Please help.... Bad vet news...

[Matott1832]

Okay so I am a new mommy and my little hedgehog is scaring me.... She is only about 8 weeks old and she is quiling I believe and she does sleep alot. I have lately noticed around her arms and legs the skin is yellow. I've researched it and haven't liked the things I've read about the liver and so in called a vet and they said that it's most likely liver failure and I can't do much about it. It that true? There is nothing I can do? At first I thought maybe it was a stain from the wood chips she was living in so I switched the bedding to fleece and I also changed her food from friskies surf and turf to Purina... She likes both and I have also cut back on how much food she eats
She still runs on her wheel and eats and drinks but I have noticed she is sleeping more. Am I bad mommy? If anyone can help I would be so thankful.

[FinnickHog]

Did the vet actually examine her or did you just talk on the phone?

There are a few other things it could be apart from liver failure, especially at such a young age, but if the vet examined her they're probably right. I don't think they should be able to advise you on that kind of a condition over the phone. That seems sketchy to me.

Is she overweight? That would be your first red flag that something is very wrong. Can you post us some pictures, or email them to me so I can post them? ([email protected])

Also, both of those foods are really, really not good for her. You need to take a look at the nutrition stickies I've linked below and start following them as soon as possible if she's already as sick as the vet told you she is. There may still be things that can be done, but they'll require a decent amount of time and money, especially to attempt to halt any liver damage.

https://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forum...ina-sucks.html

https://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forum...nutrition.html

https://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forum...ion-guide.html

https://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forum...food-list.html

Babies sleep a lot and tend to have bursts of energy followed by passing right out, so that may not be a big concern yet, but if she is obese and turning yellow, it could be bad news.

If she hasn't actually seen a vet in person yet, I would highly recommend that you take her in before you do anything else. Try to find one who knows about hedgehogs, as they are an exotic pet and training to care for them doesn't come standard at vet school. If you're in Canada or the US, or a few other countries, we have a really good list of vets here: https://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forum...rian-listings/

Keep us updated on what you decide to do.

[Matott1832]

Here is one picture.... And I will definitely read into what you posted.... She doesn't seem fat to me or dehydrated or anything. Just tired and yellow. Thank you for answering too. I appreciate it

[FinnickHog]

She doesn't look fat to me either, just really yellow. Hopefully someone who's seen this before will chime in soon. I'm hoping she was playing in her urine or something but it could definitely be her liver . Have you tried wiping at an area gently with a damp cloth?

[Matott1832]

she balls up and it is hard for me to anything like that. Should I keep the old food in there tonight while I'm at work? Im going to go to walmart and see if I can find one of those brands tonight and start ASAP.

[FinnickHog]

You'll have to transition the food gradually so she doesn't get an upset tummy. You can leave the same food for tonight, or you can do 75% the food she has now with like 25% of the new food, if you can find one.

You'll want to do 75% old food, 25% new food for a week, and then do 50% old food and 50% new food for three days, and then 25% old, 75% new for three days, and then 100% new. Normally I'd suggest a week within switches but since something is wrong I'd go a bit faster.

Can you put an inch of water in the sink and set her in gently to see if any of the yellow comes off? If it comes off, it's really good news.

[twobytwopets]

I also wonder if she might be stained from urine because that is a lot of yellow. Especially since she has been strictly on solid food for most likely no more than 3 weeks. Also babies can have a tendency to wet the bed.
I would get a photo of her in bright natural light, give her a bath, dry her off and get another similar picture. If she is just stained from urine, the change might be subtle.
With FLD, the quicker it's caught the better chance there is. So I would also call and get her seen by a vet that will do a blood draw. There is always something that can be done, even if it's supportive care.

[Matott1832]

I will try bathing her tonight. I'm on my way to work right now. Just really depressed I got her two weeks ago and the one breeding them said she uses surf and turf and she has had them for two years now and I just am worried all the time. If she does have a liver failure how long will she have? Is it fast?

[Matott1832]

I live in Potsdam NY and have had 5 vets turn me away because they don't work with hedgehogs .

[FinnickHog]

It doesn't usually happen to babies of her age, because they've been drinking mostly breastmilk up to this point, so unless mom was really malnourished, it shouldn't be liver failure yet.

Typically with liver disorders you get something like fatty liver disease which eventually leads to failure. If it's shutting down this quickly and this early on in her life it was nothing that you've done and you need to let the breeder know, because it's likely something wrong with her breeding female, your hedgie's mom.

That's why I'm still hopefully optimistic that it's just stained fur. She looks quite pink in the middle of her tummy still. Let us know if it washes off! I really hope it does.


Yeah finding a vet is usually the toughest part. Hedgehogs still have odd legality staus there, too, so that may make it more difficult. They're illegal in the city but not the state. Would you be willing to drive out of state? They're legal in Ontario, and in Vermont there's a vet: https://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forum...1-vermont.html

Ontario, just in case: https://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forum...ario-vets.html

That said, if the yellow washes off completely, you don't need a vet.