Gave birth and now not eating

[hedgemanila]

hi guys...

my sweet hedgie Mayumi just gave birth to 3 hoglets a couple of days ago. however, 1 hoglet did not make it after birth.
now im worried about the 2 other hoglets if they are getting enough milk from Mayumi as she has not been eating for a several days now. well, she has been nursing them from time to time. but she has not been touching her catfood on her dish. before giving birth i have noticed that Mayumi have lost her appetite and she just keep on running in circles inside her bin. and now the hoglets are considerably small. i tried giving her appetite vitamins before and some mealworm treats. earlier today before i left for work i gave her some mealworms. and she ate it. i believe too much of mealworms are bad for them. now my questions are:

- can i continue to just feed her mealworms?
- should i consider handfeeding the babies?
- does anyone experience that their beloved hedgies just suddenly keeps on running inside her bin? what can be the reason???

i hope you can enlighten me with my issues.

thanks!

[SpikeMoose]

Are you measuring the food each day? That will tell you a more accurate number. Either weigh, measure with a spoon, or count how many kibble she gets, then check to see how much is gone. Is her cage in a quiet place? Do not disturb her or the babies. They are better off with Mama. When did she give birth? Sometimes they lose their appetite for a day before labor, and a day or two after.
Pacing around the cage is also a sign of labor, they become restless before giving birth.
I would leave her and the babies alone, measure her food intake, and put some worms she can't resist in there as well. Do not disturb the nest.
How warm is the cage, and what bedding is she on. Also, how much is she drinking? Being hydrated is really important for a nursing mom.

[hedgemanila]

i truly appreciate your response SpikeMoose... thank you so much!

She gave birth a couple of days ago dated evening of 18March. what i use as measuring scoop is my son's milk formula for their kibbles. i have several hedgehogs and hoglets and i am very keen on observing their appetite. that is why i am sure that Mayumi is not eating at all.
i already tried buying different variety of kibbles. but still untouched.... she has dropped her size before giving birth.. and more after birth. im just so worried about her and the babies...

i am closely counting the kibbles that i give her daily after she gave birth (still untouched). water intake is ok. temperature on my colony is perfect. we have tropical weather here in the Philippines. even if summer have just started here my colony has a good temperature. for bedding i use chipsi green apple soft shavings. i believe it ok for them as i have used them from the start. and never had problems about it.

i just dont know what do do from here. i want to bring her to a vet but im worried that she might get stressed out and something bad would happen to the babies.... sigh! what else can i do??

[SpikeMoose]

I'm not an expert but I'm happy to share what I have learned! The good news is that you say it's only been two days since she hasn't eaten, that's not good but not awful. The first full day with babies my Penny didn't eat. What kind of kibble is she on? She would really benefit from some high fat food, kitten food works really well.
So she is not touching her food at all? But you're sure she's drinking?
I asked about bedding because a recent switch could've caused stress but you say it's what you've always used. Also it's important to have loose bedding like shavings for her to nest with.
Was this a planned pregnancy?
Try to give her some space, don't hover around the cage it will make her even less likely to leave the nest to eat.

[hedgemanila]

im overwhelmed about your response and willingness to share your ideas. again, thank you so much!

so far one of the best kibbles out here in Philippine market is IAMs cat food and kitten food. and this is what i am feeding my hedgehogs and hoglets. my adult obese males are getting the cheaper kibbles. we dont have much variety of good cat food or hedgehog feeds here. but im planning to switch to Solid Gold Katz n Flocken or Royal Canin Fit-32. as i dont like the odor of their feces with IAMs.

It's a planned pregnancy for her. she were rested well. as we practice 2months of rest for female hedge mommies here before making them pregnant again.

most of my pregnant and nursing hedges are located where they wont be disturbed nor be stressed.

i just hope when i get home later she has already touched her meal. and babies getting bigger.

[hedgemanila]

just an update...

mayumi is eating well now. and hoglets are growing fast... they're too noisy though... haha!

thanks!

[SpikeMoose]

I'm so glad to hear she's doing so well!
I would really suggest Solid Gold Katz n Flocken, that's one of the foods I use for my own hedgehogs! While the babies are still with mom she should be on kitten food though, it's higher fat and smaller for when babies start to sample food out of her bowl.
Most breeders here breed two or three times a year, roughly every six months. Females are safest if they havea litter right before their first birthday. Moms get around three months of rest after babies are weaned before she is breed again of if she is on a program of two litters a year. Also, most mothers are retired from breeding after about two-four years, depending on how well the mom is doing with babies as she ages. Once she ages there's a much higher risk of complications.
I don't know what you have for records there. Here we have a registry that has files recording the bloodline of all registered hedgehogs so we know who they are related to and if they carry Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome. If that isn't available there then maybe you could start! That way you can track who you breed and make sure there is no inbreeding, or if any parents produce babies who develop health problems.
I hope that makes sense and helps you plan your breeding!

[hedgemanila]

how i wish we also have that kind of registry over here. on my own herd i dont do inbreeding. im fully aware of the health risks that could happen to them. though... i know few breeders here that does inbreeding here.

do you have some kind of a computer program that you use there for the registry??? can i ask for a copy? so that i can raise it up with our hedgehog community here.

thanks for your response!

cheers!

[Joabanana]

Hi i would just want to ask something. What can i do if my hedgehog gave birth and i havent gave her food yet. we're just bothered and afraid that she might eat her hoglets because she doenst have any food to eat thank you.

[Prickerz]

Hedgehogs should ALWAYS have food to eat, especially after birth when there was major stress put on her body! She needs food now more than ever! Just put the dish in the cage. With kitten food. Otherwise, the babies will die because she can't produce milk!!
I know it's a sticky situation, but I would fill a big dish with food so you don't have to do it every day.