Baby Not Eating- dropping weight...

[aislinsadia]

I am pretty worried.

We have had Cocoa now for a little over a week, she was born on November 25th. On her second day home, 1/13, she weighed in at 212 grams at 7pm. Today, 1/20 she weighed in at 177 grams at 11am. The first few days we brought her home, she drank and nibbled her food (the breeder's mix) probably as much as you would expect her to. She was pooping and peeing fine, I could see evidence of it in her wheel, which she took to the first night I had it in her cage. But for the past few nights, little has changed other than I see the water level decreasing in such an amount that I know that she is drinking healthily. Last night I counted out the kibble- and she didn't eat one piece. I haven't changed or added to the mix at all yet. The breeder had her on some mink food and Spike's Delight.

I have checked on her regularly- she is warm enough, the room temp is a constant 74-75 degrees. She gets adequate light, she has a snuggle safe disc for her to sleep on that I keep warm and change out with another in case it gets cool. She acts fine- in fact last night I had her out on me, and she didn't ball up except when I went to pick her up- she walked all over me and snuggled into me. She was very active and inquisitive. One thing that may be important to note, is that since day one I noticed she seems a little unsteady on her feet. I noticed this with Noodles when he was first brought home, and was very small. Cocoa seems very small, and you can see it in the video I posted of her here-

http://www.chins-n-quills.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131123

So my question is if I missed something? Her set up is currently in our bedroom, where it is draft free and the most quiet area. Is there a formula that I could feed her in the mean time perhaps to fill her stomach at least?

Any help would be appreciated. I know it's only been two days since she last ate, but with her being so small, so young, and knowing hedgehogs can go downhill fast, I thought it best to ask those with more experience.

[Hathery]

I'm not sure of the fat content in the Spike's delight or the mink food, but is it high enough for a baby?

[HedgeMom]

Call around to local vets and get some a/d. It's a canned food suitable for syringing.

Barring that, get some meat baby food, thin it slightly with a little broth, add a pinch of Benefiber and syringe the food into her if she won't eat it from a plate.

I'm a little concerned that you let this go long enough for her to lose a significant amount of weight. ANY indication of a weight loss is reason for a vet visit, which should have happened immediately. She's lost almost 25% of her body weight. At this point she's in danger of not having enough strength to survive.

[aislinsadia]

Thank you HM, I will be sure to get what you recommended. I know that because of the stress of moving, etc, there are times when a hedgehog doesn't eat, and thus may lose weight. For the better part of the week, she has been eating, albeit not very much, but still peeing and pooping normally, and acting fine. When I called the vet the day before yesterday, they recommended that as long as she seems to be settling in, continuing to be active, and eating and drinking, she should be all right. However, this latest stint has me worried, hence why I posted here. I have also been told by the vet when I have shown them my weight records in the past that depending on time of day the weight could seem different. For example, one morning I took Noodles into the vet. I was surprised at their scale's measurements because I had weighed him the night before with a brand new scale and it had said something else. I suppose there could also be something wrong with the scale, but it being digital and only a few months old I doubt it but I suppose it's possible.

At any rate, thank you and I'll be sure to keep you updated. A call to the vet is definitely in order.

[HedgeMom]

Different means 10 g here or 10 grams there in an ADULT hedgehog. NOT 25% of the body weight in ANY animal and not 15 or 20 grams in a baby.

[Nancy]

Not eating the first day or even second day home is quite normal. Not eating a week later is not and is cause for concern. By this point in time her food intake should be increasing. As Hedgemom said, she needs some food in her. I would start syringing her 3-4 times per day until she is eating on her own.

Normally I don't suggest switching foods but get some Royal Canin Baby Cat and add it into her mix. It is a food that many breeders wean their babies onto and the babies love it. It is small, easy to crunch pieces so babies have no difficulty eating it.

Weigh her morning and night at the same time. Weights can fluctuate especially if you weigh before they potty and then again after but not by as much as she's lost for her size.

