# Pus under quills



## jilljillgig (Mar 20, 2012)

Hi everyone, I'm new to the site. I just got my hedgehog two weeks ago and she seems fine except last night I took her out of her cage and noticed some pus coming out from under her quills.. I wiped it as best as I could and one quill fell out. It was bent at the end. I got some more pus out and cleaned it. Now today the area looks somewhat better. I can see the hole from the lost quill but her skin doesn't look red anymore. Has this ever happened to anyone? Or could it be mites? She's going to the vet tomorrow. Love to hear from you all!


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

Going to the Vet is always a good idea when in doubt, glad you are taking her in.  Could just be a ingrown quill, hopefully.


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## jilljillgig (Mar 20, 2012)

Thanks..I hope so. She's acting fine but I'd feel better to have her checked out, I just wasn't sure if this sort of thing has been seen a lot. Hope she's fine.


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

That doesn't really sound like mites. How many quills are affected? Pus usually indicates an infection of some sort, which can range from something minor like an ingrown quill, to various skin infections. I don't have any personal experience with this kind of thing, so I can't really help more than that, but taking her to the vet is a good idea. It could just be something that will need to be kept clean for a while, or it might need a dose of antibiotics - best to have it checked out to know for sure.

Also consider whether there's anything in her cage, etc, that might be causing irritation or even an allergic reaction of some sort. What you clean the cage/wheel with, the detergent you use for her liners/blankets, what kind of soap you use to bathe her - that sort of thing.


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## jilljillgig (Mar 20, 2012)

She lost just one quill.the quill that had the pus underneath it. It's so hard to see through all her quills. But she has carefresh bedding and so far I have cleaned her cage with hot water and she only had a bath one time. (only have had her for two weeks) but the area seems a little better today, however it freaked me enough to make an appointment right away. Thanks for your help..I appreciate!


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