# slow and wobbly walking



## Sui (Aug 7, 2014)

Hello everybody,

this is Sui with her new hedgehog lady Meropaan. She is about eight weeks old and I only got her today, after almost five years of weighing up the pros and cons of getting a hedgie, researching about the proper care etc. Though I obviously researched a lot, I am still kind of insecure and worried about her - must be a normal thing for new hedgehog owners. 

However, there are still some issues of which I am concerned about. Of course she is still a baby, so she sleeps and eats a lot. She turns into a huffy ball when I come close, but other than that she's very curious and instantly checked out her new cage.

What I noticed first is her insecure, very slow walking. The breeder kept her in a cage with wooden shavings, I use fleece though. Mero is really cautious while walking and sometimes she just wobbles around. I wonder if this is due to too long nails. Since I got her today, I did not have the possibility to check her nails out, but I will definitely do so. Unfortunately, I do not know, if her previous owner trimmed them at all (her cage did not even have a running wheel and my poor little Mero is scared of hers..).

I instantly thought she might have WHS or trying to hibernate due to her insecure and slow walking. Is this normal, considering the fact that I changed her bedding from wooden shavings to fleece liners? Maybe it is too soft for her..? 

I just moved to Bangkok so usually, it is quite hot during the day which is why I have the aircon on almost all of the time I am home. I checked her thermometer next to her cage during the last days, right now it shows 77°F (although it feels colder..), max temperature being 85°F today. The breeder kept her in a small, dark plastic bin with no aircon on at all, thus I am really wondering if 77°F might be too cold for her? 


Sorry for the long message, it is better to ask than to sit and watch. Any comments are appreciated, thanks!

Sui


----------



## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

It sounds like she is not warm enough. Air conditioned air always feels colder than non a/c air or heated air. You may need to turn your a/c so it's warmer, or provide her with a heat source.


----------



## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

You must get her out and handle her for at least 30 minutes a day. Also you don't want the temperature to fluctuate too much it can make them get sick. They must have a constant temperature at all times. They can't have their temperature change over 2 or 3 degrees.


----------

