# Lost Hedgehog



## Porkybubs

Im new here.

Well anyways, my hedgehog climbed out of his cage 1 week ago. I cannot find him anywhere. Now my question is...

1)What are the odds of him surviving? In in California next to the beach and its 58 at night and 80 at day.
2) Will they run away or just hang out in the yard?
3) Whens the best time to try to find him? Ive tired day and night. 

Thank you guys! Hes about 1.5 years old.


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## Zalea

Where were you KEEPING your hedgehog? Please tell me it was inside the house, because since you're so worried about him being outside that makes me lean toward the idea that you were keeping him outside...which is NOT a good idea. If he was inside, as I'm hoping, what were the odds that he could get outside? Do you leave doors open during the day or anything?
You should be leaving a dish of food and a dish of water out for him in places he can find it. I hope he's in the house...where you should be looking at night when he'll be most active. Because if he's outside, the 58 degree weather will probably already have sent him into hibernation. Definitely set food and water out though, because they lose weight fast...

*edit* Check out this page. http://hedgehogvalley.com/hide.html */edit*


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## smhufflepuff

I don't know about your hedgie's chances of survival. I hope that he's found food, water, and a source of heat to curl up with.

Here are some archived threads on searching for an escaped hedgie that should help:
http://hedgehogcentral.com/oldforum/ind ... hl=escaped
http://hedgehogcentral.com/oldforum/ind ... hl=escaped


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## Gnarly

Why do you have a hedgehog? They are illegal to keep in California.


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## Porkybubs

He was inside, his cage is about 5 feet off the floor so he took a nice fall. Hes in a room shut 24/7 but i took every single thing outside of the room. The front door of my house and garage are open almost 24/7, just a crack for the cats to get in and out. Cats haven't been acting weird they don't attack him just watch. Ive tried the food, in a few different rooms, and no luck. I waiting till 2 hours after dark and searched the house plenty of times with lights off + flash light. Other than that there is no tricks right? 

And for them being illegal in California, who cares?


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## Porkybubs

He also had to go down stairs, do hedgehogs normally go down stairs?


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## sebian

Porkybubs said:


> He was inside, his cage is about 5 feet off the floor so he took a nice fall


That's AWFUL. If he survived a fall from that high, he's probably very seriously injured and will need to see a vet immediately, assuming you find the poor thing.



Porkybubs said:


> He also had to go down stairs, do hedgehogs normally go down stairs?


I don't believe they do, but there's nothing saying that he didn't fall down the stairs.



Porkybubs said:


> The front door of my house and garage are open almost 24/7, just a crack for the cats to get in and out


If he survived a 5 foot plummet and a fall down the stairs, then he's most likely gone. Hedgies are very clever when it comes to escaping. If he's been gone for a week, I doubt you will find him. And if you do, he will be very sick, injured, and hibernating or dead.



Porkybubs said:


> And for them being illegal in California, who cares?


You should! 
"Hedgehogs are illegal in the entire state of California. California has a law that deems all animals not specifically listed as legal under State law as being illegal by default. Until such time as California's Department of Fish and Game is willing to consider hedgehogs for legal status, they will continue to be* considered contraband pets and may be confiscated and either moved out of state or destroyed.*" (http://hedgehogcentral.com/illegal.shtml)

That doesn't bother you at all? It certainly bothers me..


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## Gnarly

Porkybubs said:


> And for them being illegal in California, who cares?


It's extremely irresponsible and selfish to own an animal where they are illegal, they can be confiscated and euthanized. 
It's extremely unfair to put an animal's life in danger, just so you can have it.


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## Zalea

I agree with those of you who are concerned about hedgehogs being illegal in California. That should be a concern, and porkybubs definitely needs to think about that in the future. I think the bigger concern right now, though, is finding the poor little guy.

