Nasty

[wasabipeanut84]

So I took my little man to the vet almost 2 wks ago, because there was blood in his urine and feces. This vet seems to have absolutely no idea what she is doing, and does not know a THING about hedgehogs. I will not be bringing him back there. But anyway, ever since his visit he has been completely and uncharacteristically nasty! He hisses and headbutts at me every time I try to pick him up, he won't let me pet his belly like he usually does and has taken to nipping at me. I don't understand it. I'm wondering if his little visit to vet traumatized him, but I'm really upset because he's not acting like his normal snuggly self!

 

[LovinHedgies]

What did the vet do to him? Is his medical issue cleared up? There might be something else going on...

 

[Siany]

Hi, i know absolutly nothing about hedgies but i would assume with him being poorly like alot of animals would do is saying leave me alone. Alot of animals go off and sulk if there poorly...

 

[Kalandra]

I'm assuming he is now well and that the vet did manage to clear up his health issues. If not, then he needs to see a different vet as his behavior could be that he is sick.

If he is better, you have only had him a short time, and have already been through a lot. He had stress from coming to a new home, stress from being sick, stress from the veterinary visit, stress from being medicated.... see a pattern here? He's been stressed and may just need some normalcy back in his life so that he can trust you again. You may just need to be patient and regain his trust again.

Another thought is how old is this hedgehog? Is he a baby that could be quilling? Quilling can make even the sweetest hedgehogs a bit grumpy.

Again this is assuming he is well. If not get him back to a vet for treatment.

 

[wasabipeanut84]

The vet did some tests & said everything came back normal. He is about 5 months old, and he still seems to be quilling. This was literally overnight. I am afraid the visit traumatized him. He has been to the vet before bc unfortunately he was sick when I brought him home. I'm wondering if the added stress of the vet visit plus his quilling has put him on edge?

I'm going to give him time & see how he feels. He does not appear sick at all. Could it be bc I changed his food?

 

[charlie]

Changing his food may be what upset his tummy so badly. Be patient with him. Start from scratch - hold him quietly under blankets, speak quietly, don't stroke his back while he is quilling. Keep his food the same for a while (assuming you have him on something good). Is he eating normally now, and has his poop improved?

 

[wasabipeanut84]

The food change was after his stomach problems. I changed food bc the vet thought maybe he needed more nutrients than what he was getting. I'm wondering if it's hormones. Maybe he's going thru some hormonal changes. He is about 5 mo & is still quilling.

 

[LexieHeg]

I've just recently had a similar experience...and it turns out my Hedgie was quite ill despite acting relatively normal. Now she is on meds and we are syringe feeding her and monitoring her every move, praying she will get better. So please, if you are concerned, find a good vet and take him in. It can happen so quickly and they are so so good at hiding their illnesses (people on this forum always talk about it, but you don't believe it until you see it). Especially if your little guy is still pooping and peeing blood - that is not a good sign on any level and changing food rapidly can be even more detrimental to his health.

 

[wasabipeanut84]

His health issues are gone, so signs of them at all, but the nasty behavior is. He does not want to be touched nothing, and it's not like him at all! I've been trying to find a specialist in the area that knows hedgehogs, but the previous vet was clueless! Does anyone know a hedgie doctor in Jersey? I would like it to be relatively close so that I don't have to have him in the car for a long time, I think the car ride upsets him. He's been like this since the last time we went to the vet.