new hedgie.....not happy.

[hedgewood]

Hey guys, so sorry I haven't posted for ahwile.

I got a new little girl on Sunday, her name is Pixie. I rescued her from the confines of a pet store acquarium. She was sooooo sweet, and such an explorer. Never hissed, never bit and rarely even rolled up. We bonded so quickly. The dimwits at the pet store had no idea what sex she was, and would not even handle her without a towel. Anyway, I am totally in love with her precious little baby face, she has been so wonderful.............until last night:eek: :eek: .

I took her out of her cage for some quality time, and she was a complete little grouch. She was huffy and puffy, jumpy and hissy......growley, she was a HUFFER. I held her for about 30min in a blankey, trying to calm her down and determine what her problem was, finally to no avail, I put her back in her bedroom (cage), and just watched her. It looked like she was hiccuping and then she threw up!!!

I took her to the vet today, they said she is obviously uncomfortable and something is wrong, he guessed that she has a GI infection and prescribed me so antibiotics.

I sure hope she feels better. I know that she is about 3-4mons old, she has lost a few quills and may be going through quilling. Could this be affecting her.

Please advise............

[HedgieSpirit]

Oh dear. Sorry your new baby isn't feeling well. I'm glad that she is now in your hands and she can begin to recover. I have no suggestions or advice really. I just wanted to say that I hope the antibiotics help and that she feels better soon. I'll be keeping the two of you in my prayers :)

[paris26]

Keep in mind that hedgies can get car sick. My newest girls were sick during the trip home. That's a lot of excitement when you think about it from a hedgehog's perspective. As for quilling, she could be going through another quilling due to an unhealthy environment. Has your vet checked for mites?

[Nancy]

Congratulations! I love the name. ;) My newest little girl is a Pixie also. The name just suited her little pixie face.

Quilling certainly can affect their moods. I find there are good days and bad days. Perhaps she was having a bad day. I wonder if she vomited because she got herself so worked up.

Stress can cause quill loss also. :)

[hedgewood]

Her skin was very dry when I got her. She was also very dirty and has a scab on her forehead. I bathed her, and took her to the vet Monday to check for mites. They gave her ivermectin (sp???), but dont figure that she had mites, they think she just has very dry skin from impromper nutrition and care. I dont think it would be care sickness as she hasnt travelled since Sunday, and was fine until yesterday (thursday). Thank you for your advice and kind thoughts, if anyone else has any ideas, please let me know.

[Jessicy]

I hope little Pixie is going to be fine! I don't have any advice since i only had my hog since oct.

[PeaceB2U]

Poor little Pixie. Hope she is feeling better soon.

I've never heard of quilling causing vomiting. Although they can become pretty huffy when they are going through quilling.

You say "It looked like she was hiccuping and then she threw up!!!" Could she have had something stuck in her throat? Has it only happened that one time? Is she still eating OK?

[Love4Hedgies]

Congratulations! I love the name. ;) My newest little girl is a Pixie also. The name just suited her little pixie face.

Quilling certainly can affect their moods. I find there are good days and bad days. Perhaps she was having a bad day. I wonder if she vomited because she got herself so worked up.

Stress can cause quill loss also. :)

First off, CONGRATS! I am glad she is in a good home where she will get the care and attention she deserves. Also, the name is GREAT too! :love:

I was thinking the same this about the vomit. Sounds like she was just very worked up.

How is she doing now, any better? Keep us updated and good luck!

[who00knows]

They gave her ivermectin (sp???), but dont figure that she had mites, they think she just has very dry skin from impromper nutrition and care.

Wow! I would never take my hedgie back to that vet again. I would never give Ivermectin to a hedgehog! Ivermectin is used to kill mites etc on HORSES. Its very very strong and some hedgehogs die after getting this shot. Her throwing up could possibly be because of that shot. My second problem is that they gave it to her without 1. Giving her a skin scrape. 2. Not knowing she had mites, and just gave her the shot anyways! That is insane! I would use kitten revolution for treatment of mites for your future reference.

[kaiteedyd]

Most vets use ivermectin on hedgehogs. I've had ivermectin used on two different hedgehogs. The first time with nothing bad happening. The second time though, I thought the ivermec was causing my hedgehog to be ill. She ended up actually having kidney cancer.

Ivermectin is used for livestock but they dilute it to hedgehog safe amounts when using it for them.

I am suspicious of ivermectin but I wouldn't say it's necessarily bad for hedgehogs. Revolution sounds better, but I have never used it.

I am also concerned they prescribed it without verifying the precense of mites.