# He fell from a high place!



## darkestz (Aug 8, 2010)

I don't know if he was hurt but there was sound when he fell I was holding him then he spiked me and jumped for it! He didn't seem hurt he kept walking and no signs of wobbliness I put him back in his cage and he drank water. Should I take him to the vet? Its 2 hours away but I'm willing to do it just to help him. He's now huffing and balling up acting the same way he did when I first got him.


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## schmelderz (Jul 7, 2010)

How high was the fall? If he's still walking fine, chances are, you probably just scared the **** out of him. Give it time to calm down and don't poke at it too much. You might need more patience to work harder at gaining its trust back. Good luck


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## darkestz (Aug 8, 2010)

Just about 2 feet. He wasnt used to me yet and I tried so hard now I have to work twice as hard. Oh well, that's life.


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## emeko (Nov 28, 2009)

If he seems fine, he's probably okay from falling just two feet. I won't say how far Beck has fallen, on more than one occasion.  I've learned I give him too much credit sometimes--I honestly thought he would have learned not to walk right over an edge the first time. Apparently they don't have that kind of logic lol.


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## schmelderz (Jul 7, 2010)

emeko said:


> If he seems fine, he's probably okay from falling just two feet. I won't say how far Beck has fallen, on more than one occasion.  I've learned I give him too much credit sometimes--I honestly thought he would have learned not to walk right over an edge the first time. Apparently they don't have that kind of logic lol.


I'm with you dude. Stupid of me to put the prick on the table only to hear a plop and see it splat on the floor.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

schmelderz said:


> emeko said:
> 
> 
> > If he seems fine, he's probably okay from falling just two feet. I won't say how far Beck has fallen, on more than one occasion.  I've learned I give him too much credit sometimes--I honestly thought he would have learned not to walk right over an edge the first time. Apparently they don't have that kind of logic lol.
> ...


Hedgies don't have the best eyesight & will very easily fall off ledges if given the chance. I always put my boy on the floor. Or if he's up higher, I am very vigilant about not letting him get close to edges. 
We had a hedgie on the forum who died awhile back from internal injuries caused by a fall, so it's very serious guys. Don't put them in the position of being able to fall of something.
Darkestz, I hope everything is OK with the little guy. I'm sure someone with more knowledge will come on & tell you what to do.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

PJM is right, internal injuries are a concern and can take a few days to show. Watch for lethargy, decreased food intake, blood or dark stools, a hibernation attempt, or anything out of the ordinary for the next couple of weeks. 

Falls can be serious and it's best not to put hedgie in the position where he might fall. Hedgehogs have very little spatial awareness and usually don't even realize they are near an edge or could fall. 

I hope your little one is okay.


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## darkestz (Aug 8, 2010)

..I THINK he's okay because I put him on the couch and he's kinda playing trying to climb up but he's huffing more. I really hope he's okay you guys scared me when you said internal injury! ((


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## schmelderz (Jul 7, 2010)

Sorry  it won't happen again


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Like Nancy said, just pay close attention to him & if you see any of those symptoms, get him to a vet quickly. 
Don't get downhearted guys, we all make mistakes. I know you love him & don't want anything bad to happen.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Also look for what looks like possible bruising.
Internal bleeding could show up as blotches of what looks like bruising, especially since our hedgies are light skinned. 
There were some hedgies awhile back who also tumbled from due to non-enclosed multiple levels and the owner said they saw lots of black and blue bruising on them. 

It may also be good to try to get a hold of his legs and give them a gentle squeeze, like how you would hold them for nail clipping, just to see if there may be possible strains and sprains that aren't showing up just from walking. 

And don't worry, as said above everyone makes mistakes. My boy almost fell off my lap once. I caught the bundle of spikes with my bare hands and plopped him back onto my lap. lol Had to run my hand under cold water after. He was so busy burrowing and trying to get comfy in my lap that he burrowed his way off the edge.


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## darkestz (Aug 8, 2010)

Yeah me too. I've learned my lesson, I'm still going to earn my hedgies trust, I swear, and when I do, I'll be the happiest 14 year old there is and I'll keep you guys updated.


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

@Immortalia: That happened to me with Loki, once. We were sitting on the couch together, him in my lap, and he decided it was a good idea to wander off said lap and try to fall onto the floor. Caught the little bugger with my bare hands before he got anywhere near the floor and got little bloody spots on my hands from his quills for my trouble, but it was worth it because he wasn't hurt.

Quilly fell once, too, practically jumped out of my arms when I was carrying her through the hallway. She fell on her poor little butt, and I fussed over her and got all upset. She was fine, and it was ages ago, so there was obviously no damage. She's never tried to do it again, though, so I think she actually did learn her lesson.


