Hedgie losing quills

[Zileto]

Our hedgie, Rene Pincartes, has lost around 20 quills in the last two days. He even scratched two off while we were holding him today. He's always been a scratchy hedgehog, so I haven't noticed any increase in scratching, but this is the first time I've ever found quills. He's about ten months old. There is no sign of mites or any other health problems. He has no bald patches. I briefly looked through his quills while I was trying to figure out what was wrong. There were no signs of dry skin (or any other skin condition I know of), but I did find what looks to be a new quill growing in. Is quilling around this age normal? What do we do about it- oatmeal baths? Should we take him to the vet and have him checked over just in case?

I also noticed some of the quills he lost looked to be bent out of shape, kind of hooked at the tip. Is that a cause for concern? There isn't anything in his cage that I can think of that he might have caught them on.

[Zileto]

Well, we have a vet appointment on Tuesday, so we'll find out for certain.

[Kalandra]

Some can and do go through a minor quilling around a year of age. It is possible that is what is causing the quill loss, however that quilling is usually fairly light (at least those I've experienced).

Due to the the number that was lost, I agree with your veterinary visit plan. Might as well get him checked out to ensure its just a late quilling and not something else going on.