Hedgehog Central banner

New Hedgehog poop behavior

1K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  Ria 
#1 ·
Hi I just got a baby hedgehog (12 weeks old) and I have had him for three days now.
I know from doing research that when a hedgehog is initially moved to a new home they will have different eating and poop colors for a bit as they adjust. However, my baby has small dark firm poops right now.
He is eating some food for sure as whenever he is out for bonding he will eat dry food out of my hands and a mealworm as a snack. He also drinks from his water whenever we have him out. But overnight and when in his cage I am not sure how much he is eating as there is a bit less food but not a large change in amount of food in his dish.

Should I be concerned that he doesn't seem to be eating a lot? Also is the poop a sign of dehydration or lack of food and/or just stress?
 
#2 ·
If hes eating outside and inside his cage I think its okay. Hedgehogs generally eat how evee much they feel like, also when settling into new homes they tend to eat a little less for a week or so, so could be this as you only had him 3 days.
 
#4 ·
Hey there! If after, I’d say, a week, and his poop is still dry, you may start asking a professional. If the color is dark, there’s no need to worry about color. Are you using a water bottle? If so, you might consider switching to a water dish. Some hedgehogs don’t catch on quite well to the bottle but will do much better with a dish!
 
#5 ·
I agree with the poo side. As well as the water.

Though I'd say a week from when you got him for the food intake being low unless he decreases more then get him seen by a vet sooner.
Also may help if you give a wide variety of insects each night too (not just mealworms) it imporoves their diet, and insects should make up most their diet. Cat biscuit is like processed food, and insects is proper meat to them. They will obtain more neutrients from the insects than the cat biscuit. And mealworms being very fatty shouldnt be given too much.
This might help him with his food intake.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top