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Little girl, big smell!

2K views 18 replies 4 participants last post by  Sarax95 
#1 ·
So I got my first hedgie from a breeder a few years ago, he is energetic, friendly, and only really smells bad when he's just done a poop and it dissapears, it doesn't really bother me, this year I took in a little hedgie girl looking for a home as the woman who bred her wanted her put down due to being the runt of the litter and "wouldn't sell". She is so small she can't be used for breeding (not that I wanted to!) Just to give an idea, so the point of this is the smell of her,it's so horrible, before me she had been passed house to house and noone could take care of her within a few days due to how bad she smells, I am used to properly cleaning my male hedgies home every few days (spot cleaning daily) however her home needs a deep cleaning daily, her poops are also giant! Lol sorry. I'm not going to rehome her or anything she might stink but she's my baby! Just wondering if there could be a reason for this? Or how to control the odour, not just for me but for her too! It's so unbearable, like a strong ammonia smell
Any input would be great thank you!x
 
#4 ·
She had been on a cheap car food and I switched her to the same as my hedgie which calmed the smell down a bit, made her poops not a giant anyway lol,

She's about a year and a half now

And the woman I got her from was a vet she had been examined that's how I was informed she couldn't be used for breeding as her hips are too small, not sure if she Had anything else done, could she just be really smelly?
 
#5 ·
If there is some type of infection going on, that can cause smelly pee and or poo.
What type of bedding is she on? If she is on fleece there could be a buildup of soaps and soiling that's causing the smell. There is a simple solution for that being the case, wash the liners with soap, then with vinegar then with baking soda. That works for towels that get a build up.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the advice :) she has fleece with absorbant pad on the top, it is cleaned regularly but I'll be deep cleaning tonight and air out her viv, it only really works for a little while :/ I guess I will have to get her checked out. Reading the health forums terrifies me lol! She's a happy hog in general and amazing nature I don't know how anyone could give her up!
 
#7 ·
How much ventilation does her viv have? Maybe more ventilation would help with keeping the smell from building up as much?

What food are the hedgehogs on now? Brand, specific type, etc.

IMO, I would take a fecal sample in to your own vet to have checked, just to make sure it's clear. You shouldn't need to take her in too unless the vet thinks it's a good idea to examine her as well. Just make sure the poop is fresh - I believe 12 hours or less is preferred, put in the fridge if you have to, but the fresher the better.

If that comes out clear, I would try a different food with her. No grains if the current food has grains, choose a different protein, & a different brand. Make sure the switch is done slowly over 2-4 weeks, slower if she has any issues like green poop, soft poop, or is picky about the food. Not every hedgie does great on the same food, so even though your other hedgie is fine with it, she may have an issue with it for some reason. As an example, Wellness has been known for causing soft, smelly poops in some hedgehogs, but some people still find that their hedgies are fine with it. Lily was one of them.

If she checks out clean & you can't find a food that helps with it, it may just be something unique to her. Some hedgies do smell stronger. If that's the case, it'll probably just mean continuing to clean her cage often & make sure that there's plenty of ventilation to help it air out.

You can also do things like place a box of baking soda near her cage (not in) to help with absorbing smells, getting an air filter to put in the room, and making sure that dirty bedding is in an air-tight container until you wash it unless you wash it right away.

Completely unrelated to all of this, but I like to mention it - it sounds like you have both of them on only one food. Nothing necessarily wrong with that, but a lot of people recommend using two or more foods mixed together. Hedgies are notoriously picky & don't do well with sudden food changes. So it can be useful to have two different brands mixed in case there's a recall or you can't get one of the foods or something. Then you still have one they're familiar with while you look for a replacement. :)
 
#8 ·
Iams kitten chicken :) I have to keep my boy on this as he is so active he just drops weight! I did take a while to change her food , I can't remember what she was on I've gone blank but it was mulitcoloured and rubbish lol, I got in contact with vet thY was looking after her she's been checked over ect and is totally healthy just very small! I guess it's just her!

