hedgiesrluvd
06-06-2006, 05:06 PM
Hi all,
I've had Ci Wei, my hedgie, for about four months now, and I have a few questions.
1) His urine smells horribly bad... I'm using paper towels for a litter area, which he sometimes uses, and other times decides he'd rather curl up in them. I try to change them daily, but whew! What a smell! I've heard different foods can make hedgies have smellier poos or pees than others. Ci Wei is currently on the "Solid Gold" cat food - is this one that is known to create smellier urine? Or does it depend entirely on the hedgie? Can anyone recommend a food that is less likely to cause strong-smelling urine but is still healthy for my hedgie? Thanks.
2) I'm also finding I seem to be having some minor sinus things going on. I don't know if this is due to the time of year, or if it is perhaps made worse by Ci Wei. I have had allergies in the past to everything living on the face of the planet (plants, trees, grass, dogs, cats, birds, dust, etc), but the allergies died down enough that I'm no longer on any meds for them and have been doing okay until recently. For those here who may have mild allergies to their hedgie(s), or whose family members do, is there anything you can do to keep the reaction to a minimum? Does it help to thoroughly clean the cage more often, like once a day or something? I don't have a lot of time, but will do what I can to fix the problem. I quit using aspen pellets thinking that was the problem, but it seems to be getting worse with time. Primary symptoms are runny nose, sneezing, and occasionally itching eyes. Any ideas are appreciated.
3) Ci Wei doesn't seem to be eating nearly as much as he was a month or so ago, and the same goes for drinking. Do hedgies usually eat/drink more in the wintertime? Or could there be other factors? He is eating a little bit each night, but probably only half or 3/4 what he was before, and this has been going on for at least a week. Should I be concerned, or am I overly worried about the little guy? Thanks in advance for all of your input, and God bless..
-Brooke
I've had Ci Wei, my hedgie, for about four months now, and I have a few questions.
1) His urine smells horribly bad... I'm using paper towels for a litter area, which he sometimes uses, and other times decides he'd rather curl up in them. I try to change them daily, but whew! What a smell! I've heard different foods can make hedgies have smellier poos or pees than others. Ci Wei is currently on the "Solid Gold" cat food - is this one that is known to create smellier urine? Or does it depend entirely on the hedgie? Can anyone recommend a food that is less likely to cause strong-smelling urine but is still healthy for my hedgie? Thanks.
2) I'm also finding I seem to be having some minor sinus things going on. I don't know if this is due to the time of year, or if it is perhaps made worse by Ci Wei. I have had allergies in the past to everything living on the face of the planet (plants, trees, grass, dogs, cats, birds, dust, etc), but the allergies died down enough that I'm no longer on any meds for them and have been doing okay until recently. For those here who may have mild allergies to their hedgie(s), or whose family members do, is there anything you can do to keep the reaction to a minimum? Does it help to thoroughly clean the cage more often, like once a day or something? I don't have a lot of time, but will do what I can to fix the problem. I quit using aspen pellets thinking that was the problem, but it seems to be getting worse with time. Primary symptoms are runny nose, sneezing, and occasionally itching eyes. Any ideas are appreciated.
3) Ci Wei doesn't seem to be eating nearly as much as he was a month or so ago, and the same goes for drinking. Do hedgies usually eat/drink more in the wintertime? Or could there be other factors? He is eating a little bit each night, but probably only half or 3/4 what he was before, and this has been going on for at least a week. Should I be concerned, or am I overly worried about the little guy? Thanks in advance for all of your input, and God bless..
-Brooke