Baby Hedgehogs Prickly Creek Exotics

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There may come a time that your hedgehog gets ill. The information provided here is not to
be construed as medical advice for your hedgehog. Please seek the attention of a veterinarian
for any health problems your hedgehog may be experiencing. The information contained within
this site should not be construed as medical advice.

Mites-
Mites is the most common health problem with hedgehogs. Your hedgehog can get mites from
bedding such as aspen or pine shavings, to picking it up from another hedgehog. Every hedgehog
will get mites at some point in their life, and if left untreated can be life threatening. Mites
are some what like leaches, they burrow deeply into the skin and can be debilitating. Hedgehogs
can become anemic from them as well. In order to properly diagnose a hedgehog, your
veterinarian should take a skin scrape and examine it under a microscope. There are many
varieties of mites. Most people don't even know their hedgehog has mites until their hedgehog
is completely infested or sometimes not until it is too late. Some signs of mites are: quill loss,
flaky irritated skin, itching, and more. If you look through a magnifying glass at your
hedgehog's quills, you may see some white mites on them. The best way to see them as take
a dark almost black cloth, rub your hedgehogs quills and skin onto the cloth, then look through
the magnifying glass at the cloth, if you see little white speckles moving, your hedgehog has
mites. Some treatments are: injections of Ivermectin (which I do not recommend as this can
lead to a hedgehog's death) or acaricidal dips (amitraz), and Revolution. There are ways to
prevent mites, though the theory of prevention can vary between breeder to breeder, or
veterinarian to veterinarian.

Obesity-
High in fat foods and a lack of exercise can lead to obesity, this is the more common health
concern among pet hedgehogs. Insects like crickets and mealworms are high in fat, and should
only be fed a small amount. If a hedgehog does not have a running wheel, chances are they are
not getting enough exercise. Improper diet and exercise, or a quick weight loss can lead to liver
disease.

Weight Loss-
If your hedgehog looses a noticeable amount of weight in a short period of time, that maybe
an indication that your hedgehog is ill. Seek immediate veterinary attention, illnesses such as
cancer, heart disease, or other problems are hard to notice as most can not be seen.

Dental Disease-
Hedgehogs on soft food diets are at a greater risk of dental disease. It is really best to
keep your hedgehog on a crunchier brand of food that is made for hedgehogs. Healthy teeth
should appear white in color, healthy gums should appear pink to dark pink in color. Signs on
dental disease include drooling, fowl breath, red or swollen gums (bleeding can occur as well), and
tooth decay. If you notice your hedgehog's food intake decrease, check for those signs, it may
be the reason for his loss of appetite.

Shipping Stress-
Hedgehogs can develop what some breeders call shipping stress. Hedgehogs can get it from long
car rides or being flown. Signs of shipping stress may include diarrhea, green runny stool, loss
of appetite, and less active. If your hedgehog is showing signs you need to get him/her to the
vet right away. Amoxcillin is usually prescribed. If at any time your hedgehog is placed on
antibiotics, you will need to feed them plain yogurt. The plain yogurt will replace the good
bacteria back into your hedgehogs intestinal tract.

Eye Infection & Disease-
Often a hedgehog can get an unfriendly poke in the eye from another hedgehogs quills, this
can lead to an injury that left untreated can result in a bacterial infection in the eye. If the
bacterial infection goes untreated, it can cause blindness to the eye. Hedgehogs can become
blind with age due to cataracts and glaucoma just like humans. If your hedgehogs eyes are
not bright and clear, you should have a vet determine what is causing the eye problem.

Respiratory Infections-
Bacterial infections are the most prevalent cause for a hedgehog to have respiratory
problems. If your hedgehog has discharge from the nose, difficulty breathing, shallow or
short breaths, looks like your hedgehog is gasping for air, and loss of energy, your hedgehog
may have a respiratory infection. If at any time you suspect your hedgehog is having any
difficulty breathing, seek a vet immediately! If left untreated, a hedgehog can die from this.
Chest x-rays can be done to determine if their is an infection in the lungs, and then proper
antibiotics can be given at that time.

