Question:

African Pygmy Hedgehog Help - Very Poorly Hedgehog

by  |  earlier

0 LIKES UnLike

I work in a pet shop and around 3 months ago a lady came to me saying she wanted rid of her African PH as she was moving away to work. Not knowing where he would of ended up if i left him, i took him in and since then become extremely attatched. I found out that all she was feeding him was worms and raw meat. He was being kept under the tv in a dark cabinet with no wheel or any play time. Since being with me i have persuaded him to eat dry cat food and he thoroughly enjoys his wheel and was doing fine up until 3 weeks ago when he just seemed to take a funny turn. His back legs seem to be going stiff, he doesn't play on his wheel, he won't eat his biscuits at all and now he has really bad dihorreah. We took him to the vet who didn't really have a clue, he put him on a drip for 5 days and sent him home with some baytril which hasn't done anything for him. Since being home he is still the same but we've found he'll eat wet cat food, but he just sleeps all day, comes out and lays on his side to eat and then crawls back in his house and we never see him again. He is never out on a night anymore and it breaks my heart not knowing a vet that can help him. I've read about different hedge disorders such as WHS that isn't curable however i refuse to give up hope if anyone has any other suggestions. With his diet of mealworms for the first 2 years of his life, could this of made him calcium defficient? I've been supplementing his food with calcium dust suitable for reptiles but he doesn't seem to be improving. I also offered him a heat mat incase he was trying to hibernate but he is still quite stiff. The worst thing im worrying about is his dihorreah as i can't understand what is causing it, unless it is the wet cat food but then i'm caught in a circle as he wont eat the biscuits so if i took the wet food from him he wouldnt be eating anything to see if his runs have cleared up as nothing would be inside to come out the other end. If you have any ideas whatsoever i would sooo appreciate it as my mum is past herself with worry as he is the first pet she has had in ages and we've only had him 3 months and only want the best for him and to make him as comfortable as possible for as long as we possibly can, if it is WHS and this means we eventually have to say goodbye to our spikey little friend, I can only rest knowing i tried my hardest to make him better.

 Tags:

   Report

2 ANSWERS


  1. wow this is too long for me to read


  2. First of all, I am very proud of you for taking in this animal and giving it a home he deserved. From what you have said, I can tell you have done ample amounts of research.

    Where did you find your vet? Many vets are NOT comfortable dealing with hedgehogs even if they are an 'exotics' vet. Check the link below to find another vet to get a second opinion. It may be a bit more of a drive, but it will be helpful to get a proper diagnosis.

    I have never experienced WHS with my herd - I have had hedgehogs for many years now. I cannot tell you for sure if his stiff legs are from WHS or cancer or fracture or just a tummy ache. Get a new vet to check him out ASAP and hopefully you can get this under control.

    If you need any more help or even just someone to talk to, please feel free to email me from my profile page.

    Good luck! (((HUGS)))

Question Stats

Latest activity: earlier.
This question has 2 answers.

BECOME A GUIDE

Share your knowledge and help people by answering questions.