Wobbler's or Hibernation???

[Pringlesmom]

:) Hello! I just registered to this forum. I am excited to talk with all of you about our little hedgies and help each other with problems we might be facing. I am the proud mom of a 3 year old hedgie named Pringle. He is cute as a button (I will display pictures when my boyfriend shrinks them for me). He is also spoiled rotton, but I'm sure we all spoil our hedgies. I bought him 3 years ago when he was only about 6 weeks from a pet store about an hour away. He has such a cute personality and I love him so much. Lately, though, I have been worried and have taken Pringle to the vet many times. He is a healthy little guy and usually only makes me take him to the vet once a year. Recently, his bucket wheel was changed and did not fit in his cage correctly so it wobbled a bit when it spun. I am almost positive Pringle tumbled off of it during the night while I was sleeping. Soon after the new wheel was placed, he started having problems with his legs. He was having a hard time standing up after sleeping and would almost flail to get up. I took him to the vet (numerous times since) and she saw him fall to the side. She thought his front right leg looked a bit swollen and after I took him home and really watched, I noticed that he was limping on him back right leg. I he was put on steroids for anti-inflammatory reasons. I took him back and we had him x-rayed. His bones looked perfect and nothing was fractured or broken. He seemed to be doing better so we took him off of steroids and put him on Metacam. Since he has been on this med for about 1 week, he has been still falling over to the left, not supporting himself at the bowl (but eating nonetheless), but still running on his legs with little limping movements on both sides every now and then. He also will sometimes fall to the side and not try to get up. I read in your article that hedgehog’s who wobble could be semi-hibernated which would cause the wobbliness. How can you determine whether a hedgehog is semi-hibernated? I am trying to be optimistic and trying to see if anything else could be the cause of this behavior instead of this disease. He is not paralyed, he eats, he walks/runs, he does fall over, and does not get up own his own at dinner time. He does get up on his own in the middle of the night to drink and eat. Could you please let me know what I can do to fix semi-hibernation or let me know what you think of this problem?

Thanks for you time.

Denise

[Nancy]

Hi Denise and Welcome to the site.
I'm sorry you are having problems with Pringles.
When they attempt hibernation they usually do not eat very much and therefore do not eliminate as much. Their tummies are cool to cold. Yes they are wobbly and almost seem out of it, certainly not as alert as normal. If they are very cold they usually will not even come out of the quilly little ball. If you suspect he is cool, warm him up slowly either by placing him under your clothes or wrapping him in a towel on a heating pad set on low (only on low). Sit the heating pad on you to make sure he does not get too warm. You just want to slowly warm him. Within about 30 mins you should see an improvement and within an hour he should be back to normal... alert, normal walking etc.

Temperature is not the only thing that can make them attempt hibernation. Hedgehogs need 12 hours of light per day. All you need is a normal (better yet broad spectrum) bulb set near his cage for 12 hours. This is especially important at this time of year when our days are shorter.

An ear infection can make them wobbly and there are many other things that mimic WHS. Check out Tig's site:
http://hedgehogvalley.com/notWHS.html

Good luck with him and keep us posted.

[Pringlesmom]

Thanks Nancy. I went to a few pet stores looking for the Snuggle Plate or something like that. I heard you warm it in the microwave or something. What is the best type of heater for hedgehogs? Also, he is eating...not real steady at the bowl, but is eating and comes out for more at night and eats by himself. My vet said that she doesnt think it is an inner ear infection b\c this wobbliness started in one of his hind legs. I think that maybe he is not hurt anymore from any type of fall he may have had, I have a feeling it might now be just weakness from attempting hibernation. I dont think he feels cool, but I shall check again. Thanks!
Denise

[kaiteedyd]

You may want to try a sonogram to see if there is a tumor. I just lost my hedgehog to cancer who was displaying similar symptoms to what you describe. It turned out to be cancer of the kidney. I'm not trying to scare you but it would be something to think about.

[bloane]

There are many issues that could cause issues like this. It could be a spinal or brain tumor, an ear infection (though the limping doesn't point towards this), arthritis (not surprising with a middle aged hedgehog), or even something to do with the wheel itself. What kind of wheel is it, what is the running surface like, and how big is it?
Becca

[Pringlesmom]

Thanks for your responses. I have since took the wheel out of the cage. It was a wide bucket wheel with a flat running surface. How much did a sonogram cost? Would a regular vet be able to perform that?
Denise

[kaiteedyd]

I didn't do a sonogram because I didn't think my hedgehog had cancer. I imagine they are kinda pricey.

[bloane]

How far around was the wheel? Actually not around, but in a straight line from one side to the other. A 15" wheel is preferred for hedgehogs.
Becca

[Pringlesmom]

His wheel is about 12 inches across. My dad made it from a bucket. I got the directions off of a website. I havent put his wheel back into his cage since his leg has been acting up. I have a few small balls and a squeak toy for him to play with. I saw him walk this morning and it doesnt look like he can run. He scoots with a limp.

[Hedge_girl]

You asked about warming devices and I haven't seen an answer to that question just yet. I use a 150W ceramic bulb (like what might be used for a reptile) and a Snuggle Safe Disk (look in the dog section at PetCo.) The combination of the two, in addition to a closed door, seems to work fairly well. Some people also have personal sized electric heaters. Since these are available with built-in thermostats, it could be a good option if you have really low house temperatures or can't close off the area that your hedgie is in.

EDIT: The ceramic bulb does not give off light which makes it ideal for use with hedgies who tend to be light-shy.