He's doing it again...

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Mikayla

Mikayla

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Joined
Aug 8, 2010
Messages
621
Location
Colorado
So....Sonic hasn't eaten in two nights, and not much the night before that. He's done it before, he's eating his mealies, and I managed to get him to eat a bit of chicken gravy baby food (he loves that, it smells horrible)

He's not sick, no symptoms or anything. Should I switch foods, or what? He's a frustrating fellow.
 
What kind of kibble is he currently on? Is he still drinking water? How's his weight holding up?

I'd double check things like: has the kibble expired or is it starting to get close to the expiration date? Are his teeth and gums looking normal? How's his tummy (as far as you can tell via his poops)? How warm is he during the day? And at night?

I wouldn't necessarily change his kibble immediately (unless there's something wrong with it), but might consider a change to something different gradually. I'm glad he's eating something - I'd be doing the same thing that you are (supplementing with meat baby food until you or your vet can figure out what's going on). Anything funny going on at night that might be disturbing him - loud neighbors, violent storms, window's open and things smell differently...?

If there's nothing you can see after double-checking, I'd be bringing him to the vet... along with some poops so the vet can see if there's something there that might explain things.
 
He's on a mix of Blue Buffalo, and Royal Canin Indoor Light 40. He's drinking some water, not as much, but since he's not eating nor wheeling (since he got his wheel last week, other than last night, he's on it constantly) I haven't weighed him (That's on the agenda for tonight)

His kibble isn't expired, his tummy seems fine, I got a little poop from him during his bath tonight. He's around 70 degrees all day, usually a touch more. I'd check his teeth but he's a biter. He bit me twice today...

I don't know what else to switch his kibble to though, any thoughts? There's been storms, but only in the mornings, and they haven't been loud or violent by any means, some hail, but not very loud in the house.

The only thought I have is that he's being lazy and doesn't want to get up. He WILL NOT come out of his house unless it is pitch black. So if he doesn't eat some kibble tonight then I'm going to rig something up in my room to make it black all day tomorrow.

I'm hoping he's just being a lazy boy, but I'm not sure. :p
 
Put some kibble in his bed with him. If he doesn't eat today, syringe feed him and take him into a veterinarian to have him checked out. I'd have his mouth examined and have doc look at his teeth. If his teeth hurt, he may not be willing to eat.

You can also try moistening some of his food tonight to see if that helps. If his teeth hurt, soft food may be more palatable.

You say he is above 70. How far? If he is at 72, bump him up to 74-76. He may be cold.
 
I put his bowl in his bed with him and he ate last night (Thank God!) I don't think his teeth hurt, he bit me pretty hard! :neener:

If this happens again, then I'm going to take him to the vet to get checked out. And I'll also bump him up to 74 or so. I'll get the portable heater in my room. :)
 
His teeth could still be bothering him. Just because he bites doesn't mean that there isn't pain in the back teeth. If you can get him to eat with you watching, watch how he eats. Watch to see if he acts like there may be discomfort.

I'd still bump up the temperature to see if that helps out initially though.
 
I had this same issue with Lexie and she did have relapses as well where she stopped eating for no visible reason.

One thing I found helped was putting her food in her hut. The other one I got from my vet, which actually resolved her eating problems, is that her temperature at 75 was way too low for her (they're African animals, they need African temperatures). So on her advice I upped her temp to 80 and she has been eating between 20 and 56 kibble almost every single night since then. She's gained back all her weight and more and hasn't stopped eating once since I made sure her temperature didn't waiver. The lowest it ever gets is 77.

Some hedgies are fine in cooler temperatures but 70 just seems way too low, try plateauing his temp at 76 or so and monitor him for a week to see if his eating habits change...and a vet visit might be a good idea.
 
Okay, then 76. And I'll sleep with a ice pack :p

I'm gonna give him some more baby food tonight and hopefully he will eat some food with it.
 
Sorry for the double posting, but he ate 2 mealies, and wouldn't touch anything else. I let softened food, hard food, and some food with baby food in it. He didn't touch them, all he wanted was to SLEEP. He curled up and went back to bed, so I'm hoping when he wakes up tonight he'll eat something more. He ate a half a bowl last night, which is quite a bit, but not his norm.
 
Oh thats unfortunate that he's in your room because it will be uncomfortable for you for sure but its worth a shot to see if it helps him eat.

If you take him in to the vet you can ask for their powdered supplement (like critical care) for Hedgies...it cost me about 10 bucks for a small tub of it so that anytime he stops eating you can feed him that to get his appetite going again. Lex loved it and it only took about a day of being on that for her to start eating on her own.