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## jinglesharks (Jun 15, 2010)

Pepper fell once, too, from about two feet up. This was way back when I first got him, maybe even within the first week, and I had no idea hedgies are so terrible at judging heights. I put him down on the coffeetable, turned my back for one second, and heard a sound like a slinky hitting the floor. Poor little guy walked right off. F ortunately he seemed perfectly fine and, since it was at least six months ago, I assume he was. That's not to say it's not a serious event and you shouldn't keep an eye on him- you definitely should. A lot of things can go wrong and sadly a lot of those things don't show up right away or are hard to notice.

Sela: I wish Pepper would learn a lesson! He's always falling, though now I know to be watching to catch him. And fortunately it's usually on soft things. He's really clumsy... he'll climb to the top of a couch cushion, and then just look around and... fall. It's awfully nerve wracking.


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## EryBee (May 23, 2010)

Phinneus likes to walk to the edge of things, but fortunately he waits until my hand appears as a "stepping stone" and then he carefully walks onto me instead of falling. If my hand isn't there is just bobbles around like, "Hello! I'm waiting here!"


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

This is what makes me so nervous about letting other people hold Lily. Even when I know they aren't someone who will drop her if she pees or poops on them, she has a habit of suddenly backing up and she does it to me a lot. I have a note about it in her notebook, and I make a point of telling anyone before I hand her over, but it still makes me worry that she'll do it to them and they won't catch her. :? I need to get a little beeper for her like semi-trucks have when they're backing up! :lol:


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## darkestz (Aug 8, 2010)

What signs should I look for?


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Nancy said:


> Watch for lethargy, decreased food intake, blood or dark stools, a hibernation attempt, or anything out of the ordinary for the next couple of weeks.


I hope that helps.


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## tracie (Jun 16, 2010)

Not that you should try this, but in the wild, hedgehogs are supposed to be able to fall up to 20 feet, and use their quills to cushion the fall. Although that doesn't necessarily mean that the hedgehog didn't get injured in the wild. I've heard of hedgehogs escaping their cages from a decent height up. Two feet shouldn't be bad.

PS, this does NOT mean that anyone should not worry about their hedgehog being on a ledge.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

@ Lilysmommy- I am the same way about other people holding mine, its just to nerve racking.

It might sound so mean but when I have had people over they almost always want to hold them but I always say no. I know it might be good to educate and all that, but as selfish as it sounds I don't want it to be with mine. It's so easy for a mistake to happen even with me and I've spent every day working with them that I just refuse to let someone hold them. Sometimes what I do though is let the hedgie be in a hedgiebag on their lap while sitting and Im always the one that puts them there and takes them back.

One observation I have made is over time Hedgie Owners develop nerves of steel lol


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## tracie (Jun 16, 2010)

My friends hold my hedgies and they're better with them than my husband is, lol :lol:


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

> I've heard of hedgehogs escaping their cages from a decent height up. Two feet shouldn't be bad.


A prior member here had a hedgehog die from a fall of mere inches in her cage. Even small falls can cause serious injury or death. Any time your hedgehog has dropped, even a short distance, it should be taken very seriously.


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## darkestz (Aug 8, 2010)

Thanks for all the info. His poop is STILL green and I think this is serious! It's been a week and 5 days.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Is the poop green, slimey and loose or is it normal shape and texture but just green? Have you made any food changes or given him any new treats? Is it getting worse? 

Sometimes they can take a while to adjust but if it's getting worse and there have been no food changes or additions that is a bit more of a concern.


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## Hedgehog Grove (Jul 21, 2010)

darkestz said:


> YES, His poop is now light brown, Which is kind of a good sign


Quoted from your other post a few minutes after your reply in this one.

So to clarify is it green still or light brown?

As Nancy did mention, have you given him any treats? We gave Truffles some meal worms this week and his poop was green for a bit and then went back to normal. He had mealies again last night so we will see if his stomach has adjusted to them.

Is he eating and drinking normally, has the right amount of hours of light and dark and heating is all good?

How is he acting since the fall?

Could be he is taking his time to adjust, takes a bit longer for some hegies.


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## darkestz (Aug 8, 2010)

Well I bought a few mealworms during the first week but he refused to eat it. And right now his poop is green. The vet advised me not to touch him for now because he is probably stressed. As I speak I am contacting local pet stores inquiring about high quality cat food I can feed my hedgehog.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

If you are looking for good quality foods to feed your hedgehog I'd look at Reapers Recommended Food List in the diet section or read through some of the threads in that section. A pet store isn't really going to be a reliable source in my opinion because they tend to know very little about hedgehog dietary needs and plus I would want to find out from an unbiased third party not the place selling the food. I'm not saying this in a mean way, it's just that it can be frustrating if you spend the money and then find out its not a good food for the hedgie.

Hope everything works out well with your hedgie


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

darkestz said:


> Well I bought a few mealworms during the first week but he refused to eat it. And right now his poop is green. The vet advised me not to touch him for now because he is probably stressed. As I speak I am contacting local pet stores inquiring about high quality cat food I can feed my hedgehog.


Where do you live? I'm guessing not many of the foods on the dry cat food list are available in your area?


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