Quest: New hedgie owner questions

[bandymandy]

Just a couple of questions:

1.) I am housing Quest in a 20 gallon aquarium. Is bleach at 1/9 parts a good solution for cleaning?

2.) She seems to hate bugs. I've tried crickets, mealworms, and waxworms and she won't eat them. Should I be worried? I'm feeding her Spike's Delite Chicken and Rice dry food. She's almost 10 weeks old and she's been with us 2 weeks.

3.) I took her to the vet for her well baby check up and he gave her a clean bill of health (not mites or other problems). Now she's very itchy. I use Cleanfresh bedding and crushed corn cobs for litter. There are no other animals in the house. Should I take her back to the vet or is it just that her adult spines coming in are causing her to itch.

Thanks for the help.

:confused:

New :hedge1: mother

[paris26]

Welcome to the forum!

1.) I am housing Quest in a 20 gallon aquarium. Is bleach at 1/9 parts a good solution for cleaning?
Look through the Hedghog Housing and Accessories Section to get some housing ideas. I'm not a fan of aquariums for hedgies. I'll have to double check, but I think your bleach solution still may be too strong. I use 1/4 oz bleach per gallon of water to disinfect but do most of my cage cleaning with hot water and dish soap. My cages are scrubbed down in my bathtub every couple weeks, and then disinfected with a bleach solution monthly. Make sure you rinse really well to get rid of all residue.
2.) She seems to hate bugs. I've tried crickets, mealworms, and waxworms and she won't eat them. Should I be worried? I'm feeding her Spike's Delite Chicken and Rice dry food. She's almost 10 weeks old and she's been with us 2 weeks.
It takes time to aquire the taste for insects, especially with babies. Are feeding live or freeze-dried? With live, you might have to break them in half so they can lick the mealie guts :rolleyes: I would also suggest upgrading the food she's on to something higher quality in the long run. Any changes in diet should be done over a few weeks to allow the tummy time to adjust.
Should I take her back to the vet or is it just that her adult spines coming in are causing her to itch.
Sounds like Quest is starting to quill. I would recommend an oatmeal bath to help sooth the skin. When I had my hedgies on carefresh, they seemed to itch more. I liked it as an alternative to shavings, but when I switched them to fleece liners, just the occasional scratch was happening.

[bandymandy]

Welcome to the forum!

Thank you very much. I am very relieved that there is a forum. We've had her less than 2 weeks and I can't imagine being without her.

Look through the Hedghog Housing and Accessories Section to get some housing ideas. I'm not a fan of aquariums for hedgies. I'll have to double check, but I think your bleach solution still may be too strong. I use 1/4 oz bleach per gallon of water to disinfect but do most of my cage cleaning with hot water and dish soap. My cages are scrubbed down in my bathtub every couple weeks, and then disinfected with a bleach solution monthly. Make sure you rinse really well to get rid of all residue.

When I get her wheel I know I'll need to upgrade her cage. She just doesn't have enough space. There is just so much information out there and so little real time input options. (Another reason I'm super glad there is this forum) I'll make the solution with your specification and just pour it from the gallon jug into the spray bottle. Thanks.

It takes time to aquire the taste for insects, especially with babies. Are feeding live or freeze-dried? With live, you might have to break them in half so they can lick the mealie guts :rolleyes: I would also suggest upgrading the food she's on to something higher quality in the long run. Any changes in diet should be done over a few weeks to allow the tummy time to adjust.

So I shouldn't be worried if she's just eating dry for now. :cool: I'll try the breaking and gut spilling method. (Must really like her) :lovies: Do you have a higher quality brand food that you like? I've looked all over and the reviews are so scattered it's difficult to know if people just use the food or if they've researched it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Sounds like Quest is starting to quill. I would recommend an oatmeal bath to help sooth the skin. When I had my hedgies on carefresh, they seemed to itch more. I liked it as an alternative to shavings, but when I switched them to fleece liners, just the occasional scratch was happening.

Don't they miss the burrowing with the fleece liners? I'll try the oatmeal bath. Thanks so much again.

[paris26]

I work at a humane society and when we use bleach to disinfect, the reccomended dilution is 1 oz bleach:32 oz water. That's what HSUS reccomends so that's what we use. I just worry about bleach residue anytime it's used as a cleaning agent. :|

I feed my crew a mix of the following: Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul Light, Wellness Supermix5 Light, Wellness Salmon, Royal Canin Slim 38, Innova Light and Felidae. Each hog gets a heaping tablespoon a night. Each of my hogs have their favorites among the mix :) I also try to give them a tsp of veggies/fruits. I've had better luck with all of them at least trying it when it's been in the baby food form. They also get chicken/turkey breast and scrambled eggs (microwaved with no oil). I feed freeze-dried crickets or mealies once a week. Live mealies as an extra special treat. Sometimes you have offer a new food several times before deciding that your hedgie doesn't like it. Atticus usd to turn his nose up at scrambled eggs. He sure liked them last week though :laugh:

As far as the burrowing goes, each of my hogs has a hedgiebag to snuggle in and I throw a few extra pieces of fleece in there. Every morning, I usually find Oliver with his liner all bunched up and him getting ready to nap under the liner. Silly boy!

[lyndaj]

First of all, welcome to the wonderful world of hedgehogs! They are wonderful and adorable children.

As for keeping your baby in an aquarium, my Frodo was in a custom made aquarium for at least one year of his life. Folks talk about it getting too hot, just don't allow direct sunlight on it. I cleaned my tank in place mostly with a solution, can't remember what it's called that I got at the pet store for cleaning pet homes.

PS Don't worry about the worm, bug thing. Frodo loved worms but not at first. So far, Samhain and Aidan are not at all interested, but I am sure they will find a taste for them.

[Ododad]

Welcome to the board!
Sounds like your getting plenty of good advice, can't wait to see a photo.

[HedgieSpirit]

Welcome to the board!
Sounds like your getting plenty of good advice, can't wait to see a photo.

Ditto!

[bandymandy]

Welcome to the board!
Sounds like your getting plenty of good advice, can't wait to see a photo.

:( Can't figure out how to post a photo.

[teela1342]

Welcome to the board. This site has been a lifesaver for me. I am a first time owner too.

Pictures: Start a new thread. Scroll down past where you write the message. There should be an option to manage attachments. Then a window should open so you can browse through your files and find what pictures you want to post. There is a size limit, so you may need to shrink your picture. Once posted, you pictures automatically get put in your gallery.

[bandymandy]

First of all, welcome to the wonderful world of hedgehogs! They are wonderful and adorable children.

Thank you so much. It's only been 2 weeks that Quest has been with us and I already have no idea how I lived without her.

As for keeping your baby in an aquarium, my Frodo was in a custom made aquarium for at least one year of his life. Folks talk about it getting too hot, just don't allow direct sunlight on it. I cleaned my tank in place mostly with a solution, can't remember what it's called that I got at the pet store for cleaning pet homes..

I'll look into the solution. She seems happy in the aquaium. I clean it daily and she is out of it at least 2 hours a day with a combination of supervised free running and the ball. I just want what's best for her.

PS Don't worry about the worm, bug thing. Frodo loved worms but not at first. So far, Samhain and Aidan are not at all interested, but I am sure they will find a taste for them.

She eats her hard food and then some veggies. I just think it's odd because her natural diet is bugs. Thanks so much for helping my peace of mind.