Hedgie scratching, not really running

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jmacey23

Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2015
Messages
7
Location
New Jersey
My 1.5yo hedgie, Shadow is acting weird. I wanted to get your guys option.

Last night he didn't really run on his wheel. He is a fanatic about that thing so that's why I had cause for concern. Instead he would take 3-5 steps and stop, and it was walking, not running. 2-3 times he did walk a little longer than a few steps but no more than 10 steps. When he would stop I could hear him scratch himself, sometimes he would stop because he had to scratch himself. Basically he was scratching himself a lottt last night.

I played with him that day and he looked fine, he pooped normal, and he ate food. I tired to look up his symptoms and couldn't find much so if you guys could help I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

-JM
 

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Poor little buddy. Given the cooler winter weather, complete with drier air, is settling in, my first thoughts are that perhaps it was a touch cool and he's dealing with some dry skin. Attend to the basics first - like ensuring his wheel is just right (rinse it off in case it picked up something he notices that you don't), that it's not wobbling, that it's spinning freely, that it's in a space that's warm and protected from drafts. You can check for dry skin and treat with a few drops of flax seed oil or vitamin e.

Given that it's just been one night and you're not seeing other issues, I take the minimal approach I just mentioned. However, if you're seeing other issues or it continues, I'd consider a vet check to rule out more serious issues like mites or other skin issues.
 
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