Hibernating!

Harvey is hibrnating he is in a tight ball and won't come out he's not hissing but is breathing and is responding a bit to touch by curling up tighter and is responding a bit to loud noises . I have him under my clothes against my skin with my bath robe and blankets over him. Its 11am here (ireland) it doesn't look like he was awake at all last nite and I didn't take him out yesterday so I don't know how long he's been hibernating he was up the night before last.

How long does it usually take for the to warm up enough to wake up?

It depends on how long he has been hibernating and how deep he is into it. Usually they should be awake and responsive within 45 minutes. If it takes longer than that, he should go to a vet as their organs can start to shut down especially if he has been trying to hibernate for two nights.

Once he comes around, his environment is going to need to be kept warmer. Once they have hibernated, chances of them doing it again in the next week is very high so watch him closely. Also, hibernation attempts weaken their immune system that leaves them at risk for a mite outbreak, URI or other infections and illnesses.

They need to be checked at least daily and better yet, morning and night to make sure they are warm.

He just woke up went to the toilet and is now eating I'm so relieved I have a CHE and a thermostat and he gets enough light but I'm going to move him into the warmest room in the house as soon as he's finished eating and get a heating pad to put under the cage

I do normally take him out everyday but we've just had two deaths in the family and I've had a lot on my mind (I know its no excuse) and I'll defo start taking him out every morning and evening again

Thanks nancy

That's good news. I'm sorry for the losses in your family. Yes, that certainly does make us not as aware of things as usual. You don't need to get him right up, just slide your hand under where he is sleeping. If it is warm, he is fine. If you feel no warmth then you have to get him up. Sometimes I just feel under the plastic as a warm hedgehog will warm the plastic below him.

What is the temperature in his cage?

Its between 74 and 78 I think I'm going to put fleece around the sides of the cage (its a guinea pig cage) to keep the heat in better he's completely back to normal now running round his cage trying to burrow under his litter tray it took about an hour to wake him up completely I'm just gona keep him up for a while to make sure he's warm enough

Instead of using fleece around the sides, another option is to use clear plastic. Over here we can buy heavy very clear plastic. It comes on a roll and is cut to the length you want. Fabric stores carry it. I use it around the sides of cages when heat needs to be kept in. One nice thing about it is it still allows light in and you are able to see through it.

Here is one of my quarantine cages that has plastic at the back, right side and part of the right top. It is barely visible.
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l...- non fabric related/Cageheatemittersetup.jpg

How much light is he getting? Inadequate light during the day can cause hibernation attempts even if the temperature is warm enough. They need 12-14 hours of light per day so if you don't already, leave a light on beside his cage.

I am so sorry for the losses in your family. I am glad your little albino Pickles is fine now.

He gets enough light I think the problem was that the room he was in was too cold for the CHE to heat the entire cage but he's moved up to my room now and I put a heating pad under the cage under the side with his bed thanks for the advice nancy I'll try find something like that for the sides and thanks Shetland its been a very bad few of months for me hopefully things will look up soon

Harvey seems fine now checked him a few times today (I'm a bit paranoid now) he even started running on his wheel a while after he woke up from hibernation which is a rare thing to happen in the middle of the afternoon!