He was probably hiding in something inside the room, like in the back of a couch/lounge chair (my cat likes to get in the back of our home recliner so if she can do it, a hedgie could too). Did you look in every dark place in the room and under everything? Get down on the floor and look around from his perspective. He could even be in a closet under clothing or some place similar. Near a heating vent, even. I'm not sure why you took everything out of the room, but it could be very hard to locate him now if you moved stuff all over the house. Try isolating every room. Shut all the doors you can, put up gates, etc. That way if he's in a certain room and moving around he won't be leaving that room. Put food and water in each room--preferably something smelly, like moist cat food or baby food (but I'm not sure how well that will work with your cats around so you might have to come up with something else). And if you DO find him, try to find somewhere else for the cage that's a little closer to the floor. And get a better top...

That said, I have to agree with sebian, though. It's not likely that you're going to find him in a healthy state if he's still alive. You might want to emotionally prepare yourself for that--and be ready for a FAST trip to the vet if he's still breathing. And if he's not, you should seriously reconsider before getting another.


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## Porkybubs

Alright Thankys guys i will look around. How come he wouldn't not be in a healthy state, what if hes found himself a nice warm area and eats small bugs? Of course there is always water factor.


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## smhufflepuff

How about, for right now, we focus on helping the OP find his hedgie. And worry about the legal/illegal status later? True, it might affect the OP's ability to find a hedgie-friendly vet... But let's find the little guy first.

From what a hedgie expert named Vern had written awhile back let me offer the following:
"If you have her/him in your lap and fall asleep, s/he will eventually find his way to the floor; or if s/he escapes from his cage and gets loose, you have two choices: find her/him or let her/him find you.
If you start to search for her/him you are committed, it is too easy to inadvertently block her/him into a corner or crevice or between things as you move items around searching for her/him. This is absolutely crucial. If s/he cannot get out to water and food, the conclusion is self-apparent. Set her/his food dish and water out where s/he can get at it, and watch for him/her in the evenings.
There are several recommended methods of catching a wandering hedgehog: one trick is to
put his/her food and water in a brown paper bag, you will hear him/her as s/he walks on the paper; another option is to sprinkle a light dusting of flour on linoleum and hardwood floors, the telltale footprints will lead you to his/her hiding place (or at least assure you s/he is still among the living)."


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## Luck

My hedgie usually comes to me at night when he escapes.


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## drowsydreamer

Porkybubs said:


> How come he wouldn't not be in a healthy state, what if hes found himself a nice warm area and eats small bugs? Of course there is always water factor.


how come? HOW COME? Surving a 5 foot fall, possibly tumbling down stairs, BEING COLD, not having food or water....oh yah, it's really difficult to see how those things could affect his health. :shock: The fall could have seriously injured him. The cold could lead to hibernation, or he could be starving. None of those things sound healthy to me. Of course it is possible that he found a heat source and has been eating spiders for a week, but probably not likely, and even so, still probably not healthy. Poor little guy.


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## sebian

You could try setting up the top part of his cage (assuming it's a wire top) on the floor in the room with his normal setup under it (including food, water, treat, something to cuddle with) and leaving the door (again assuming it's wire) open and keep an eye on it. Hopefully he'll smell the food and at least you'll know he's eating something, although ideally he'd cuddle up and fall asleep...

If you were the only one to open the door to that room for a brief moment, then I can't imagine you wouldn't see/feel/hear him run past you, so he's probably still in the room hiding. Even though you already moved the furniture, check again. He may have gotten scared when you moved stuff around and changed hiding places. Just be sure you put plenty of food (and water) down all around and count the kibble (assuming you feed him kibble of some sort). Make sure you look under any dressers/beds/furniture and look in closets/crawlspaces. Hopefully you don't have a vent or anything in the room that he could've fallen down-- they can be very determined to open/move something if they set their minds to it.

I would also check adjacent rooms top to bottom. And if that doesn't work, I'd tear up the whole house.



Porkybubs said:


> How come he wouldn't not be in a healthy state, what if hes found himself a nice warm area and eats small bugs? Of course there is always water factor.


