# Still not eating



## Charlie's mommy (May 16, 2014)

Hi there, Thursday I noticed Charlie didn't eat when I put her in her cage which she always does. Instead she had a bright neon green poop looked like pudding. I took her to the vet that day and they said she was dehydrated. I got antibiotics for her I have to syringe feed that to her twice a day for 14 days. They said offer her treats though she might not take it right away so I leave treats in her cage, today's Sunday and she hasn't eaten anything so I went and got baby food and started syringe feeding her that. I don't have a job right now because of school she's blown through my savings, I have 400$ left to my name. I just don't know what to do I feel bad for her and I'm getting frustrated. I don't regret spending all my money on her I just feel like she's not getting better, she's still active, warm she drinks after her meds. Do I wait it out? Keep doing what I'm doing?


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## Melanie G. (May 29, 2014)

Is she still on antibiotics? If she is still on antibiotics she may not feel like eating. 
I would keep offering Charlie her normal food. But until she starts eating on her own, syringe feeding is probably still needed.
My vet's office sells this wet cat food for sick cats that I have given to my hedgehogs when I've had to syringe feed them. Its a higher calorie option than baby food and my hedgies really liked it. It was called A/D formula or something like that. It wasn't overly expensive and one can would last a few days. I would add water to it and syringe feed it and then also leave some in their cage. I found that helped getting them starting to eat again.
Do you have a scale you can weigh her on? I would start monitoring her weight. If her weight is stable and she is drinking, still active, and warm, it may just be getting her through the next little bit.
Sorry your having to deal with this. It's not fun when your hedgie is sick. And frustrating because they can't tell you how they are feeling.


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## Charlie's mommy (May 16, 2014)

Yes she's still on antibiotics, her first dose was Thursday so she's only been on it for four days, she used to be cuddley but she's actually more active now then she was before, her poop is still green but dark green instead of neon, still gooey though, she's not horrible to syringe feed but sometimes she will cry which ends up making me cry I'm hoping she will eat on her own again soon


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## Melanie G. (May 29, 2014)

My hedgies seemed to like syringe feeding once they got the hang of it. Just go slow and let her suck at the syringe. 
You could also try wet cat food and see if she will eat that.
Another thing I tried was taking her kitten food (if that is what you are feeding her) and soaking it in hot water and then putting the damp food in the cage. 
Can you get a look in her mouth? Hedgies can get dental problems so she may have a sore tooth or swollen gum which would make it hard for her to eat.
Sometimes hedgehogs do become more active when they are sick.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

There's some tips & tricks for syringe-feeding in this sticky - http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/foru...yringing-tutorial-syringe-feeding-sticky.html

The poop may still be green due to the antibiotics. They kill good bacteria as well as the bad and upset the digestive system. You can get probiotics to include in her food try & help restore good bacteria to her gut. You can use either small animal Benebac (from the pet store or vet) or I used acidophilus, which you can find in a pharmacy, with the vitamins. Just make sure you don't give it at the same time as the meds, since the antibiotics will make it useless.

Like Melanie said, keep leaving out different options in her cage. It helps sometimes to leave 2-3 different things, so they have a choice. Wet food, dampened food, regular food, etc. You can also try putting some of her kibble in bed with her, sometimes sick hedgies will eat if they don't have to go out to get it.

I'm curious, did the vet say what the antibiotics were for? You didn't mention a diagnosis other than that they said she was dehydrated, which would probably be a side effect of the diarrhea.


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## Charlie's mommy (May 16, 2014)

She said the antibiotics are just in case of an intestinal infection, she wanted to do a poop test but she also wanted to charge me 120 dollars for it on top of a 350 dollar bill..so I told her my situation and she said do the antibiotics for two weeks and see if she is any better, if she doesn't get better I'm gonna have to get the poop test


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Jeeze, expensive vet! :? That sucks. I would definitely stick with the meds for the full two weeks. It varies on how long it can take for improvement to show, and not following with the full course prescribed can make things worse by letting the more resistant bacteria live & reproduce. Hang in there and good luck! Hopefully she starts improving for you soon. Keep us updated on how she's doing & if you have more questions and maybe we can help.


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## Charlie's mommy (May 16, 2014)

Yeah really lol, it's hard to find a vet near me, they are good though. It's more then 100 just to get them to look at her, it's ridiculous but she is my baby so what can I do  I'll be sure to update, thanks for the help guys!


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## Melanie G. (May 29, 2014)

That is a very expensive vet!
I agree- continue with the meds and what you are doing.
Charlie is lucky to have a caring mama.


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