Post Hibernation Attempt

[mdgrl72]

Two days ago, I found my girl, Holly, attempting to hibernate. I am new to the hedgehog world and was uneducated about required heating elements, and I feel just terrible. She was curled in a ball, refusing to uncurl (usually she pokes her nose out, sniffs around, then uncurls). I eventually got her out of her cage and she felt so cold to the touch. Clammy tummy, etc.

I warmed her gradually, and after about an hour or so, she seemed to become alert and felt much warmer. I moved her cage and placed it next to the heat vent in my bathroom (warmest room in my small apartment). I am keeping her here until I have time to run to Petsmart this evening to purchase heating tools (any advice here would be greatly appreciated - brands, what not to do, etc). She ate some food and went to sleep

I have now noticed that all day yesterday, last night, and this morning, she has been behaving oddly. she has moved to a different part of the cage to "sleep" (I use quotation marks because it does not seem like she is sleeping, rather, just laying there) - I sometimes hear her huffing/wheezing, and she seems to have taken to splatting (sprawled on belly, legs stretched behind her) and laying on her side. She has not touched her food or water and in general seems low energy.

Am I overheating her? Is this normal post hibernation? Help!! Save my Holly!

[Kalandra]

Get a thermometer and put it inside her cage. You need to know exactly what temperature her cage is at.

Yes it is possible she is over heating. When your furnace runs it shoots up a lot of hot air and quickly warms the immediate area a lot before it triggers the thermostat elsewhere to turn it off. Its quite possible that her cage is getting way too hot for her during those periods.

Laying out in the open and splatting could be a too hot symptom, but the wheezing is leads me to believe she likely has developed an upper respiratory infection because of the cool conditions. URIs need to be treated by a veterinarian and we recommend as soon as possible because they can quickly turn into something that was easily treatable to life threatening.

For heating stuff, visit https://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forum...implified.html

It has details of how to setup a ceramic heat emitter. Don't get a reptile heat bulb. Most of those create light, which just causes more problems for our little ones.

[mdgrl72]

Thank you!!!