EEK! I dropped Hemi!

[hemi_mygirl]

I feel so bad, but I dropped Hemi. It wasn't a long fall, maybe 40 centimeters, but I feel like a bad Mom. She's being particularily squirmy today, and managed to flop herself right out of my hands. And the silly thing didn't even have the presence of mind to roll into a ball. She just landed on my floor with a *plop* and continued flailing her little feet around.

Being the paranoid mom, I immediately picked her up and cuddled her for a bit, and then let her walk around for a while. She didn't seem to be in any pain, but I'm just worried. Can a fall from that distance do alot of damage?

[hemi_mygirl]

EDIT: She also just went wheeling for about 10 minutes, like she normally does every morning. She must not be in too much pain if she can wheel, and run a lap around her cage.

*relieved sigh*

[razzle]

I've had this happen before and I felt so bad! Razzle walked right off the edge of the bed and plopped on the floor. I was also nervous that he was hurt, but it didn't seem to faze him one bit. He was running around like normal. I think their quills cushion the fall. Sounds like Hemi is fine and took the whole thing in stride!

[Nancy]

Yes a drop from that height can do alot of damage. A fall from 10" can break bones or do permanent spinal damage if they land the wrong way.

She sounds fine, but keep a close eye on her for the next few days. If she is on liners, use white ones to watch for any abnormal poops, pees or blood. Make sure she is eating, drinking and eliminating like normal as well as walking, running etc.

Don't beat yourself up over it. We've all dropped one on occasion, it happens. My most memorable and stupid moment was with Missy. Some of our gang have second levels. The igloos are a close fit height wise and have to be slid in. At the time, Missy wasn't a fan of igloos and prefered her hedgie bag. One night Jess and I were busily FCCing (feed, clean, cuddle) and chatting away and not thinking... of course you all know where this is leading.... I just slid the igloo right out and
PLOOP went poor Missy onto the floor. I darn near had heart failure.
She was fine and I'm sure less stressed than I was. :laugh:

[hemi_mygirl]

haha, aww. And yes, Hemi has always been on white liners just so I can always see what color her poop is (my parents think I'm insane for wanting to know, but oh well).

But thank you for your help, she seems fine, as she did the whole wheeling and running thing, as well as taking a bite of kibble and throwing it all over her cage. She also gave the dog a piece of her mind. LOL. You see, I keep Hemi about 24 inches off the floor, which is short enough that our black lab puppy can watch her. Well, Hemi must not have enjoyed how Taz was eyeing her food, and started defending... *squeek squeek hiss*

[HamorHollow]

Hedgehogs have a very complex and specialized muscular system that is designed to protect them if they fall out of trees in the wild. That said, chances are good that no damage was done, but there is always a chance that something could happen.

We try to be as careful as we can, but sometimes falls happen. Try not to beat yourself up about it.

[hemi_mygirl]

Yes, I'd read something about them falling out of trees in the wild, I was just more concerned because Hemi didn't bother curling into a ball. She just kept flailing around. LOL. But until I left for school, she was acting just like normal, right down to hissing at my mother, and leaving a "present" on my floor for me, while she was out playing. I'll keep an eye on her for the next couple days because I'm a paranoid mom. LOL.

Thanks for all the input guys!

[illinidairychic]

I'm sure she's good, but your being worried is understandable. I've had a few that thought it would be fun to escape late at night (I've gotten rid of the cage with this problem since then) and they are always back to their old selves. I hope Hemi is feeling well and she has a good mommie to worry about her soo much :)

[hemi_mygirl]

I just got home from school, and checked her over again. I'm not an expert, but I've watched her waddle around enough that it appears she's not hurting, or favoring any area. She was more concerned to get back into her nice warm bag. But she's alert, and still flails her little paws around when she's being held, so she can get a tummy rub (she honestly loves them). I counted kibbles this morning, and there's less now so she ate something during the day (about 10 kibbles, which is normal). She's nice and warm.

Phew..lol.

[firefly]

That's good to hear! I dropped my Snowball once and felt so bad! She was squirming around in my hands as I was trying to put her back in her cage and she fell... She was okay, but I felt horrible. I suppose it happens to all of us at one time or other.