she's been smelly her whole life hence why she's been passed around, although it's never been this bad, I have just moved house though, Could it be a stress thing?
Have just been here two weeks, my other hog seems fine :)

Ohh clever idea about the food! My hogs eat anything not picky at all! Especially the girl in question she just loves to eat! This is the only good I have found they love and gives them everything also keeps weight healthy and smell down :) xx
 
#9 ·
Where are you located? I know in some areas, Iams is the best available, but it's still not fantastic. I would still try to find a better quality food with a different main protein to see if it changes anything.

I'm not sure if I've heard of a stronger smell alone as a stress response...It is common to see green poop or softer poop as a stress response to a new location.
 
#10 ·
Scotland, and it's always worked for me and kept my hogs happy :) they get real chicken sometimes also. I have always found iams to be good for hedgehogs from others and experience, What would you suggest ?

Yeah I know, I remember that with my first hog when I first got him, slight greeny poop but quickly stopped! :)
 
#11 ·
I don't like some of the ingredients, and I often see it labeled as high quality food when it really isn't. It's not horrible by any means! I'd just consider it medium-grade in terms of ingredients and I tend to be super picky about foods. :lol: There's more information on ingredients & such here - http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/foru...3034-beginner-s-guide-hedgehog-nutrition.html and there's a list of UK foods further down on this sticky that I put together for someone - http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/23042-recommended-foods-list.html I unfortunately don't have experience with any of them since I'm in the United States, but at least in terms of ingredients & percentages, I think they're good. Though I may get the chance to try them someday, I may move to Scotland!

I'm not saying you have to change or anything! :) I just think it would be worth trying to see if it helps her. Chicken is great with most hedgehogs, but every hedgehog is different & it may not work with her. It could be that a food change doesn't do anything, but IMO it's worth exploring, at least. If your boy's doing great on it, there's no real reason to mess with his food, though I still think it'd be a good idea to give them a mix just in case. Even if they're not picky, sudden changes aren't great.
 
#12 ·
Yeah I get what you're saying!:) thanks very much I'll look into a higher quality food, maybe have that and iams mix! Oscar loves his iams lol

Oh! We should have a hedgehog party lol.
Currently sitting with my girl cleaning out her viv yet again! Got some thicker soaker pads hopefully helps somewhat! :)
Thanks for all your help! X
 
#13 ·
Good luck! I hope you can find something that helps, whether it's something that prevents it or at least helps manage the smell. :) I'm glad she has a wonderful forever home with you either way. And heh, definitely! Though moving is likely a few years out, depending. I'm hoping it'll happen though!
 
#16 ·
She's adorable! :D Glad to hear there's an improvement so far, I hope it continues. And it depends on the countries...From what I can tell, I could take a hedgehog to the UK with the right documentation and I think I can skip the quarantine period. I think the US is stricter on importation of hedgehogs, but I'm not positive, I haven't looked up the regulations on it. As far as I know, there's still a quarantine period, I'm just not sure how long it is (I've heard 6 months) or if it can be skipped with the right paperwork (vet checks, etc.). I think it might be easier going between other European countries as I know I've heard multiple mentions of hedgehogs being purchased or adopted from neighboring countries.
 
#17 ·
Aw thanks :D she's an angel!
Will have to see what its like in the morning! Got new heating coming so will be redoing vivs again anyway,
Wow that's so long! glad I only moved 40 minuites away from my last home lol
Good luck with it all if you do it!:) hope it goes smoothly x
 
#18 ·
Hopefully there is less smell in the morning than there was today.
Also just throwing out some thoughts here.
What are you cleaning the cage with? Some cleaners just mask the scent and when the cleaner "wears out" the smell remains. Vinegar is a great odor neutralizer.
Also what is your viv made of. If it's wood and any mess gets to raw wood, it could be soaking it up.
 
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