# dandruff?



## shu2013 (Oct 29, 2010)

When I got home from class this afternoon, I picked up my hedgie's igloo and on the floor inside was this dandruff substance. I don't know exactly what it is, so I'm just calling is dandruff because that's exactly what it look likes. Also, after he was just sitting on my hand and got up, the same dried substance was on my hand. Does anyone know what it could be and if it is bad?
Thanks


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## kelybely (Oct 19, 2010)

It's more then likely dead skin that flakes off. It can be from a number of reasons, the dry air from a heating lamp might be drying out his skin,or it might be mites or something else. But I'm not an expert, wait till someone with more experience comes along.


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## shu2013 (Oct 29, 2010)

Thanks, yeah I was thinking it was dried skin because since the cold weather has picked up, and my father still refuses to turn the heat on in the house ("to save money") I have been using one of those big heating units to keep him warm. If it is dried skin I guess I'll just move it further away from his cage. Too bad there isn't any hedgie moisturizer! :lol:


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

Actually there is in a way. You get "Flaxseed Oil" which is found in capsule form at one of your local stores, same isle with the vitamins and supplements. You pop open the capsules and spread it across their food, and or if you do a bath you can put it in the water. This will help keep their skin moist, as hedgehogs can have dry skin problems, especially this time of year since most people are ramping up the heat. Make sure he eats the food when you do try it the first time, just to make sure he eats it, many hogs tend to find it a treat.


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## shu2013 (Oct 29, 2010)

Oh perfect! Thank you so much!


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## firephoenixla (Sep 13, 2010)

Shu2013, I'm glad you asked this question because I've been wondering the same thing! My Paprika has horrible dry skin all the time and I feel like I do everything for her but she still gets peely looking white skin patches and dandruff in the cage.. I try everything though, I put a capsule of Flax Seed Oil on her food every 2-3 days.. I bath her with aveno oatmeal bath every 2-3 weeks and I rub two capsules of Flax Seed Oil on her back and sides every week or so.. but all that I'm finding is that she's developing a strange (and kinda yucky) flaxseed odor and her fur is getting all matted down with it and she is STILL getting dry skin patches on her back.. it's so frustrating! I'm wondering if there is a stronger option than Flax Seed Oil that can be rubbed on hedgehogs or if she's just a special case.. I'm actually kinda worried she's going to overdose on the stuff at this point! ':/


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## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

firephoenixla said:


> Shu2013, I'm glad you asked this question because I've been wondering the same thing! My Paprika has horrible dry skin all the time and I feel like I do everything for her but she still gets peely looking white skin patches and dandruff in the cage.. I try everything though, I put a capsule of Flax Seed Oil on her food every 2-3 days.. I bath her with aveno oatmeal bath every 2-3 weeks and I rub two capsules of Flax Seed Oil on her back and sides every week or so.. but all that I'm finding is that she's developing a strange (and kinda yucky) flaxseed odor and her fur is getting all matted down with it and she is STILL getting dry skin patches on her back.. it's so frustrating! I'm wondering if there is a stronger option than Flax Seed Oil that can be rubbed on hedgehogs or if she's just a special case.. I'm actually kinda worried she's going to overdose on the stuff at this point! ':/


An oatmeal bath will not moisturize skin, it will just soothe the skin and remove any dead skin.

You could try vaseline?

Or perhaps change her diet. Maybe her dandruff is nutrients-related.


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## firephoenixla (Sep 13, 2010)

Could be, right now I mix a tablespoon of Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Adult Light Chicken Flavor and a tablespoon of Natural Balance Original Ultra Reduced Calorie Cat Food together... and I break a capsule of flaxseed oil over this mix every 2-3 days.. I have baby vaseline that I've used on her ears before when they got crusty, she HATED it! she was scratching and shaking her head for hours afterward! But maybe if I put it on her back she won't be able to smell it as strong and it won't effect her so much.. plus it might not smell as rank as the flaxseed oil is making her smell.. she smells like an old cat or the inside of a dog's ear or something... I don't know why those are the first things that come to mind but that do ;P


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## Alastrina (Sep 18, 2009)

I also dislike the odor of flaxseed oil, and make use of vitamin E oil instead. I found some at the department store with the herbals & supplements in a little squeeze bottle. It's colorless and odorless. I only use it on my hedgie's back and legs (put some in with the bathwater when he gets a bath) so I'd get a second opinion before putting it on food just to be safe. I really see a difference in my guy's skin though after I use it. ^_^


~Katie


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

firephoenixla said:


> Shu2013, I'm glad you asked this question because I've been wondering the same thing! My Paprika has horrible dry skin all the time and I feel like I do everything for her but she still gets peely looking white skin patches and dandruff in the cage.. I try everything though, I put a capsule of Flax Seed Oil on her food every 2-3 days.. I bath her with aveno oatmeal bath every 2-3 weeks and I rub two capsules of Flax Seed Oil on her back and sides every week or so.. but all that I'm finding is that she's developing a strange (and kinda yucky) flaxseed odor and her fur is getting all matted down with it and she is STILL getting dry skin patches on her back.. it's so frustrating! I'm wondering if there is a stronger option than Flax Seed Oil that can be rubbed on hedgehogs or if she's just a special case.. I'm actually kinda worried she's going to overdose on the stuff at this point! ':/


When you give her a bath, you can squeeze some flaxseed oil in the water and use that water to rinse her off.

