Sudden (alarming) change in behaviour

[susiandfilbert]

Hi all!

I need some advice, i dont know what to do, what to think!
I've had my baby for about 3 weeks now and he is 2 months old. When i first got him he was very good, very calm and would do not much else but sleep, he would sleep in the crook of my elbow or between my hands (he seems to need his face covered to be able to sleep/relax. A couple of days ago though he just started being imposible to hold. He will not stay still for even 2 seconds, not even when he is pooping. Which, incidentally, he now does EVERY TIME i pick him up and doesn't stop. I put him in his litter box when he starts pooping and as soon as he's finished I pick him back up again so as not to get him thinking it is the way to get down. His poop seems normal, perhaps a tad softer that the first week but nothing major. I understand that at this age he is probably quilling and therefore huffier but it just seems to have been an overnight change. I can physically barely hold him now. During all his fight he doesn't put his quills up. One thing i notice he does A LOT, when he's in his cage (plastic base, wire top, and under his blankie, he seems to be trying to scratch a hole in the bottom. Constant scratching at the plastic. I understand that hedgies like to burrow but this is SO constant and frequent that it wakes me up in the night, the amount he does it also has me worried for his nails, as if he is going to break one off! I took him to the vet last week and they trimed his nails, weighed him and said he looked fine, (this was before the change in behaviour)... Im at a complete loss and so, so worried. I was planing to make a C&C cage at the end of the month but now im not sure if it's a good idea!

I am VERY sorry for the length of this post, please help!!!

:cry3:

 

[smhufflepuff]

Two months old, eh? My best guess is that he's quilling or will start soon -- the process wherein he'll lose his baby quills and get his adults ones. That can be pretty painful for them. What I'd do is hold him in your arms/in your lap without touching his back or sides at all. Perhaps even hold him on top a small blankie or in with both him and your hand inside a hedgie snuggle bag.

I'd guess maybe the slightly softer poops might reflect the owies of quilling. You can always try giving him unseasoned pumpkin to help firm them up. Squash seemed to have the same poop-helping abilities as pumpkin for my little ones.

Satin used to dig at the bottom of her plastic-bottomed cage too. You could try making a dig-box for him... something along the lines of a tissue box filled with small fleece squares. It may help re-direct his digging activities to that instead of the plastic.

 

[susiandfilbert]

Ok i will try that tonight!
Is there anything i can do to help with his pain??

Thankyou!

 

[Kalandra]

Sometimes a bath with an oatmeal wash or adding a little vitamin e oil to the skin to help soften it will help. But quilling can be very painful for some and even those items don't make it fully stop.