# Little worried



## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

Hi,

I am a new hedgehog owner. HItch is about six weeks old and it's my first hedgehog. I just wanted a little advice from the faboulous folks here about a situation that happened this morning. I purchased a super silent spinner wheel for my hedgehog and left it in the pen last night as I headed for bed. My girlfriend got woken up by a huge scream from our hedgehog and he seems to have gotten a toe or nail stuck in a small gap in the wheel. We gently remove the toe/nail from the gap and he seemed to move off. I am just wondering if there is a way I could check his paw. We are very new to this and Hitch doesn't really like us handling him. Is there a way to get under there and make sure all is well? Should I consider a vet visit?

Thanks for any or all advice,
R.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I'm sorry your little one got hurt. To see his foot, put him in a clear bowl or container and you will be able to see his foot. Depending on what you see, a vet visit might be needed. 

I suggest taking the silent spinner back to the store. They are not a safe wheel. As you have already found out, the slit is dangerous. Some have covered the slits with tape or glue but then the rounded design means all the poop and urine can't drain out and the hedgehog runs even more in their poop. 

The base of the Silent spinner is a poor design as the wheel extends out past the edge of the base. When a larger hedgehog enters or exits the wheel, it can tip over onto the hedgehog causing severe injury or death.

Both the nut at the back and the little disc at the front will unscrew with use causing the wheel to fall off the frame or the cage. All in all, it is a poorly designed unsafe wheel.

Comfort wheels are a much better option in a store bought wheel but bucket or cake walk wheels are the best choice. Cinca on here sells the cake walk wheels. 

I hope Hitch's foot will be ok.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Will he uncurl while in your hands or near you? You may simply try holding him in your hands to see if he will uncurl and let the leg come out while trying to squirm. You can also try rolling him on his back and getting a peak while he uncurls to roll back over. I always try to get my hedgehogs used to being rolled on their backs and to uncurl fully, it makes leg checks for hair much easier.

Otherwise go for the clear container suggestion... just ensure he can't climb out. In case you haven't noticed yet, these little ones can be quite fast when they want to be. And can scale walls that you didn't think they could quickly.


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

I love this reply. The wheel has been removed and I will be sure to point out what you've mentioned to other perspective buyers. I will try and track down a better wheel in the next few days. 

I will leave Hitch sleep a little bit more and perhaps this afternoon once he is a bit more relaxed I will attempt to place him in a clear bowl. If there is any injury, I will bring him asap to the vet. 

Thanks,

R.


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

With my girlfriend he is a little bit cooperative and will uncurl a little. With me, he won't even get on my hand yet. I've been nibbled a few times and I will leave him come around to me. He has only be here in my apt. for the past three days. 
R.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Hey! I talked to you in chat last night, and just wanted to say good luck with Hitch! I hope his paw heals quick.


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

Thanks! And the talk was appreciated last night.
R.


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

Check his bottom by using a clear dish and everything seems good. His nails are getting a little long and it might be what is catching. When should I consider cutting them? 

Cheers,

R.


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## PixiesExoticHedgies (Sep 4, 2008)

I know what the bucket wheels are, but I have never heard of the cake walk wheel. I went to Cinca's website and didn't see any info about them. What do they look like?


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Hmmm, you're right. They aren't on her website. Wonder where they are advertised, Brenda, Reaper?


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## PixiesExoticHedgies (Sep 4, 2008)

I even ran a search on GOOGLE and the only reference I could find was on THIS forum thread.

Pixie


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## Reaper (Aug 22, 2008)

Here is the link showing a few pics.
http://hedgehogcentral.com/oldforum/index.php?showtopic=3087&hl=cake+walk


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## intheend (Aug 30, 2008)

Just to let you know, you're going to have a hard time finding someone to build the cake walk wheel. 

Sunshine Quills is still working on perfecting them so they aren't being sold. And I also emailed Heaven Sent Hedgehogs a few months ago and never heard back. 

You could always try building it yourself. Then make sure you post pictures to encourage the rest of us! lol.


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## Cinca (Aug 24, 2008)

I don't have them advertised or shown on my website as I'm not actively marketing them. However if you want to email me direct at [email protected] I can send you a picture and information.


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## Cinca (Aug 24, 2008)

Hummm, I posted a reply but see it hasn't shown up.
The cakewalks are not advertised on my website as I'm not actively
trying to sell them. It's hard to keep up with the orders just by word
of mouth. Anyway, if you want to contact me at [email protected]
I can send a picture and answer any questions.


