# malnutrition?



## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

as i said in another post, Harvey had a couple of bloodied quills during the bath last night. his nails are very thin and he weighs 278g. he poops very little. he was kept on random low quality cat foods. does this sound like malnutrition to anyone?

last night we gave him some chicken breast, which he clearly never tasted before, and he was enthusiastic about it. we gave some Heal X Booster with it. he loved it and anointed with it!

I'm taking him to the vet early next week because it's far away and only my working-all-day stepdad drives. in the meantime, any feedback on the malnutrition theory?


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## jinglesharks (Jun 15, 2010)

I don't really have anything to back this up except a gut feeling, but I'd agree with you. That sounds underweight to me. I know there's no real "set" weight for hedgehogs and it all depends on the hog, but my little guy is 325g and he's small from what I've seen. Are his sides caved in? 

Poor little guy, I'm so glad he's with you now.  I hope all that's wrong is that he needs some good food and love!


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

it's hard to tell if his sides are caved in 'cause he has trouble walking and so he doesn't really stand up.... now the nails are trimmed, but the pads of his paws must be hurt too. his nails were literally circular. he runs on his wheel though, which is reassuring.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Poor little guy! I don't know what the "right" weight for Harvey B. Bear would be, but I weighted Cholla last night & he was 276 grams. He's 3 months old now. All I can say is that I'm GLAD, GLAD that he's with you.


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

My hedgie is 2 years old or so and he weighs 291 grams +/- 5 grams. Perfectly healthy in my mind.. 

R.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

i'm talking about his weight in conjunction with other issues.

i'll do whatever it takes to let him thrive and feel loved.


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## jinglesharks (Jun 15, 2010)

rtc said:


> My hedgie is 2 years old or so and he weighs 291 grams +/- 5 grams. Perfectly healthy in my mind..
> 
> R.


Wow, I clearly know nothing about hedgie weight. I've seen so many people saying their hogs are in the high 300's and 400's and even up to 600, that I figured Pepper was on the smaller side. I'm glad to know that's still considered perfectly normal and healthy.  They really have quite a range!


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

jinglesharks said:


> rtc said:
> 
> 
> > My hedgie is 2 years old or so and he weighs 291 grams +/- 5 grams. Perfectly healthy in my mind..
> ...


ya, there are many conflicting opinions on the weight range and i have mine, but i don't debate. 

however, when it comes to rescues (such as Texas tumbleweeds), there's such a thing as Failure To Thrive, so i wouldn't dismiss low weight as a non-issue. (not saying that anyone here did--just clarifying my own concern.)


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## jinglesharks (Jun 15, 2010)

fracturedcircle said:


> jinglesharks said:
> 
> 
> > rtc said:
> ...


Oh no, I definitely still agree that your little guy could very possibly be underweight, especially coupled with all the other information you have. I'm just relieved that Pepper's not, well, stunted, haha.  I was always kind of worried since everyone else sounded so much bigger than him! I figured if he ever met another hedgie they'd laugh at him.  Obviously only someone who's small themselves would think such strange thoughts about their pets... haha.

Edit: Then again, he is a rescue himself, so that could possibly be why he's littler... I'd never even thought of that. Sometimes I forget how badly his previous conditions were because he's come so far with me. He seems like a normal, healthy hoggie now.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

jinglesharks said:


> Oh no, I definitely still agree that your little guy could very possibly be underweight, especially coupled with all the other information you have. I'm just relieved that Pepper's not, well, stunted, haha.  I was always kind of worried since everyone else sounded so much bigger than him! I figured if he ever met another hedgie they'd laugh at him.  Obviously only someone who's small themselves would think such strange thoughts about their pets... haha.
> 
> Edit: Then again, he is a rescue himself, so that could possibly be why he's littler... I'd never even thought of that. Sometimes I forget how badly his previous conditions were because he's come so far with me. He seems like a normal, healthy hoggie now.


i am a tiny gal myself... 

yesterday Harvey fell asleep after the bath and i held him on my lap for a couple of hours... my hand was gently touching his quills. at some point he stirred and put his nose on my fingers. he sat like that for a few minutes. no, i wasn't breathing.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

My Gizmo who was a rescue and found wandering in the woods by hunters weighed 240. It was a perfect weight for him and he was neither overweight or underweight. He always looked like a baby and could easily have been mistaken for one. I often had 8 week old babies that were larger than him. I've also had numerous boys that were in the 275 range. Although I've had a few really large boys, the majority of them have been under 375.


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