plz help.. im really worried

[oksk89]

my hog has been acting weird... since i checked him in the morning, he was awake, which was kinda weird since hes always asleep in the morning. but he wasnt moving around. he was shaking and barely moved. when he did move, it seemed like one of his legs was hurt or something. im not sure cuz he only walked for like a split second. but something seemed strange with his walking... i just recently caught a cold... can hogs catch human colds? im really worried....

[Sassy]

Is there a possibilty that he is cold?

[oksk89]

well the thermometer reads 70 degrees

[PrettyHate]

Place your hand on his belly, does it feel warm? or cold? If he feels warm, then chances are the problem is else where. If he feels cold, warm him up ASAP!

Is there the possibility that he could have fallen, and hurt himself?

How old is he?

If you are really worried, and something definently doesnt seem to be right, take him to the vet. It is better that you take him there and find out it is nothing serious, than to wait and have the problem get worse.

[PrettyHate]

70*F is too cold. He should not be any cooler than ~73*F. For some hedgies, even that is too cool.

If the problems he is having are indeed temperature related, I would warm him up ASAP. The longer he stays cold, the more damage can be done. I would wrap him up in something warm, and cuddle him close against your body.

Do you have a heating pad or anything like that under part of his cage to keep it warm? A human heating pad set on low, would work fine. However, keep in mind that the temperature of the air also has to be warm. Having a heating pad, in a cold room will not do much good, because as soon as he leaves his house, he will become cool again.

[oksk89]

i think hes fine now. he was probably just too cold. i put him in my room with the heater on. now he seems fine cuz hes just pooing right now lol
whew

[paris26]

I would strongly recommend a heating pad for your hedgie cage. That way his direct environment is a more appropriate temp. If he's too warm, he'll move his bed away until it's a comfortable temp and vice versa. Heating the room alone will not be enough to keep your hog from getting to cool!

[oksk89]

yup... im planning on buying one on monday

[Nancy]

Also remember that as well as being kept above 73F, hedgehogs also need 12 full hours per day of light. Easy to do. Just have a light near his cage on from 7am to 7pm.

[Schmuzzle's Mom]

I have just gotten a ceramic heat disk by Zoo Med which I mounted about 1 foot over Muzzie's cage. Within 5 min of turning it on, I watched the temp climb to about 77 degrees from 72. I also was using a snuggle safe disk under her pigloo on the outside of her cage, but that heat source only lasts for 7-9 hours. :(

I will try just using the ceramic heat disk alone, and see how the cage temp stays. The ceramic disks last about 4 years and are also supposed to be very energy efficient as opposed to a room heater or heating the whole house lOl :laugh: