healthy weight?

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Sugargliderlove

Hedge Addict
Joined
Aug 20, 2012
Messages
166
Location
florida
I got a scale for Christmas and I weighed Sonic just now and he weighs 455.6 grams. Sonic is a 2 1/2 year old hedgehog. He gets fed 2 tablespoons of his kibble a night he leaves about a half tablespoon. He runs in his wheel a lot, also likes to run around his cage exploring and then runs to his wheel,food & water bowl. his kibble protein is 35% and fat is 11%. Is 455.6 grams a good weight for him? I would love to know if his weight is low, high or good where it is at and what I can do to change it if its high or low.
 
To be honest I believe hedgies range quite a bit... You will have large hedgies and small hedgies... The importance of weighing him is to be sure he maintains his weight... A weight loss can be a sign some thing is wrong...
 
All hedgies are different. What is his shape? Is he round (chest can be visibly seen on either side of his face, or is he more of a long sausage)? Many judge weight by the hedgehogs ability to curl in a ball (and tuck everything safely in). If there are stomach rolls when the hog is curled then a more careful diet may be in order. However if he is not usually be sausage type, then this too could just be his structure not weight. Monitor weight for change and monitor activity levels (odometer on his wheel helps).
 
Glad you got a scale. Keep weighing him on a regular basis to track his weight. Unexpected increases followed by significant declines are often a great indicator of illness (ie, feeling a little off so still eating, but not running around and weight goes up a little followed by feeling worse and not eating as much and weight drops off)... as are just plain declines that aren't accounted for by anything else (like change in diet, newer/better wheel, etc...).

Yep, like charlie (April) said, there's a fair amount of variation among hedgehogs. It's kind of like humans that way; eg, 100 pounds on a 5' tall person is okay, on a 4' person means they're obese, and on a 6' person probably means they're near death from starvation.

So, take a look at Sonic from the top when he's standing normally (ie, not all puffed out in a quill ball or stretched out in Superman pose). Draw two imaginary parallel lines from his front to back hips. If his sides roughly follow those lines, he's in a good range; if they sink in like an hourglass, he's probably underweight; if they bulge out like a football, he's overweight.

One thing that might trip you up on that analysis is if he's one of the more teardrop shaped hedgies. Some are just more naturally shaped like a teardrop with bigger hineys than their front ends. You can do the same kind of comparison as above -- do your best to apply it to a wedge shape instead of using two parallel lines.

Also, take a look at his legs, if they're all blobby/smushy at the top when they join his body (like ham hocks), he could probably stand to lose a bit of weight.

That said, I don't mind if they're a little overweight. When they get sick, they tend to lose weight quickly when not eating, so if there's a little (not huge) cushion to absorb that, I tend to think that's okay. Others may be of different opinion.

With those ideas (including charlie's) in mind, how's he looking?
 
when sonic stretches out he looks like a sausage with straight lines. its hard to tell when he is walking around his cage cause he walks close to the ground and usually has some quills up.he is able to curl up into a ball with no problem. when I gave him a bath last night after he decided that he need to anoint himself with the carpet and my sweater sleeve he was not lumpy his sides were straight. he also decided that last night I needed to be anointed with the carpet smell and my sweater smell. silly sonic.
 
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Oh my... what a cutie!! He has such beautiful color. And it looks like you two have a great relationship -- how he walks over and snuggles right up to you.

He does look a bit on the plump side; definitely not a skinny boy where you have to ensure he's eating enough. Just a bit on the rounded side with a bit of chubbiness around the legs. Though my impression may be affected a bit by his quills being up a bit -- especially if you're seeing him look more like a straight-line sausage shape in person.

If he were mine, and he's just a touch on the plump side like I suspect, I'd look at it as having a bit of a cushion to get him through any illness, injury, or other problem. Probably something I'd keep an eye on, maybe add another food with a bit lower %fat, but I wouldn't do anything major about (like rationing kibble or whatnot) at this point.
 
he has come around a lot since I have gotten him. I have had him only for 6 months. I dont know what I would do with out him I love him to no end.
 
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