# Purple hard stomach



## GatsbyBryr99! (Jul 2, 2019)

Hey everyone I’m new to the group but not to hedgehogs. I have two rescues right now and recently I noticed that my little girl looks really overweight and her stomach is hard. I also noticed that her tummy looked purple. Not sure if she is just over weight and that itsnormal or not.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

I have a couple of thoughts but need more information. So here are some questions for you to ask yourself.

Have you had her very long? Is it a sudden change or has she been gradually getting bigger? Was she with a male previously, or could she have been? How is her eating and activity levels? How hard is hard? 

Sudden changes need to be addressed by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Sudden bloating can be caused by a variety of issues, including bloating from gas, internal bleeding, tumor growth, etc. Sometimes with these you'll see them become less active, and if the bloating is severe enough they will stop eating/doing anything.

From some of my questions, you can guess I'm wondering if she could be pregnant. From the image it also looks like her nipples are more distended than normal. This could be normal for her as I've had females who you could see them very well even though they have never been bred, but if she is pregnant, then those more noticeable nipples could indicate engorgement which means birth should be soon.


I'm no expert in hedgehog pregnancies. Only ever experienced one, which was a surprise from my first hedgehog and was nearly 25 years ago, but from what I do vaguely remember she was pretty firm feeling at the end, and was "butt heavy." Meaning she carried most of the weight in the backend. Where the hedgehogs I have had who had internal bleeding were just very swollen feeling and distended throughout.


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## Sandwich's Mommy (Feb 15, 2015)

My hedgehog had uterine and ovarian cysts and tumors and her tummy looked similar before. She had to have an emergency spay. I would definitely consider an ultrasound.


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## Jake88 (Aug 26, 2021)

Sandwich's Mommy said:


> My hedgehog had uterine and ovarian cysts and tumors and her tummy looked similar before. She had to have an emergency spay. I would definitely consider an ultrasound.


How long did it take them to form? My girl just developed a massive bloated belly over the past week. She isn't pooping much and if she's not improved tomorrow I'm scheduling with the vet


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