Kidney Disease-
Is something more of a problem in older hedgehogs who lack proper diet and exercise. Very
few symptoms are ever present, but can include loss of appetite, lethargy, and/or changes
in the pattern of urinating. Ultrasounds can sometimes show cancer of the kidneys, but blood
work or urine tests may also help determine if kidney disease is present.

Fatty Liver Disease-
Also effects older hedgehogs who lack proper diet (high in fat) and exercise. The most common
symptom is the hedgehog being overweight, and slight yellowing of the skin under the forearms
and belly.

Cancer & Tumors-
Yes, hedgehogs can develop tumors. Not all tumors are cancerous, but a study was done at
the Baltimore Zoo in 1983 and their findings were that 53% were life threatening. If you
suspect that your hedgehog has a tumor, you will need to take him/her to the vet immediately
for a biopsy/removal. Not all tumors can be seen with the naked eye, even more so if a hedgehog
has cancerous tumors on the kidney's, it would only show up during an ultra sound, or when a
necropsy is being preformed.

Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome (WHS)-
Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome is a neurological disorder. It can appear as a progressive paralysis
in your hedgehog, starting from the butt and working its way up to the head. It is usually a
genetic disease, but hedgehogs raised on commercial cat food seem to have a high risk of
developing this disease as well. Some signs can be: your hedgehog may seem a little dizzy when
walking, loss of balance, dragging its hind legs, paralysis, and more. WHS is something that
generally starts showing symptoms around 18 months of age, currently there is no way to test
animals for it until after they have passed and a necropsy is preformed. Always make sure
your hedgehog is warm, some hedgehogs that are too cold may try to hibernate, and they can
seem like they have WHS when they are too cold. If you suspect your hedgehog has WHS, you
should make sure to have a necropsy done immediately after his passing, and report the findings
to your breeder so they can make sure to take note that a genetic disease was present and
to prevent further breeding.
*NOTE*- If you are noticing that your hedgehog is shaky, having difficulty walking, or any
other symptom, don't be too quick to assume that it is WHS. WHS does not normally develop
rapidly, it is a disease that usually (not in all cases) shows up starting one symptom at a time
and can further develop more symptoms gradually over a longer period of time.

Two web sites I highly recommend reading for more information are as follows: Wobbly Hedgehog
Syndrome In African Pygmy Hedgehogs and The Hedgehog Welfare Society and go to Wobbly
Hedgehog Syndrome Research Project and watch the video footage of a hedgehog suffering
from WHS. The Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome Research Project accepts donations via PayPayl, to
make a donation to this wonderful research organization, go to PayPal and send your
donation to:
donations@hedgehogwelfare.org

Spondylosis-
Can be misdiagnosed as WHS, but they are completely different disease. Hedgehog's generally
appear reluctant to walk or run on their wheel properly. They may look like they are walking
funny, loosing balance, etc. As a hedgehog ages, their spines start to get degeneration of the
bones, or mineral deposits (known as bone spurs), which causes abnormal bone formation. This
can cause the hedgehog severe pain, leading them to loose balance or walk funny. The only way
to have this properly diagnosed would be to take the hedgehog in for x-rays.

This is a small list of illnesses and diseases that could pose threat to your hedgehog. It is best
to learn the routine of your hedgehog. Get to know how much they eat and drink, how active
they are, their weight, feel their body for lumps at least once a month. The better you know
your hedgehog, the quicker you will be at realizing something may be wrong. If at any
time you suspect something is wrong, please seek the advice of your vet as soon as possible.

The information & photos found on Prickly Creek Exotics web site may not be used on any other web site, web page, or anything else without written permission from us. Copyright © 2001 Prickly Creek Exotics Web Site. All rights reserved. Revised: 3/17/2008