always trying to hibernate

[starkissed]

Lately Wallace seems to try to hibernate at least once a week. The room he is in is plenty warm enough, plus he has his own heat source. He isn't very close to a window (because it's drafty) but he does know (or we give him ample opportunity to know) when the sun is up and when it is set. He's in a big plastic container instead of a cage (new change, as we are trying to prevent this hibernation crap from happening anymore...not working...), so there should be no drafts. My main concern is that, being the holiday season we aren't going to be spending as much time at home and can't keep as close a watch on Wallace. Heat is not the problem...any suggestions? (or, as Aaron says, did we get the dumb one and do we just deal with it)

[Kalandra]

Are you keeping a lamp turned on in his room during the day? I have a lamp with a natural light bulb (full spectrum) which stays on so that the girls get about 11 hrs of light a day. It seemed to help us last year when the girls wanted to sleep all the time.

[starkissed]

Will try it when the paycheck comes in on Friday. Thank you :)

[Quince]

Turn the heat in the room up or make the heat source hotter. I have one female that needs higher heat than the others or she will try to hibernate. I keep her container warmer now and she stopped doing this.

[Hedgie_KING]

I know that a hibernating hedgie curls up differenly than a sleeping one but I live in FL so i dont think ill ever get a chance to see one. If you could post a pic that would be nice.

[Kalandra]

Actually they don't curl up any differently. They just cannot uncurl themselves like they would if they were warm, nor can they move very well, etc.

[Hedgie_KING]

are you sure? Im positive that some1 once told me that there is a distinctive difference in the way they curl. well i'd beleive you since your the hedgie expert.

[Kalandra]

Keep in mind that african hedgehogs do not fully hibernate when they attempt to... this is one of the big reasons why it is so life threatening to our pets... I'm going to post an article I wrote a while back with the help of some very knowledgable people (too many to name here). I think it will help you understand what hibernation is to a hedgehog.

When exposed to temperatures that are considered too cold, your hedgehog may
attempt to hibernate. Hedgehogs respond to cold temperatures by slowing down their metabolic rate, however because african hedgehogs do not hibernate in the wild, their metabolic rates do not slow enough for a full hibernation and as a result, an African hedgehog may not recover if they are not revived soon after they attempted to hibernate. Most reports I have seen state it is rare for a hedgehog to survive after 48 hrs in this state.

What can happen if I allow my hedgehog to hibernate?

If allowed to continue to attempt to hibernate a hedgehog can die of starvation, hypothermia, or both. If you do not catch an attempt early enough your hedgehog May become ill as their immune system is easy to compromise while in this state.

What are the signs of a hibernation attempt?

The main sign that a hedgehog is trying to hibernate is that their tummy will feel cold. Other signs include wobblyness, unable to uncurl, unable to stand/hold up their head, won't wake up, etc.

What do I do if my hedgehog is trying to hibernate?

If your hedgehog is trying to hibernate immediately warm them up. Place them on a heating pad placed on low or even close to your body for added warmth. Never place a hedgehog who is attempting to hibernate in warm water. While the warmth from the water may help warm their body, when they are taken out of the water it is easy for them to get a chill, and could cause them to get seriously ill. Most owners have reported that within 1 hr of the hedgehog being placed on a heating pad, the hedgehog was acting more normal again.

If your hedgehog continues to act oddly after warming them up, take them to a vet as your hedgehog may have another health issue.


What is a good temperature for a hedgehog.

It is recommended to keep pet hedgehog between 70-80 degrees F. Anything coolers and you risk hibernation, anything higher and your hedgehog may try to aestivate (similar to hibernation, exect it is a reaction to being too hot). Please also note that your individual hedgehog may not be comfortable at 70F. Some hedgehogs will feel cool when at 70, but at 72-74 are warm enough to be comfortable.

It is also not uncommon to see partial hibernation attempts happening eventhough your hedgehogs environment is well in the recommended temperature range. From the reports I have seen it appears that hedgheogs are very sensitive to the short daylight hours of winter. If your hedgehog is warm enough and still shows signs of trying to hibernate, you may need to leave a light on in your hedgehogs foom to extend the daylight hours for it. I ran into issues with my own hedgehogs, and bought a natural light bulb and left it on so that my hogs were getting at least 12 hrs of daylight.

[Kalandra]

ick, I apologize for all the typos in that. I obviously grabbed the one prior to editing.

[meihee]

NO hedgie_king, there is no difference in how the hedgie curls up-like Kal said, they can't uncurl. They also wobble a lot and tip over.