A 5 foot drop is HUGE for such a small animal.That would be like me dropping a hedgie from my shoulders while standing. He more than likely injured himself and thus wouldn't be eating normally because he's in so much pain (assuming that it's just a broken leg and not some sort of punctured lung or something worse). If he landed on his back, that could very possibly be some sort of spinal injury, not to mention the pain from broken/bent quills.

Speaking of which, have you seen any quills lying around? If they're unhealthy, hedgies tend to get rid of them and grow new, healthier ones. Even from the stress of the fall, he more than likely lost a few. Perhaps he left a trail of quills behind...

I really really hope you find him :?


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## Porkybubs

The room he stays in is a guess room so there is only a bed / dressor / fridge / closet. I checked the whole out inside and out.

My biggest concern is my room next to it has a small hole in the wall because of a leak and we repaired it, he can be inside the walls but i would assume i could hear him walking around.

I will try the paper bag method, though my cats are kinda dumb and will maybe fight the bag. 

If hes inside the house there is food + water upstairs and downstairs (dogs and cats). But i do no see one trace of him. He was a poop machine. 

I have set up a camera for the front yard to see if he runs by or anything. Ive only seen a fat possum run by.


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## lilhoglet

I'm sorry to say that unless he's hiding in your house he is probably not alive. Aside from everything else that has been said there are predators outside, especially in CA.  

Hopefully he's found a safe place in your home and is just hiding there.


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## Melissa

With your "lack of caring" responses to everything I would have to say you are a troll. You dont seem to care that he fell, you say you are the ONLY one to open the door yet you didnt see him get out, you casually mention about a hole in the wall and it being repaired so he might be in the wall, you dont seem to realize that if he is out side eating bugs that they could poisoned with pesticides AND you dont care about the laws in your own state which will put down your animal if they find that you have them.

The reason the law is like that in Ca is because of a situation like this! Ca law makers feel that if an hedgehog gets out, because they are not native to Ca that they will intrrupt the ecosystem.

I wouldnt be surprised with the stupidity that you have shown on here that some person came into your house and took your animals.. Since you have made every other horror possible. 

I sincerely hope that someone else finds the hedgehog and finds it a proper home because your blatant disregard and stupidity you have about this situation proves you dont deserve an animal.


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## laurennicole

WOW you dont care about hedgies at all! why would you want to risk the hedgies life! you dont deserve a hedgehog!!


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## Porkybubs

Melissa said:


> With your "lack of caring" responses to everything I would have to say you are a troll. You dont seem to care that he fell, you say you are the ONLY one to open the door yet you didnt see him get out, you casually mention about a hole in the wall and it being repaired so he might be in the wall, you dont seem to realize that if he is out side eating bugs that they could poisoned with pesticides AND you dont care about the laws in your own state which will put down your animal if they find that you have them.
> 
> The reason the law is like that in Ca is because of a situation like this! Ca law makers feel that if an hedgehog gets out, because they are not native to Ca that they will intrupt the ecosystem.
> 
> I wouldnt be surprised with the stupidity that you have shown on here that some person came into your house and took your animals.. Since you have made every other horror possible.
> 
> I sincerely hope that someone else finds the hedgehog and finds it a proper home because your blatant disregard and stupidity you have about this situation proves you dont deserve an animal.


Okay your comment was 100% dumb. I'm trying to think as positive as possible. So he fell 5 feet should i instantly think hes dead and stop looking? I took perfect care, i left down for 4 days, he has a big cage plenty of food and water, etc. I don't care enough about the CA law on hedgehogs, my hedgehog was well worth breaking the law. I hope you don't ever go over 45 mph and follow every single rule. For the bugs being poisonous that's like saying anything can be poisonous, odds are they aren't but can be.


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## sebian

Wait.. you repaired the hole AFTER you knew your hedgie was gone?!?!?!


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## lilhoglet

Great, if he is in the wall he is now trapped and since he is not a rodent he can't even chew his way out >.<


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## laurennicole

ahhh i feel so bad for the pour little hedgehog  wheres is your commen since?????!?!?!?!? are you trying to KILL your hedgie?!?!??!!!?? you do not deserve a hedgehog!! :evil: :evil:


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## Hedgiepets

Ok, everyone, there has been enough negative posts. If you can not contribute to this post in a positive way, please do not contribute.