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## Cinca (Aug 24, 2008)

Endtheend,
I did not receive your inquiry. If you don't hear from me on emails, its because they have
been lost in cyberspace and it's best to rewrite.


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

Follow-up. Hitch seems to be doing very well. He is running on his new, larger wheel without any issues. He has started eating a lot and making lots of poop.  He is very active after about 10 PM and we find he has moved all the stuff in his habitat in the morning. 

I have a few more questions for you guys; will Hedgies use Pine based litter? We've switched to an all natural pine based litter from Wal-Mart and he seems to only use it to dig in.

Also, how much food is about right for a seven week old hedgehog? I purchased prescription diet kitten food (the P/D type) and he has been eating at least 30 bits per night. Should I be giving him more? less? He has been adding a little bit of weight since last week. We purchased a nice little electronic scale and have been weighing him every few days just to make sure all is well.

Thanks again,

Richard.

P.S. I purchased a network camera and I will be setting it up over the next week. I should be able to provide a live feed for the little guy at some point. Nice camera can actually work down to 1 lux therefore almost in absolute darkness.


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## PixiesExoticHedgies (Sep 4, 2008)

cinca,

I just sent you an email, with request for information. If you don't get it, let me know.

Pixie


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

All hedgehogs, babies especially should be free fed meaning make sure he has food at all times. Once you have him a while you will get to know how much he eats and you can put slightly more than that amount in his dish. All hedgehogs eat a different amount of food. Some will eat 20 kibble in a 24 hour time frame, others 70 or 80. Babies usually eat more than adults. Babies take growth spurts just like human kids.

Do you mean pine pellets in the litter box only or as bedding? As a litter it is ok. Personally I prefer Yesterdays News or a couple sheets of paper towel. As a bedding pine pellets shouldn't be used. Not only is in uncomfortable to sleep and walk on but when it gets wet it breaks down into sawdust which isn't good for their respiratory system. 

Sounds like he'es doing fine.


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

Thanks a lot Nancy. Very appreciated as usual.

Will add more food to his dish and see what happens. His appetite seems to be going up and up.

R.


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

Just another little follow-up on our little guy.. earlier this evening he seems to have pooped fine (larger, brownish stool) and then as we were heading to bed around 10:30 PM I heard a little bang and thought he had just pushed his wheel onto the side of the cage. I got up to check it out and found a very strong smell of diarrhea in his room. I noticed a few lighter droppings and a lot of poop on the inside of his wheel. 

Any ideas on how I could find out if his stools are firm or not? He seems to have normal levels of activity but not 100% sure on how much he is drinking. I presume he is drinking enough...

His kibble intake has probably dropped a little in the past two days but we thought it could be related to the fact that he has a "big" bath two days ago... his weight gain has been on the steady up and up; ~9 weeks at 10.3 ounces a.k.a 292 grams

Thanks for any assistance again...

R.


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

Hi folks,

Little freaked out right now. Hitch pooped what looks like a little piece of green jelly bean. It's a very bright green bit with a lot of normal poop. Considering during the night he seems to have poop a lot of normal stool; should we be bringing the little guy to the vet? My exotic vet does not offer emergency care during the night but there is an emergency care vet in the area that can stabilize the little guy during the night to transfer him to the actual vet in the morning.

Any advice would be appreciated.

R.


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

Thanks Nancy and Reaper! I love you guys! HItch seems to be doing better this morning. I don't know what really stressed him out but he ate all his kibble from last night (~70-80 pieces) and drank all his water. His wheel was covered in poop and he pooped two or three times during the day today. I feel so much better now that he is doing a little better.. hopefully we don't have to go thru this again.. for a long time! 

Again, I cannot thank you enough... 

Richard.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

YAY! That's great news.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

That's good to hear!


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

He is snoozin away right now in his pen. His "dad" is happy that he is doing well also. Lisa.. my girlfriend just found someone to sew some fleece liners for us. He should be switching to his winter fleece in the next couple of days. If anyone is interested to see his live webcam feed just give me a PM.
He loves to hide right now under a piece of fleece and a little hat...
R.


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

Switched him to fleece liners totally in his cage. Noticed that he is sneezing once in a while but his nose seems normal. Nothing to worry about I guess? Probably just the change to the fleece liners making him sneeze.


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

Had a little heart attack this evening with Hitch. The poor little guy got a meal worm stuck in his throat. He started heaving like a mad hedgehog and freaking out... my GF was out of town and I was left all by my lonesome to deal with the issue. I could not get a hold of him and he gradually worked it out by throwing it up a little bit. It took a good 10-15 minutes for him to calm back down and have me in tears and trembling. I felt so powerless to help the little guy. I thought he was going to die right there before me... 

