Dry Skin

[Janine]

I've had my hedgie for about a week now, and she seems to have very dry skin on her back. She also loses 4 or 5 quills a day. But, at the same time, she never seems to scratch.

Before I took her home from the breeder, the lady gave her a bath with flea shampoo that she said was also good for quill mites. Is it possible she's gotten them since coming home with me? I don't use any wood shavings as bedding, just vellux, fleece and newspaper. I also don't have any other animals.

Also, I was wondering if it may have been a reaction to the shampoo? The stuff was really strong, I had a reaction just from her being bathed in it. Should I bathe her again, just in water? I'm worried of making it worse. I've read that a hedgie's ears are often prone to dry skin, but hers look fine so far.

Is there a such thing as hedgie dandruff? Maybe she needs some "Head and Shoulders" :laugh: .

(just kidding, I would never use that to wash her :) )

Any advice would be great.

[Kalandra]

I'm assuming this must be a very young hedgehog? Possibily in the quilling stage?

If she was with me, I would start with a nice bath and use an oat-meal based soap to wash her with. Dry flakey skin can be a sign of mites, but it can also be a sign of dry air causing her skin to dry out, some shampoos can also cause a drying effect, and some hedgehogs are just more prone to dry skin.

Start with the bath to wash away the dry skin. Then get a good look at her skin. Does she have new quills poking through? If yes, chances are she is quilling and the quill loss is due to that. If she doesn't and if the skin is sore looking, consider taking her to the vet for a mite check.

[paris26]

Aveeno makes a nice oatmeal bath. I dump a teaspoon in the sink and let my hogs walk around in it. I also use a soft bristled toothbrush to get at the poopy quills.

[Janine]

The breeder said she had lost most of her "baby quills". Is this the same thing as quilling?