# Special Needs Hedgies



## gallium (Mar 10, 2013)

Hey guys,
as ya'll know i rescued Thicket and shes blind in one eye, it looks like shes going blind in her other eye now, ones milky white and the other eye is starting to cloud over. I've been keeping an eye on them. but while i was snuggling with her, she was alot more defensive then normal, i think its just her eyes going on her and she doesnt know whats coming at her. shes been tucking into a ball alot and huffing at me, she even kind of charged my hand...is there anything i can do to help her realize nothing is going to hurt her? i talk to her when i pet her and cuddle her and i try not to make any sudden movements. has anyone else dealt with a blind hedgehog? what did you do?


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## RondackHiker (Jan 21, 2013)

My hedgie is blind. She has no eyes, so she's no vision at all.

Having handled other animals that are losing visions.. The transition period is rough. They only partially see things and that's scary for them. In the horse world, it's fairly widely thought that a full blind horse is safer and happier than a partially blind one. 1500 pounds of terrified animal is no joke.

Knarla does well. We don't rearrange her cage a lot. She moves in circles in the cage to sort of orient herself. She rarely misses her litter box, she runs on her wheel, and she's hunted live crickets.

For handling, we speak to her before touching her. Moving slow and speaking will help you, but it will be harder as she transitions. Once she adjusts she'll be calmer. I've never known a pet who didn't adjust to blindness. The prey animals seem more nervous while losing sight, but they're calm once it has happened.


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## gallium (Mar 10, 2013)

thank you so much for the tips! once she feels safe in my hoodie or on my lap, shes super cuddly for a living cactus, but its getting her settled thats the hard part, talking sometimes seems to help, and i let her sniff me before i rub her cheeks.

is there anything special you do for bath time? i try to keep a wash rag under her feet so she doesnt slide as much.


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## RondackHiker (Jan 21, 2013)

I've never had a not blind hedgehog, so I don't know if I do anything special.

I do it in our tub, which has a textured floor. I'm careful about depth so she never needs to swim and I watch closely.

Since yours is still in the process of losing her vision, you could try to teach her what to expect. Like, say the same thing right before lifting her (him? Sorry, can't remember!), something else before putting her in water, something else before setting her down, and so on. She'll do okay. It can be an adjustment, but she will learn. 

Knarla's quite the explorer and we will forget she is blind when she races about full speed... Till she runs into something. We do watch her more closely when out since she cannot see drop offs or our dog or our feet. Her tos have jingle bells and she shakes those and follows the sound after "throwing" it.


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## gallium (Mar 10, 2013)

=) thanks again. hopefully she'll be able to cope with everything, she is getting old for a hedgehog so maybe its her being elderly too lol


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