I hope this never happens again.. I feel terrible... 

R. 

P.S. I presume that Hitch is going thru a stage of quilling but I would like to get a mods advice on some wierd moves he is pulling sometimes in his pen. I will try to get it on video to show you.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Oh my gosh! That must have been awful! I don't have any advice, but I really hope someone does, so we can all be prepared if that happens to us.  

The "weird moves" might be him just getting frisky and playing with himself. :lol: My boy does that quite a lot and will walk around twitching his backside and sucking in his belly, LOL


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

Now today... his wheel fell of its stand. Sigh.. having a rough weekend! 

I am worried still about him. He seems to sneeze all the time. (let say every 10 minutes or so) He is also licking a lot more than he did. Vet time? I can't get into one until Tuesday. He still seems very active. He has been running in his wheel (his spare) for about an hour now. He is running around his cage also. His kibble intake is somewhat steady but down by about 10-15 kibbles since Thursday. 

Anyone sell Bucket wheels in Canada?

R.


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

A few months later.. we've gotten a little bit better with our little guy but the past couple of days he has slowed his eating again. The temperature in the room is always above 73 F (usually 75) and he gets flourescent lighting for at least 12 hour a day. His weight has dropped from 370 grams or so to 346 grams but like I said he has not eaten much in the past two days. We have not been able to switch him from his kitten food to adult food. Would that cause any significant problems in the short term? 

Just wondering if I should give the vet a call to perhaps consider bringing him in for a quick checkup but the outside temperature is about -25 C. Not the most ideal time to bring the little guy out.. 

I do have an emergency type kit with syringes and the like but he has never been force fed with them before. Should we consider doing that? We have some baby food and canned cat food to use in those cases. I just wonder if the stress of doing that would freak him out more and slow his eating even more... 

Sigh...

RtC


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

He ate enough last night to not really worry too much about his eating but now his output has slowed to a crawl. I noticed a few little poops yesterday and today (this morning) there were a few little ones. When we woke him up this evening we gave him a little foot bath that usually makes him poop but he only made one very small hard ball of poop. 

We tried feeding him some baby food to make things a little bit different and hopefully get a little bit of loose stool out of him. I have an appt. booked with the vet tomorrow evening and I should be able to hopefully get him there. The weather here in Montreal is not the best to be transporting hedgehog. We just got close to a foot of snow...

RtC


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

Another update a few weeks/months later..

Hitch has lost a little bit more weight.. he is sitting between 309-320 grams on a weekly basis. He has been heading more down than up. He had peaked around 380 grams a few months ago and has not been adding any weight. He seems to be eating normally, pooping normally and running up a storm every night. I think that as long as he is active and what not that the weight loss is not a real big issue unless he continues to drop below 300 grams. 

I am wondering; can a hedgie run too much? Hitch probably runs for a good few hours during the night. We leave his wheel (Wodent Wheel) in there when we head to be around 11 and he seems to use it most of the night. Should we try limiting the amount of running he does to see if he will gain more weight? 

He is also eating a high fat diet due to his inability to like any other food. We tried on several occasions to switch him to another food and we've somewhat given up due to his declining weight over the past several weeks. He also has a few (5-15) freeze dried meal worms every night as a little treat. 

Thanks everyone for anything more that can be added to this awesome thread. 

R.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Some hedgies that are avid runners can have a bit of trouble keeping weight on, because they run so much. What percent fat is the food you feed him? 
And the Wodent Wheel isn't safe for hedgehogs, from what I've read. It's too enclosed, so pee doesn't have a chance to run off from it. You should probably switch to a wheel like a Comfort Wheel, Flying Saucer, or Cake Walk Supreme.


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## Quills (Feb 18, 2009)

rtc said:


> I am wondering; can a hedgie run too much? Hitch probably runs for a good few hours during the night. We leave his wheel (Wodent Wheel) in there when we head to be around 11 and he seems to use it most of the night. Should we try limiting the amount of running he does to see if he will gain more weight?
> 
> He is also eating a high fat diet due to his inability to like any other food. We tried on several occasions to switch him to another food and we've somewhat given up due to his declining weight over the past several weeks. He also has a few (5-15) freeze dried meal worms every night as a little treat.
> 
> ...