I don't think vaseline is recommended but I might be wrong... I wouldn't use it unless some of the very experienced people here said it was ok.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

The flaxseed oil I use has no smell at all and I've yet to have anyone bothered by it. Are you using capsules or bottled? Bottled flaxseed oil has a fridge life of about 2 weeks, maybe less and then it goes rancid. One thing I like about Flaxseed oil is it is more water soluble than vit E so there isn't the buildup like with Vit E. 

You can also use olive oil, or jojoba oil. 

You can use Vasaline on ears but not on their back. Vasaline also has no smell unless you get scented which is not recommended.


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## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

firephoenixla said:


> Could be, right now I mix a tablespoon of Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Adult Light Chicken Flavor and a tablespoon of Natural Balance Original Ultra Reduced Calorie Cat Food together... and I break a capsule of flaxseed oil over this mix every 2-3 days.. I have baby vaseline that I've used on her ears before when they got crusty, she HATED it! she was scratching and shaking her head for hours afterward! But maybe if I put it on her back she won't be able to smell it as strong and it won't effect her so much.. plus it might not smell as rank as the flaxseed oil is making her smell.. she smells like an old cat or the inside of a dog's ear or something... I don't know why those are the first things that come to mind but that do ;P


Maybe you could try adding a full fat food to her diet?


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## firephoenixla (Sep 13, 2010)

Nancy - I use the capsules from the drug store, and the pills themselves don't smell but when I break them and pour them onto her and work them into her quills after a day or so I notice the smell and it's pretty powerful, I can smell her even at an arm's length away... it smells like musty old cat or something, I'm really not a fan.. I think I might follow up on Alastrina's advice and get some Vitamin E and see if that works better.. I feel bad for Paprika though, she's always so dandruffy even with the oil on her and she's so oily I have to wash my hands everytime I handle her and it makes my computer slippery when I touch it after playing with her.. 
Do you think adding a higher fat food would help? both of her foods have less than 9% in them.. I am hesitant to add high fat foods because I don't want her to get chubby, but if she needs something with more I could look into that for her...I'll still put Flaxseed Oil onto her food 2-3 times a week though..


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## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

firephoenixla said:


> Do you think adding a higher fat food would help? both of her foods have less than 9% in them.. I am hesitant to add high fat foods because I don't want her to get chubby, but if she needs something with more I could look into that for her...I'll still put Flaxseed Oil onto her food 2-3 times a week though..


Yeah I think that would help. I know as long as it is under 15% it is fine, so maybe find one around there 
If she starts getting overweight you could always go back to your old mix ^-^


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

That's weird. I've never noticed a smell. She shouldn't be oily when you put it on her. Perhaps you are using too much. 

I used to use Vitamin E and quit using it for a few reasons. I switched from it mostly because it was so thick and didn't easily spread, and when put in rinse water it just seemed to be a big glob. I also put it directly on their backs and it didn't spread as easily as Flax. One big thing I noticed when I quit using Vit E was that they no longer seemed to get fuzz stuck between their quills. 

You can also use jojoba oil which works well and spreads easily.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

I don't put the flaxseed oil directly on my hedgies but add it to the water when they have a bath, it dilutes it and stops it from building up on their skin. I've never had any smell from any except the one time I applied it directly to the hedgie instead of in the bath water.


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## GiveToHairy (Jul 24, 2010)

It's definitley that time of year! With the cold dry air setting in Sam starting to get itchy and flaky. The other day I posted he wasn't running alot anymore. I figured out it was too dry and warm. We set up just a simple humidifer in his room, lowered his temp to hold around 74 and I upped his oil intake and he was back to his average that night. Poor guy was just miserable.

I do a humidifer and the humidity in his cage is about 40% now.
I do an oatmeal bath once a week followed by a rinse in water with a few drops of oil
Twice a week I put a splash of oil on a tooth brush and gently massage it under this quills (he loves this!!!)
And twice a week he gets three dried mealworms soaked in flaxseed. By putting the worms in the oil he licks all the oil up getting the worms out of the slippery dish.