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## Porkybubs

No the hole is still there, im going to be cutting holes in the wall tomorrow looking for him. I put some pieces of paper taped to block it but weak enough he can rip through it. I put a camera in there and looked around didn't see anything. 

I put food in every room and shut the doors. Im going to go buy some night vision goggles so hopefully i can see him running around!!!


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## sebian

Is there an update?

Did you find your little one yet????

I hope so


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## roxy

porkybubs, is been almost 3 weeks since your last post. whats goin on ?? did you find your hedgie ???? give us an update !


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## numothehedgehog

I hope everythings alright.


Give us a update soon!


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## Alicat42

I hate to agree here but You probably wont find him, a week gives him a lot of time to find hiding spots all over, and being injuered he might not make it through the week.They can gain a lot of ground for being small.

Why did you not have a lid on the cage? You should really research into a pet before you jump in to getting one, otherwise you would have known that hedgie are able to climb. Some may not like to, but that doesnt mean they cant.

On top of that, California and other states/provinces have a reason why certain critters are illigal. They dont do it just to make people angry. The reason being hedgehogs are not native to that environment, and can cause some damage if they became ferral, or loose. They may threaten other species of animals living in California by cause competition for food, or habitat. They can also harm native preditors with their quils, and biting. Preditors not accustomed to this sort of pray could be seriously injured. Snakes included, some species of hedgehogs would eat snakes in the wild. Even though they are domesticated they still have instincts. And if I a snake were to try and eat a hedgehog (as grim as it may be) if it doesnt go down the right way the quills could kill the snake. 
And its very true, you need to be a responsible owner, if your pet is seized its likely you may not get it back. You should look in to getting a permit or warrent. I know provinces in Canada will legally give an owner a permit for owning ferrets, hedgehogs and other exotics if you take it up with them.


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## Nancy

Alicat42 said:


> I know provinces in Canada will legally give an owner a permit for owning ferrets, hedgehogs and other exotics if you take it up with them.


Hedgehogs are legal just about every where in Canada with the exception of a few cities. No permit is needed.


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## Alicat42

Really? When I talked to the breeder I bought my hedgehog from she asked me a bunch of questions about where I'd be taking my hedgehog and told me if I were going to take it to any other province I'd have to get a permit. Wait! :shock: You're right! Sorry! I was thinking of breeding permit!!! Disregard that. Sorry! Good thing you pointed that out!

Well, positive searchign ideas for hedgie... Have you looked under EVERYTHING? When I lost luna the first time I cleaned her cage she was under my bed. Have you closed all the doors, and garage door now? I think you should, this way if the hedgehog is still in the house it can't get outside now. Its too bad you couldnt get some sort of heat sensing camera and use that to scan across the walls. Put wet cat food in the hole in the wall. 
You could get cat traps and bait them with food, they're humane! The cat/hedgehog/skunk goes in to eat the food and the door closes behind them. They get the food, but they're just in this little cage that looks like a cat carrier. And put a bunch of those out. Might catch your cats, or soemthing else but maybe you'll catch your hedgehog. If you go online there are people who feed wild hedgehogs, and attract them to their garden by building a hedgehog lodge. You could try using their food they use. I'd say wet cat food but your own cats might like that too.
Check around your house, look for holes or nooks where it could hide. And in your yard. Use a flash light. I'd get a glove on and reach down in them. But thats up to you. 
thats all i've got right now, sorry.


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## swjart1

Help we have lost our new hedgehog...we have one already and got him a friend...our older one (about a year) never has tried to escape the cage we bought at the reptile store for him but our new one (had two days) managed to escape yesterday. We have spent the night up sitting in a dark house with her food out but to no avail. We searched everywhere like a dozen times. Is there anything else we can try?


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## betha.earl

You should probably start your own thread for your question, because this one is from 2008.


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