I noticed you said you're feeding your boy freeze dried meal worms. Here's a link to a previous thread about the danger of doing so due to hedgies not being able to properly digest them and it leading to bowel problems

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1522&p=12355&hilit=freeze+dried#p12355 (The article link no longer works but you get the idea)

I'm not sure if those freeze dried meal worms are smaller than live ones but Dora has a noticeable decrease in kibble consumption on nights when meal worms are given. I limit her to six (She'd eat the whole container if I let her lol)

We also had a problem with Dora not wanting to switch to kibble with a lower fat content and following previous suggestions on the board, we "weaned" her from the fattier kibble. We started mixing the kibbles together (in a mix bag) so that the new kibble would smell like her old kibble then we ground up the old kibble and powdered her new food with it. We did this in stages until she started eating the new kibble on her own.

She has a taste for "junk food" that is pretty similar to mine lol


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

Lilysmommy said:


> Some hedgies that are avid runners can have a bit of trouble keeping weight on, because they run so much. What percent fat is the food you feed him?
> And the Wodent Wheel isn't safe for hedgehogs, from what I've read. It's too enclosed, so pee doesn't have a chance to run off from it. You should probably switch to a wheel like a Comfort Wheel, Flying Saucer, or Cake Walk Supreme.


Hitch runs and run and runs more.. I presume he is not gaining due to his running..

As for the Wodent Wheel.. he absolutely loves his Wodent Wheel. I do understand the idea that urine does not roll off the wheel but I have problems with the other ones you mentioned.

I find the Flying Saucer.. he is not running in a straight line and I worry that it would hurt his joints. He also does not run as fast or as long on the Saucer compared to the Wodent Wheel.

The Comfort wheel.. do I have to mention anything about the noise! I find them to be very noisy and would probably wake up the whole place if left in his pen. We had one and I used it to try and build another wheel that did not really work out.

Cake Walk Supreme I haven't tried but I am sure I will probably get one at a later date; I just find them very expensive to ship up here to Canada.

Thanks for the pointers thou... I might try to modify the wodent wheel and put some holes along the outer edge to help with the pee exiting the wheel... I presume that would make an unbelievable mess inside in pen thou with pee spittering out as the wheel goes around...

Cheers,
R.


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

Quills said:


> I noticed you said you're feeding your boy freeze dried meal worms. Here's a link to a previous thread about the danger of doing so due to hedgies not being able to properly digest them and it leading to bowel problems
> 
> http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/v ... ied#p12355 (The article link no longer works but you get the idea)


I've tried to find a reliable source for meal worms here in Montreal and I've yet to find one. The Freeze dried option was the only real option for us here. I will attempt to start a meal worm farm at some point to get fresh little grubs for my hedgehog. As for right now, I will limit his intake and watch for any bowel problems.

R.


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

Quills said:


> We also had a problem with Dora not wanting to switch to kibble with a lower fat content and following previous suggestions on the board, we "weaned" her from the fattier kibble. We started mixing the kibbles together (in a mix bag) so that the new kibble would smell like her old kibble then we ground up the old kibble and powdered her new food with it. We did this in stages until she started eating the new kibble on her own.
> 
> She has a taste for "junk food" that is pretty similar to mine lol


We've attempted on several occasions to switch him to a lower fat content food but he is very resistant and usually stops or slows his eating. We are already worried about his food intake and drop it weight and therefore wanted to wait a little bit longer and hopefully he will add some weight...

R.


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

Hitch started his little routine again.. dropped about 10-20 kibble night for the past few nights. Nothing has significantly changed in his overall surroundings and diet. We have been using fresh meal worms instead of freeze dried one for the past few weeks and his food is exactly the same. Perhaps a change due to spring being around the corner?

*removed my comment about my vet; I think I was being too harsh*

R.


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## silvercat (Oct 24, 2008)

I'm curious if you're still using the Wodent Wheel? How's his weight now? The two questions are not related. I'm sure someone has already mentioned it (or you've read it somewhere) but in addition to urine being trapped in the wheel, there's a safety issue similar to wheels with the cross bar (ie. the hedgehog runs the risk of injury when getting off the wheel if the wheel is still moving).


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

We change between the Silent Spinner and the Wodent Wheel. He really likes the Silent Spinner thou but just to change things up a bit we try to put the Wodent Wheel in once in a while...

His weight.. is usually around 290-300 grams. We haven't weighed him in a few weeks but we will probably weigh him tonight to see what is up.

R.


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## rtc (Sep 5, 2008)

Picked up the probiotic today for him. He will love to eat this when we wake him up this evening.

Got a little clip of him from last night that I would like to share:






Just wondering if I should worry about his back leg.. he seems to always be "popping" it out like his does after getting out of his wheel. I also noticed that his vision is not as good as it was; he likes to bang into his dish during the night now.

R.


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