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Common Ailments
The symptom is listed as a clickable link. When you click this, it open a list of common ailments that have that as a symptom. From there, you can go down to the Common Ailments section and look to see which best fits your hedgie's symptoms; you can also click the word and it will drop the page down, putting the ailment clicked at the very top of the screen. This information is general, and doesn't necessarily mean that's what your hedgie has--many symptoms occur with different illnesses/problems. The best policy is always to consult a vet.
DISCLAIMER:
These are a few common things that hedgehogs will sometimes develop/get. These are just some general descriptions I put up for guidelines. I am NOT a vet or expert, and do not claim to be. These guidelines are not a substitute for veterinary advice and care.
Abscesses in mouth: These are infections in the mouth/face/jaw/throat, usually caused by cavities or tooth problems. It will often be noticed if the hedgie starts avoiding hard foods or starts eating on one side. See the vet to confirm this and start a treatment for the infection.
Allergies: Often looks like crusty zits (red, puffy, flaky or scabby patches on faces or feet); the hedgehog will often have excessive itching; the patches may appear/disappear frequently. Changes in things can cause this. A different bedding, a different detergent on liners, or new foods, etc. Food allergies will often show up because of exposure over time as well, not necessarily always because of a change in food. You should take the hedgie to the vet to figure out the best way to determine the cause (or if it's even an allergy, as sometimes infections can show up in the same way).
Arthritis: Can cause limping. Usually shows up when the hedgehog is getting up there in years. If it is arthritis, you can start giving a little glucosamine chondroitin sprinkled on top of the food. If it really causes pain, the vet can give you something to manage the pain and inflammation.
Bladder infection: Urine discoloration, straining to urinate, frequent small urination or a complete inability to urinate. The pain caused by a bladder condition can cause reduced appetite and lethargy. If your hedgie has any of these signs you should get to a veterinarian as soon as possible so the vet can put the hedgie on an antibiotic.
Cancer: Cancer is very common in hedgehogs, and often shows up after 2 years of age (sometimes younger). This can happen anywhere on the body. If you notice any lumps/bumps, that your hedgehog is having trouble eating (possible jaw tumor), any blood in the urine, or any unusual activities (like seizing or shaking), take your hedgehog to the vet immediately to have the issue checked out. Hopefully it's not cancer, but only your vet will be able to tell you for sure.
Choking: Read the "What can you do to preserve time (and life) in an emergency situation?" section of this page: Health Care/Vet
Cloudy or bulging eye: If it's happened quickly, it's probably because of trauma/injury to the eye (like bumping into something or catching it with a toenail while scratching). Gradual onset could be from an infection or cataracts. Go see the vet immediately to lessen the chances of losing the eye.
Diabetes: drinking lots of water, seizing. The vet can do a test to confirm this. It is manageable, but it requires strict diet and care from you. Read about Tatter the diabetic hedgehog and her story, and be sure to consult your vet.
Diet: Diet is one of the most important parts of hedgie ownership. The guidelines outlined in Food Choices are there for a reason. What you feed your hedgie can influence certain things, like skin color and weight. Feeding too many yellow foods (like sweet potatoes or carrots, etc) can cause yellowing of the skin. And feeding foods that are too fatty can cause obesity, which can lead to a lot of different problems. Before you have a concern about your hedgie's health, you should be sure to examine what exactly it is you're feeding to him/her, and know if it might cause any issues down the line.
Discharge/watery eyes: Could be from infection, mites, or an injury. The best course is to go to the vet.
Dry skin: Often caused by mites or fungus. If mites and fungus have been ruled out by a vet, there are a few other things to take into consideration. Bedding can dry out skin. Dietary problems can also be an issue. Or even just the season; hedgies tend to get dry skin during winter. Try putting a humidifier in the room. A few drops of flax seed oil added to kibble once or twice a week can help (try buying the human capsules and giving from 1/2 a capsule to 1 capsule full--too much can cause diarrhea, so I would recommend using just a few drops [then tossing the rest because it will go bad after being punctured] the first few times, then slowly increasing to 1/2 a capsule, then to NO MORE than 1 capsule full if desired)
Ear Fungus: Ears should look smooth and rounded around the edges. If there are "fingers" growing from the ears, there may be a fungus growing on them. It is usually a common wood fungus that comes from wood products like bedding or newspaper. The fungus lives under the growths and slowly eats away at the ears. Go see the vet, because it will continue to chow down on your hedgie's ears if left untreated.