Good luck!
 
It is unfortunate for me, but I guess that's what you do for those cute little balls of quills!

If he doesn't eat tonight (hoping and praying he does) then I'm going to the vet and handfeeding (which I just got done with :[ )

He took three mealies, but nothing else, he usually gets up at around 10:00, and i can't wait for it to roll around!

Keep Sonic in your thoughts, and hope he's just being ornery!
 
Heat

I'd consider getting him a heat lamp or a tank heating pad to keep you comfortable as well. Tank pads are nice because they only heat a portion of the cage so you A) know if the hedgie is seeking heat because he goes to it and B) give him the option. I also found that when I kept my hedgie by the portable heater but covered the top of his cage with a towel, I could keep the fan on so that I was more comfortable. He would sleep right against the edge of the cage for the heat and I would sleep with the fan on me. I hope he eats soon! Try handfeeding him in the dark if you're willing to sacrifice a finger or two...
 
Well last night he didn't eat again. He ran on his wheel ALL NIGHT. I had the heater running in my room, it was pretty warm in there, I think this rules out the heat though, if he was cold he wouldn't come out of his igloo, yes?

I had soft food and hard food and he didn't touch either. If his teeth hurt would you think he would have eaten the soft food?

I'm at a loss right now. I just don't get him.
 
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Is this day 4 that he hasn't eaten on his own? You need to get him into a veterinarian and have him checked out. Have his mouth examined. He may or may not eat soft foods if his mouth hurts. Any type of chewing may hurt. He may also just not feel well and eating makes him feel sick.

How is he eating when you syringe feed? Does he eat a lot? Does he act hungry? How many CC are you getting into him at a time? And how often are you feeding?

How is his weight?

Keep in mind that hedgehogs hide illness extremely well. A sick hedgehog may go off their kibble but continue to eat mealworms for a while. They may also continue to get on their wheel for a while longer.
 
Not exactly day 4. Day one: Ate about half his bowl. Day two: Nothing. Day 3: Nothing: Day four: Half a bowl. Day five: Nothing. I will try to get him to a vet ASAP.

I haven't tried syringe feeding because he had eaten a bit on his own. I'm going to wake him up and syringe feed him in a few minutes.

His weight is going down, BUT this is partially due to that he has never had a wheel before and was overweight before he got it, and now that he's exercising...

I am going to call the vet and try to make an appointment. I leaving for Tennessee in less than a week, so I'm hoping it's nothing, but that's pretty wishful.

ALSO, does anyone have a video on how to handfeed?
 
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGQ2u1Y7WJM

Thats not the greatest video but it shows you how to hold open their quills so that you can feed a reluctant hedgehog. That's how I had to handfeed Lexie except I didn't do it to that extreme...I opened her enough to expose her face but kept her well supported while my fiance put the syringe in the side of her mouth and dribble it in. It's definitely a two person job but I feel like it makes it as comfortable as possible for her.

My vet showed me how to do it, you just hold onto the edges of their quills and pull back very gently - all it does is prevent them from curling up into a ball. Once Lex got the taste for it, she would let me squirt it at her feet and would lap it up from there.
 
So, he ate 15 cc's of a mix of watered down kibble and baby food. Good or bad? It wasn't willingly, I could seem to get it into the side of his mouth but he kept biting and I would slip it in then.

Anything else I should do? I want to get him to the vet, but I'm going to wait one more night and see if he starts eating again since I started handfeeding. If he doesn't eat tonight then he's going to the vet.
 
15? Are you certain that he didn't spit out a lot of it? Its a lot for him to eat in one sitting. Cooper eats about 8 for me at a time.

This is a holiday weekend, finding a vet that will be working on the Sunday before a holiday or on a holiday itself is hard. I pray that he eats for you tonight.

Continue to syringe feed. After only a short period of time of not eating fatty liver disease becomes an issue. FLD can start in as little as 2 days. It is very hard to treat and can quickly kill a hedgehog.

You need to get at least 4 cc in him at least 3-4 times a day. Continue to count kibble to see if he eats at all. Also replace food daily with fresh kibble.
 
I'm sure he didn't spit it out. But normally he eats a LOT of kibble. Like 150 pieces of kibble a night. My normal vet isn't open today either, that's partially why I was going to wait.

I'm going to syringe feed until he eats on his own/ or goes to the vet.

Should I lessen the amount I'm giving? As I said, I have to wait until he bites at it to get anything into him. I'm now thinking maybe I'm overfeeding him?
 
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