not that young going on 3 and knowing how fragile these little guys are I'm starting to freak out thinking he might be sick and I don't even know it. 

I did weigh him and it seemed normal but I just read you're supposed to do it twice a day if you suspect an illness. He eats his regular 5 grams of kibble, and runs like an olympic champion on the wheel on my bed every night.


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## Floyd (Oct 26, 2016)

I can only hear him breathing when my head is next to him. I can breathe silently why can't he?? He's making me scared right now, also a lot of the time he will make random huffing sounds, as if he was clearing his throat or something, and yesterday I heard him making what seemed like coughing sounds, could it be because he got some water in his throat?(similar to when you drink and it makes you cough because you didn't do it right)


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## SquirtleSquirt (May 9, 2016)

You need to take him into the vet ASAP. Sudden behavior changes indicate illness.


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## Floyd (Oct 26, 2016)

SquirtleSquirt said:


> You need to take him into the vet ASAP. Sudden behavior changes indicate illness.


I hear you, but I believe I was the one who caused the behavior change because I started bringing the wheel on my bed for him to make him more active, which he really seems to enjoy. That's really been the only change. It's been about 2-3 months and he didn't seem to change.

I think I overreacted with the breathing thing. My nose makes sounds too when I breathe.

I will take him to a vet when it gets warmer though. For now I think we can start with a poop sample. Can they test old dried up poop?


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Not coming out at night is a behaviour change. Coughing is not normal. Is he eating normally? What's the temperature in his cage? Do you have a light schedule for him? He should still be running on his wheel in his cage even if he runs on it on your bed.


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## Floyd (Oct 26, 2016)

nikki said:


> Not coming out at night is a behaviour change. Coughing is not normal. Is he eating normally? What's the temperature in his cage? Do you have a light schedule for him? He should still be running on his wheel in his cage even if he runs on it on your bed.


thank you Nikki for replying.

Yes he eats regular 5-7grams a day+mealies.

His light schedule is from 5:50am to 7:30pm. he gets let out at 8pm. He eats about 25% of his daily food in the first hour, after which he goes back under the fleece, then I take him out we bond, I let him run on my queen bed with the wheel(leaving an option of hiding) I put him back in the cage to get food and water though, and take him back out.

We do this until 12am and then I try not to bother him but I'll ocasionally lift up the fleece and give him a worm to stimulate him. He DOES come out at night on his own, but not for long. 5-10 minutes an hour.

I have a theory it's because he's fed and content with everything, he doesn't need to be scaveging for food, so he's just following his instinct of staying alive. He's always been kinda lazy.

The whole room is at 75-78 degrees(can climb to 80-82 when house heating goes on in the mornings) at 5 oir so He's not coughing, he just did what I SUSPECTEd to be coughing a few times. We'll just say he got some water in his airways.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Does he get 10-12 hours of darkness or is there light in the room at night? Hedgehogs need to have darkness to stimulate their activity.


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## Floyd (Oct 26, 2016)

I'm afraid it's not totally dark =(( 

The computer screen is on(Even though on lowest brightness) and I'm constantly walking around to get tea.

I guess me saying Hey floyd its ok come out isn't enough, even though he comes out for his food. 

What I'm gonna do is start sleeping at night and see if he becomes more active by himself in a week or two.

He's such a clean hedgie too, he rarely poop on his wheel, all the poops are in the same corner. 

I'm long overdue for a device that calculates how much he ran.


Thank you for helping me sort this out Nikki, now thinking back I remember how I used to go to bed and instantly he would get out and start wheeling.


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## Floyd (Oct 26, 2016)

My mom is annoying she's always trying to leave the light on for him during the night saying he's not gonna be able to see. SOmetimes I wake up and the night light is on because she came and turned it on.


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## Floyd (Oct 26, 2016)

oh man I just realized he gets 6 hours of complete darkness at most..I done messed up..his whole day only consists of 10 hours, should I make it longer?? I don't believe he needs 14 hours of sleep a day, and I know for a fact he gets up sometimes to "have fun"


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

He needs 12-14 hours of light a day and 10-12 hours of darkness. Being a nocturnal animal he's going to be a lot less active if there is light in his cage.


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## Floyd (Oct 26, 2016)

nikki said:


> He needs 12-14 hours of light a day and 10-12 hours of darkness. Being a nocturnal animal he's going to be a lot less active if there is light in his cage.


Hey Nikki, 2 days is all it took to make him active at night again. I gave him 10 hours of darkness and 2 days in a row woke up to a poopy wheel; he ate more, ran more. Thanks. How didn't I think of this.


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