[aislinsadia]

Different means 10 g here or 10 grams there in an ADULT hedgehog. NOT 25% of the body weight in ANY animal and not 15 or 20 grams in a baby.

Yeah well when I said different it was with a baby and it was close to 15 grams.

At any rate, I went to work and came back with some a/d. First thing I did was hunker down with a syringe and attempt to feed her... I ultimately ended up having to put her in a very shallow basin of water because she would not stop balling up and huffing and I couldn't scruff her while she was already balled- she's still not used to us yet, but it's only been a week. At first, I had her on my lap and she licked the stuff up a bit- but then she spit it out and stopped sniffing it. So that's why I did the water... I really didn't want to, because I haven't even given her a bath yet.

I did get a little poop out of her- and I got her to eat. Her poop was tiny- think constipation, and the only thing that can squeeze out are tiny little balls. After being in the water for awhile, I found it to be slimey-stringy green. She took to the food like a champ! At first she didn't want it, but as soon as she figured out what was coming out of the syringe, she CHOMPED down on it and wouldn't let the syringe go! Total, I attempted to feed her about two cc of food, however she probably consumed close to 1.7 cc of a/d because of spitting some of it out the first time or so. I have set a timer and in four hours, we'll see how hungry she is. She gobbled the stuff up though, I was very happy that she was hungry and showing interest in the food.

Thank you Nancy and HM for your advice.

[aislinsadia]

Not eating the first day or even second day home is quite normal. Not eating a week later is not and is cause for concern. By this point in time her food intake should be increasing. As Hedgemom said, she needs some food in her. I would start syringing her 3-4 times per day until she is eating on her own.

Normally I don't suggest switching foods but get some Royal Canin Baby Cat and add it into her mix. It is a food that many breeders wean their babies onto and the babies love it. It is small, easy to crunch pieces so babies have no difficulty eating it.

Weigh her morning and night at the same time. Weights can fluctuate especially if you weigh before they potty and then again after but not by as much as she's lost for her size.

I know weights can fluctuate at time of day, and usually I am better about it but I was just curious to see what it was this morning after I counter her kibble.. and was shocked. That is another reason why I included time of day in my post- because I knew it may make 3a difference. :)

You are distinguishing between RC Baby Cat and RC Kitten, correct? Stupid question, but I just want to make sure. RC Kitten I have on hand, RC Baby Cat I do not. If she takes to the RC Baby Cat, should I keep her on this until I switch her to adult food if she stays thin, or is RC Baby a temporary aid?

Thank you kindly Nancy :)

Also, how often would you recommend me trying to syringe feed her? You said 3-4 times a day, but do you think it would be a good idea to feed in the middle of the night at this point? It's what I was planning on doing until I know she's back on track, but I just wondered what you guys' advice would be.

[Nancy]

If you have RC kitten on hand, give that to her. The reason breeders start on RC Baby Cat is more because of the size. It is really small pieces just perfect for tiny little mouths. Either one will be fine for her. Yes, she can stay on it for a few months until you switch to adult.

Yes, I would syringe her during the night until she is starting to eat on her own. If you work, I suggest syringe as soon as you get home, before bed, middle of the night and when you get up in the morning. Hopefully she will eat on her own between times.

If she is willingly taking the syringe then she perhaps either doesn't like, or can't eat the kibble she was on. Try breaking it into small pieces. You can also offer her some dampened kibble as well as some canned food.

[aislinsadia]

Just a little update- I got her two eat twice more last night and this morning. I weighed her again, and she gained two grams. Small steps. She also ate about ten of her kibble- five of the RC Kitten, five of the old spikes delight/mink. And she ran on her wheel, and drank water from her bottle overnight as well. This morning I picked up the RC baby, so we'll see how she takes to that. I'd like to get her on my baby hedge mix sooner rather than later, but at this point I don't want to throw too much at her and have even more problems. One variable is enough for now :)