# Hedgie biting leg and bleeding:(



## lindssnicolee (May 12, 2012)

Hello! My hedgehog Alfonzo has been going through quilling and has been very grumpy lately. He is also biting his back legs/feet to the point where they bleed. I have been putting him in warm water to help clear out any dirt. Does anyone know why he is doing this, and what to do about it? I'm very concerned because he has been walking on his worse hind leg differently. 

Thank you!!


----------



## 95Hedgie (Jun 6, 2012)

I'm not an expert or anything. But its probably time to take him to the vet. Does he have a rash or any bite marks ( other than his ) on his legs? Is it on all four legs or just one or two?


----------



## Nebular (Dec 28, 2010)

95Hedgie said:


> I'm not an expert or anything. But its probably time to take him to the vet. Does he have a rash or any bite marks ( other than his ) on his legs? Is it on all four legs or just one or two?


My first thought was he could just have really dry, itchy skin that he's nibbling at, but if he's walking differently on that leg, I completely agree; take him to the vet to have it checked out ASAP! It's best to get those things taken care of as quickly as possible before they develop into something more serious.


----------



## lindssnicolee (May 12, 2012)

theres no rash and it seems only his back legs are
bothering him, could I it be just because of quilling ?


----------



## smhufflepuff (Aug 28, 2008)

I highly doubt that behavior is due to quilling. That doesn't sound right to me at all. 

I agree a vet visit is in order.

In the meanwhile, what type of bedding is he on? My thought is that maybe it's irritating him... If you can get light colored (or white) fleece and wash it in one of those "free and clear"/no-scent laundry detergents (and no fabric softener), that would be great right about now. It'll help rule out any allergy and ensure he's not getting stuff stuck to any raw areas. It'll also help show you how much he's bleeding. Make it simple... just a plain fleece remnant cut to the size of his cage floor.


----------



## DasIgelPoggie (Oct 21, 2010)

Typically, self-biting/chewing in animals is either a sign of stress or an indication of pain in that area. That definitely sounds like a vet visit is in order to me-- if he is only chewing his back legs and not his front, you need to see if there is some reason his back legs are hurting him. The vet should be able to help you with the specifics. If there is no physically identifiable reason, you may want to consider that he has anxiety issues and figure out ways to help him address this.


----------

