Tattered and Frayed ears

[persephone]

I recently acquired a female hedgehog form a lady at work. When I got her I noticed right away something is wrong with her ears. I have had her since Friday.

When I googled tattered ears I got 3 suggestions.
1) Mites
2) Fungus
3) Nutritional deficeincy

I just wondered if someone could take a look. It wouldnt surprise me if it was a deficiency as the lady said the hedgehog would go 3 weeks without getting fed sometime, and her nails were so overgrown her toes were curling. I have her all clipped up, bathed and eating well everday but am concerned with her ears.

The pics are not the best but I think it shows the tattered edges pretty well.

Thanks

I noticed you already got some solid advice but I wanted to tell you BEAUTIFUL Hedgie!

[PJM]

She is a cutie! Her ears are pretty bad, but with hedgies, a lot of the reason they get tattered ears is because of dry skin. The dead skin builds up & layers on the ears. The oil, or bagbalm, or whatever you decide to use should help. It can take several weeks. But I would try that first & only worry about something else if it doesn't help.
It's pretty common in rescues.
That being said, it is a good idea to get a wellness check done at the vets a couple weeks after getting a hedgie. If you don't see any improvement by then, it's something they can check out.

[Nancy]

I have had more hedgehogs with tattered ears than I can count but not one has been caused by anything other than dry skin and dirt buildup as PJM has mentioned.

Use something like bag balm, vaseline, jojoba oil, vit E or flax seed oil and rub gently on the tatters each day. Depending on how well she allows you to rub, the taters should start coming off either immediately, or within a week. If you are able to rub quit well and they don't come off, then a vet visit is needed to see if it's something else.

She is adorable.

[persephone]

Thanks for the info. I have been putting the bag balm on every evening and the tatters are coming off. She now only has a couple of spots that are still frayed.

[Nancy]

That's great news.

[hedgiebuddy]

I was wondering if olive oil would work for tattered ears?

[PJM]

Originally Posted by hedgiebuddy

I was wondering if olive oil would work for tattered ears?

Yup

[xo.QuilliesMommie]

Originally Posted by Nancy

I have had more hedgehogs with tattered ears than I can count but not one has been caused by anything other than dry skin and dirt buildup as PJM has mentioned.

Use something like bag balm, vaseline, jojoba oil, vit E or flax seed oil and rub gently on the tatters each day. Depending on how well she allows you to rub, the taters should start coming off either immediately, or within a week. If you are able to rub quit well and they don't come off, then a vet visit is needed to see if it's something else.

She is adorable.

Hey I have jojoba oil can I just use it alone? Or do I have to use something after it?

[LarryT]

Originally Posted by xo.QuilliesMommie

Hey I have jojoba oil can I just use it alone? Or do I have to use something after it?

That's fine.