Ear infection:
- Inner ear infections usually cause a tilting of the head to one side. See the vet.
- Bacterial ear infections are characterized by discharge, usually a liquid consistency, and often with a foul smell. Hedgehog can be sensitive to touch on that side of the face. The vet can do a culture to see what bacteria it is, or may just give a broad spectrum antibiotic. Go see the vet, as these can be serious.
Fatty Liver Disease (FLD): Characterized by jaundice (yellowing of the skin) especially around armpits, lethargy, refusal to eat, and severe sudden weight loss/gain. Little is known about the cause of this disease, but it is suspected that diet and exercise play an important role, as overweight hedgies tend to get it more often. This is a disease that causes the liver not to function properly. Feeding low-fat foods and having an exercise wheel in the cage are steps to help avoid this, and are part of the treatment. If your hedgehog develops any of the symptoms above, go to the vet so you can find out for sure what's going on and if it truly is in fact FLD (because sometimes diet can cause yellowing skin, as well).
Fleas: Fleas can cause excessive scratching. If you see fleas on your hedgie, give a bath with kitten safe flea shampoo (containing Pyrethrin).
Foreign object: If your hedgehog is limping, check the legs to be sure that no hairs or strings are wrapped around them. You should be doing leg checks daily. If your hedgehog seems to be choking/having trouble swallowing, check the mouth to be sure nothing's caught in there.
Ingrown quill: Looks like an angry pimple or boil. The best action here is to go see the vet, who will probably lance and remove the quill. It is unsafe to do so yourself, because if it is infected it can release toxins that can cause illness.
Lumps/bumps under skin: Tumors and cancer are very common in hedgehogs. See a vet to find out what the lump is and how to treat it most efficiently.
Mites: Mites can cause quill loss, bald spots, excessive itching, dry skin, ragged ears, and sometimes granular ear drainage. If your hedgie has any of those symptoms, get to the vet as soon as possible. Left untreated, they can cause sores, infections, and eventually kill your hedgie. A treatment of cat or kitten Revolution usually does the trick for mites. Put a drop or two between the shoulder blades or behind the ear. DO NOT let your vet give your hedgie a shot of Ivermectin as treatment--this has been known to kill hedgies and cause serious damage: HHC Ivermectin injection goes bad. Revolution is much safer. Mites come from wood products, and often are in commercial wood chip beddings. If your hedgehog gets mites, thoroughly clean the cage and remove any wood products, as they are impossible to disinfect and can keep harboring mites and eggs. If you use wood bedding, consider switching to liners.
Pneumonia: bubbles from nose, raspy breathing, lethargy, and unwillingness to eat. Usually appears following an injury or medical problem, including extended/repeated hibernation attempts. Can also develop from Upper Respiratory Infections that weren't treated. This is often bacterial and can be treated with antibiotics. See the vet immediately if you suspect this.
Poop problems: In addition to the info here, check out this link for "The Scoop on Poop".
- constipation: characterized by a hard, extended/expanded abdomen and decreased stool. Try putting hedgie in a couple inches of warm water for a quick relief. Afterward, try feeding a little canned pumpkin (unseasoned; not the pie filling, which has added spices). - diarrhea: can occur from too quickly changing foods, giving too much flax seed oil, etc. Try giving a little canned unseasoned pumpkin (not the pie filling). If that doesn't help, and the diarrhea lasts more than a day or two, go to the vet. - green: can be caused by stress (hedgies that move to new homes often have green stools for a day or two following the move), a sudden change in food, too much of a food/treat (ie 6 mealworms one night when the hedgie usually only gets 2), or illness. If it isn't from a food change, wait a day or two to see if it clears up, and if it doesn't go go the vet.
Pregnancy: Female hedgehogs have a 34-46 day gestation period. Some can take up to 55. Some will gain a LOT of weight during this time, and others you won't be able to tell. A vet would do an x-ray to see if there are any babies, but these are often inconclusive. If you think your hedgie might be pregnant, set up a sterlite cage with some kiln dried bedding in it, remove the wheel from the cage, and put a nest box in the cage--it's better to be prepared than to be surprised. This can happen if you bought your hedgie from a pet store that housed a lot of hedgies together, or if you took in a rescue that you weren't given an accurate background for. You should never be housing males and females together unless you intend to breed! Do as much research as possible about the matter so you're prepared.
