omega 3 for my hedgehog?

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saltpepper

Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2013
Messages
5
Hi is it okie if i feed my hedgehog w omega 3 fish oil... will iys work the same as it does on dogs to make their fur coat better..?
 
Thankz....im kinda of worry abt my hedge as its poopong green slimy ... i read abt the fact that its due to internal problem... vets are hard to cone by ...... and also feleece are hard to come by...
 
Green slimy poops are usually a sign of stress. It could also be illness, but let's try to address stress first.
If your hedgie is new to you, the very act of transitioning from one environment (breeder's home) to another (your home) is stressful. You can help by keeping a consistent schedule: light comes on at the same time each morning and off at the same time each night. Decide when you will clean up hedgie's cage and change out food/water and keep that the same time(s) each day. Decide when you will take hedgie out to bond/play - make it at a hedgie-friendly time (like morning or evening; not in the middle of the day when hedgies sleep) and keep that consistent.

Canned pumpkin or pureed sweet potato or pureed butternut squash often help to firm up messy poops. Sprinking acidophilus over hedgie's kibble can help too.

Also consider the regular food your hedgie is on - changes to that or food that isn't quite right can cause digestive issues too. Tell us a bit about what your hedgie has been eating. Maybe there's something that can me improved there.

I'd hold off on the fish oil until the green poops are resolved.
 
Im feeding my hedge royal cannins kitten feed.. abit high on the fats side... i have tried feeding them vege like lettuce, aragula,carrot ,brocolli....and fruits like cherries apple , but they refuse to take in any fruits or vege...

They get all excited abt their kibbles and some meal worm for threats...


The previous owner kept them in pretty bad living condition... they leave in wood shavings and feeds on a very low quality kibble..

Bedding wise i have tried corn corbs but i saw one hedge mr.salty munching on them and cause slight bleeding and also im aware abt the dust and mites that the corn corbs might contain.

Im currently transiting to using fleece but this moring i saw that some fleece material were caught between their nails... or am i nt doing it the right .... im worried abt my hedge... mr.salty and mrs.pepper..

Thankz for ur help in guiding me to having healthy hedges...
 
Some hedgehogs just do not like to eat fruits and vegetables. That is okay. I am glad your hedgies will eat the kibble and mealworms. I had one hedgehog who used to run away from mealworms... silly boy! You could try presenting one fruit or vegetable over and over to help them understand "this is food." Just leave it in their dishes overnight and see if they eat. If not, pick it out in the morning, toss it out (or compost it), and try again the next night. It helps to pick something you like -- for example, if you eat an apple or a banana most nights, then save a little bit to put in their dishes. Most fruits and vegetables that you eat are okay for hedgehogs - except for grapes. Grapes are bad; they can cause renal (kidney) failure.

You are right that the Royal Canin Kitten food is high in fat... You may be able to find something with a lower fat where you are. It is okay to have a higher fat food while they are young, but they will tend to put on weight and be unhealthy if it continues -- especially if they do not get enough exercise. How old are your hedgehogs?

I am glad that you removed the wood shavings. You are right that corn cob can also cause problems - dust, mites, and internal problems if hedgie starts to eat it. For those reasons, we use fleece. It is odd that some fleece was caught between their nails - could you describe it a bit more? I am thinking that, sometimes, with either very new or old fleece, sometimes you get little things that look like balls of fuzz or almost like a cotton ball that is torn apart (I'm not quite sure how to describe it)... and that can stick to feet... especially if the feet have poop on them. When that happens, I just pick the fuzz off. The dangerous thing to happen is if a thread gets wrapped around a toe. Fleece should not have threads -- maybe some fuzzies, but not threads.
 
Okie thankz for ur advices.... they have gladly eaten some butternut squash puree... shal monitor how it goes...

I guess the fish oil idea was bad as for this few days my room reeks of the fish oil smell.... ewww... i guess the oil came out as peep peep and poops...

Mr salt just couldnt stop going under the liner even after i tried a few methods like loose big pieces of fleece being place. He just goes under the fleece and makes a mess the next day..:(
 
Yes, the fish oil can be stinky. Healthy in moderation, but stinky.

Mr. Salt likes to go under his liner? I had a hedgie who liked to sleep under her liner. It did not matter what I put out for her, she would always choose to go under her liner. Fortunately, she pooped and peed on her wheel, so there wasn't any poop or pee under her liner (except that which was on her feet). I learned to arrange her cage so that she could get under her liner easily without tipping things over. It was easier to do that then try and fight her. And she seemed happier underneath. My thought would be to find a way that allows him to do what makes him happy in a way that is safe.
 
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