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[sonicandmikey]

Hey,
i just got my Hedgehog about three days ago, and i have never had one before. He is about 7 weeks old now and today he was doing something very odd, for at least 1-2 min. he was scratching like mad, and all over my bed was white flaky dandruff ( it wasnt moving) and about 3 quills...i dont know whats happening :confused:
also he wont eat anything but his normal dry food, ive tried lots of different kinds of treats ( grapes, banana, fieldberry milk drops for small animals) but he wont go near it...any sugestions?

[Love4Hedgies]

Sounds like the little boy has mites. I would get him to a vet ASAP. About the food, some hedgies are just picky. My girls won't touch a thing. My little boy on the other hand loves everything and anything. Keep trying to offer treats. Just because he doesn't like it one day doesn't mean he won't like it the next. There are some threads on here where people have suggested different treats, I'd look at a few of them if I were you. Good luck and let us know how eveyrhing turns out! :)

[Nancy]

It could be mites but it could also just be dry skin and he is probably starting to quill.

A vet visit certainly would be a good idea just to be sure. :)

[spikethehedgie]

i agree with both if it is dry skin try an oil bath it works great just put a tablespoon of oil in a glass of luke warm water and whilebathing him pour it onto him/her in like little intervals like pour a little than stop then pour some more and work it in with a tooth brush

[sonicandmikey]

thanks for your suggestions, but i found out he is quilling, he has likkle quills just starting to surface, so i read that they get itchy and scrath off the old ones, then the new ones come.. is quilling painfull?

[Love4Hedgies]

It can be. A nice warm oatmeal bath will help sooth his skin.

[Nancy]

i agree with both if it is dry skin try an oil bath it works great just put a tablespoon of oil in a glass of luke warm water and whilebathing him pour it onto him/her in like little intervals like pour a little than stop then pour some more and work it in with a tooth brush

A tablespoon of oil in a glass of water is way too much. You would end up with a greasy slippery hog. A few drops is enough. Using a toothbrush on sore quilling skin would hurt. :)

[Moose]

I agree few drops of oil is quite sufficient. :) Especially since most of it will end up on quills which doesn't do any good except ending up with oily hedgie. I've used a pipette to put the oil directly on my hedgie's skin (as best as you can that is) which worked pretty well. I've also put about 3 drops of oil in a cup of water as a finishing rinse after a bath.