Quilling: Occurs when the hedgehog is young, usually about 8-12 weeks. Some hedgehogs only lose 1-2 quills a day, some lose a lot--there should be no bald spots appearing, though. If you move the quills back, often you can see new quills poking through the skin. Try giving an oatmeal bath to help the quills come in easier (see the bathing section). Some hedgehogs quill for a short time, others quill for months. If your hedgehog is older than this, or losing big patches of quills, check with your vet because it could be any number of things including mites, stress, or a hormonal imbalance. See quilling for more information about what it is and what to expect.
Staph infection: Usually look like crusty looking bumps on the skin, often on legs, feet, and face. Babies get them randomly, and it's not usually something you or the breeder can avoid. The best thing to do is go to the vet and get a diagnosis from them. They're treatable (depending on the strain) if caught early enough.
Tattered Ears: Can be caused by mites or just dry skin. It is typically a waxy build-up that can easily be dealt with. Try putting some human nipple cream (Lanolin) on the ears a few times a week to moisturize. Vitamin E oil, and Vaseline can be used too but are less desirable than the nipple cream. Lanolin is in the infant section (it's normally used by nursing mothers). Vitamin E comes in capsules in the pharmacy. Try rubbing a little Lanolin or Vitamin E on a cloth and letting the hedgehog interact with it while you put it on their ears to make the task a bit easier. After a few days, if it's a waxy build up the wax should easily rub off.
Upper Respiratory Infection (URI): Characterized by bubbles from nose, runny nose (especially with yellow/green snot), sneezing, watery eyes, coughing, and loss of appetite. A hedgehog exhibiting these symptoms HAS to see a vet immediately. Left for too long (even a few days) this can turn into pneumonia, which can be fatal.
Uterine cancer: Female hedgehogs only; blood in urine. Have the vet to gas her and insert a fine needle into her bladder to pull out some urine to be tested (test can be done in their office). They will check for blood and bacteria in the urine, which would indicate an infection that could be treated with antibiotics. If neither is present, that means the blood is from the uterus and she needs to be spayed to eliminate the problem. If this is the case, opt for laser surgery because this yields less blood loss and holds a faster recovery time.
Urinary Tract Infection (UTI): Characterized by blood in urine. Vet will do tests to confirm, so get to the vet as soon as possible. Treatable with antibiotics.
Vestibular Syndrome: This is an ear problem characterized by being off balance, dizziness, circling in the direction the head is tilted, rapid eye movements, vomiting, and reduced appetite. It can be quite scary for the owner, as the hedgehog is disoriented and falls over constantly and almost seems drunk, but it is treatable. See your vet. HWS NEWSLETTER #12, SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2004 has an article about vestibular syndrome on page 6.
Wobbling: This can often be caused by a hibernation attempt. Afterward, the hedgie will probably be a little unsteady, which will look like wobbling. It can also be caused by an ear infection, an injury, or even arthritis. If it is not from a hibernation attempt that you know about and have dealt with, you should go to the vet. Note that wobbliness that comes on suddenly is NOT Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome.
Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome (WHS): Characterized by wobbliness and the inability to stand upright or walk straight. It often starts with paralysis in a hind leg, causing the hedgie to drag a leg or to tip to one side. It moves slowly forward until the hedgehog cannot stand or walk. It is unknown what causes this disease, but it is believed to be genetic. This is a fatal disease, causing complete paralysis, organ failure, and death in the end. There is no test to tell if the hedgie has it, but the symptoms are unmistakable (the only test that can be done is after death to confirm the WHS diagnosis). If your hedgie has this disease, please note that you can still give him/her a good quality of life and that there are steroids that can slow the progression of the disease. Consult with your vet about what to do next. Unfortunately, as of yet there is no cure. Research is going into this issue, though, and your hedgehog can help with that. This newsletter from the Hedgehog Welfare Society has a lot of information about living with WHS, and the last few pages can tell you what you can do to help with the research: July/Aug 2007 HWS Newsletter. This page from Laura Ledet's website also has a great deal of information: Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome in African Pygmy Hedgehogs. Also take a look at the Hedgehog Wiki page: WHS
Yeast infection: Often a gooey drainage from the ears that's a bit runny. Mites and bacterial infections can also cause ear drainage. See your vet to find out what it is for sure.