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## firephoenixla (Sep 13, 2010)

Maybe my mistake is applying the flaxseed oil directly onto her quills/skin rather than putting it into the water of the bath... I was worried if I put it into the bath water then it wouldn't really get onto her skin because it would dilute in the water, but maybe that's the culprit of her stinkyness.. it's just discouraging when you're using so much flax and you still see so many dry patches! 
..maybe I'll try turning her cage temp down, right now I have the cage set for around 77-78.. I have one of those reptile thermostats and it doesn't have the temperature written on it so you just kinda have to gauge how far to turn the knob based on what the cage thermometer is reading.. but the thermometer usually reads 76-79.. when I bought her the breeder didn't even have a heating set up and she said that her hedgies were used to temperatures between 65-70, but I thought that Paprika would like the warmer temperatures better so I've always kept her cage on the hotter side.. maybe turning it down will help, and getting a higher fat food for her mix, and getting some jojoba oil for her... looks like I have some homework! Thanks for the advice everyone! Hopefully she'll be a less stinky, itchy, huffy hedgehog soon!
...deep down I just hope it's not mites, because when I visited her as a baby at the breeder she had them, though the breeder did 2 doses of revolution on her before I came to pick her up to bring home she said... and when I brought her to the vet 2 weeks after I brought her home the vet did a visual look-over of her and said she didn't have mites.. there were no skin scrapes or anything so I left feeling kinda uneasy about that.. but there is no way she can get mites from my cage set up, so if she really didn't have them when the vet checked her at 8 weeks old, then she must not have them now, its just flakey flakey annoying dry skin! Oy!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I apply flax seed directly to their skin and always have. A couple drops mid back and rump area and I try to get it onto bare skin. No smell. :lol:


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## lmg_319 (Oct 4, 2010)

Hi
How often should you be putting the flaxseed in their food? My hedgie's skin was dry so I have been using it as well but I wasn't sure if it was every day or every few days...


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

:mrgreen: ..ohh sure Nancy make me look wrong :lol: I found I could smell the flaxseed oil when I did that...hmmm wonder if different brands smell different??


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## firephoenixla (Sep 13, 2010)

I just bought some jojoba oil and a higher fat content cat food (Professional Dry Food for Adult Cats, Complete Formula, Chicken Flavor) hopefully that will help her with her dandruff and cut down on her stinky flaxseed smell!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I have no clue what brand the stuff I use is. I ran out a few weeks ago and haven't got a new bottle yet. 

I get it at Shoppers Drug Mart and it is in their Naturals section. It is in a fairly large square green bottle. I've done a search for flax seed oil and it wasn't there. 

Maybe it's just me and I don't notice it smells, or maybe because I've been using it so long I'm used to it. I just don't recall flax seed oil ever smelling, except the one time when I got the liquid.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

If your flaxseed oil has a strong, unpleasant odor it is most likely rancid. Flaxseed is a very unstable oil, meaning it doesn't take much heat or light to cause the oil to start to oxidize.

Good flaxseed oil should have very little odor or a slightly nutty odor (as well as a nutty taste). If it has a very strong odor, a fishy smell, or a bitter taste, it has gone rancid and should be discarded.


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## GiveToHairy (Jul 24, 2010)

Sam always smells like pretzels to me when i use the flaxseed. Just a tiny little whiff of pretzel and it isn't unpleasant so i think his is still good. I told him I might rename him Pretzel but he's sam now so sam he shall stay (not that he answers to it, of course)....


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## firephoenixla (Sep 13, 2010)

So I used the jojoba oil on Paprika tonight, and so far I am loving it! I hope she doesn't have an adverse reaction or something that will make me eat my words, but thus far I think it is so much better than the flaxseed oil! I bathed her with aveeno oatmeal baby shampoo like normal tonight, then I partially dried her off and spread the jojoba oil all over her with a toothbrush.. and of course she huffed and puffed and tried to shake it off, but it managed to get it all the way down to the skin.. and then I towel dried off the remaining water and excess oil and now she is all shiney, and NO smell at all! not even like pretzels! 
Also I like the way it feels on my hands, it's like a dry oil if that makes sense.. it doesn't make my hands feel all slippery and greasy after I touch it, instead they feel dry but soft, much better! I'll still continue to put flaxseed oil on her food, but I might back off from that a bit too, because I was putting it on every 2 days and I think it's part of the reason why her poo is so mushy and smells like diarehea because I doubt its the chicken soup for the cat lovers soul or the natural balance original ultra reduced cat food I've been giving her since I got her.. I introduced the Professional adult dry cat food to her diet tonight and I'm hoping the higher fat in that will also help her with her skin, but I might back off the flaxseed oil in her food to every 3 or 4 days and just spread the jojoba oil on her more often or something, because her poo has been stinky the last 2 or so weeks..
She has also been quilling almost continuously since the day that I got her (when she was 6 weeks old) until today (now she's just over 3 months old).. so she's had dry skin and itchiness for a long time.. I'm hoping that these steps will help her with the dryness, even if I can't help with the quilling at all


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

There are a few members who always loved the jojoba oil.


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## firephoenixla (Sep 13, 2010)

I really like it! It seems like her skin is still shiney today, so that's good.. the next hurdle we have is getting her belly fur to start growing back a bit thicker.. she's been losing it like crazy the past few weeks and it's really thin now.. she has white crusty feeling skin patches now on her tummy, I was thinking its probably dry skin just like she has on her back.. I rubbed oil all over her tummy too, I hope it makes her fur grow back in again! :/


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