Help! My hedgie is losing soo many quills!!!

[Reggie]

Hi, I'm new.I have been reading the posts on this site for a couple a months so I know you all a little... Anyways... My hedgie Reggie has really flaky skin. I keep taking off big patches of it off with tweezers... and he is losing soo many quills I have collected 120 since August but he has lost around 70 since about 2 hrs ago... Please HELP ME!!! My parents don’t really want to take him to the vet cause I thought he had might a month ago but the vet just said he was very obese. He was 720 grams. ( I didn’t know that they aren’t suppose to eat kitten food) He is 580 now. and his poop is really big. it looks like it could come from a cat. and he is eating 8in1 stuff... Also is he VERY grumpy. is always is.. cause I got him when he was 1 1/2. uhh I think that's all I hope I gave enough detail... Sorry it's soo long...

I hope someone can help... I don’t want to have to make another expensive trip to the vet..

Reggie's Mom :P
PS I use cedar shavings I think I am going to change to a liner though cause my parents are getting made about all the mess shavings make...

[Reggie]

Also I put some vegtable oil on him to help it.. and it's odd cause all the quills he has lost (I think) had the ball on the end.

[Reggie]

Please some one help...

[chin_gal]

I use cedar shavings

Don't know much about hedgies but I believe that may be part of the problem... Cedar shaving are very bad for small animal's respiratory systems, and who knows? Maybe it does effect skin too. I also wouldn't rule out mites or fungus.

[Reggie]

Whoops I meant pine. I went to go check the bag... I have apsen too but I thought it was bad for hedgies ( I had a hamster...)

[LoriL]

It sounds to me like he may need to go to the vet with the flaky skin and quill loss. He may have mites.

But, you can try to give him a bath with Aveeno oatmeal bath treatment (I can buy this at the grocery stores here, it's used for humans). After the bath, put some vitamin E oil on him. A few drops on his back. When Lucy's skin gets really dry, I'll put some oil on my hands, rub them together and then pick her up and make sure my hands touch her tummy.

Lucy recently had some extremely flaky skin and lost only 3 quills. I did take her to the vet and she didn't have mites, just dry skin. After her oatmeal bath and many vitamin E oil treatments, her skin has stopped flaking.

I also believe that getting him off the cedar shavings will be wise.

It's good to hear he's lost some weight!

[Vincent]

Hedgehogs can get mites from shavings, so the sooner you switch to liners, the better. Also, cedar is one of the worst shavings you can get for hedgehogs and other small animals, as it does cause the aforementioned respiratory problems. :) Switching his bedding to liners should drastically reduce his chances of getting mites in the future.

I agree that he should go see the vet again. I know that parents can be difficult to persuade, but a vet is the only person who can determine whether or not your hedgie has mites.

I've also heard that 8in1 hedgehog food isn't terribly good for them. I mean, it's not really a danger, but I've heard it compared to "McDonald's for hedgehogs". It's just junk food. I'm sure that if you offer him some good kinds of cat food, he'll be a bit healthier. There's a thread about it on here:

http://www.chins-n-quills.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93744

Hope it helps!

[Reggie]

The vet told be to get him off kitten food and tht he must eat hedgehog food.

I was wondering why eveyone likes the cat lover's soul so much...

[Pringlesmom]

I think you need to take your little guy to the vet at least one more time to determine the cause of all of this. Try the Aveeno oatmeal bath. You could also mix a TINY bit of olive oil with a cup of water and rinse him with it. Then scrub him down with Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo, then rinse with regular water to get rid of the soap. That might help the dry skin, but not the mites, so a vet is needed.

8iin1 is not healthy for them and it is like feeding McDonald's. Try Royal Canin Slim cat food or Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul Light. Make sure it is light since he is already obese. They can also eat unseasoned, cooked meat like ground hamburger, turkey, salmon (no bones). Fruits and veggies are healthy for them too as snacks. Make sure to cut them up small. I had good luck with baby food too.

I agree with the suggestion to switch to liners. They are a bit expensive initially, but you can wash and rewash them and they eventually pay for themselves. Nancy makes liners. She is on this forum. I used to use Aspen bedding, but it was such a mess. I switched to Carefresh. That is easier to find and buy. Some hedgies like to eat it, so if you do switch to it, keep a close eye on him.

Cedar bedding might be causing some kind of allergic reaction. Hedgies seem to have sensitive skin. Hope our info helps and I hope you can make it to the vet. Let us know the updates.

[Reggie]

Nancy makes liners.

Yeah I've been going to her site.

But still my vet said to feed him hedgehog food.

and not cat food cause he was not a cat.
(actually he said kitten food)

Ok thanks the bath suggestions.

I'm going to go buy some stuff today or tomorrow.

how much are liner's?

Thanks again,

Reggie's Mom