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Double Problem! Too Cold & Too Skinny

1K views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  SquirtleSquirt 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,

so I have had my two hedgehogs for around 8 months now and I haven't really had any serious problems, even though I freaked out quite a few times.

Anyway, this morning I went to look after my hedgehogs and noticed that the older one (about a year old now) was still kinda laying in the same spot she was in when I fed them last night. I picked her up and she was ways too cold, so I warmed her up and kept an eye on her. She quickly became very active again and was running around after a few hours without a problem, so I put her back after turning up the heater a little bit more.

I think she is fine now, I fed her insects about half an hour ago and she wasn't eating many but quite a few. But she's not really skinny, more a little bit too heavy, so I wasn't too worried about that.

This whole thing scared me to death and I immediately began worrying about my other hedgehog, who is around 10 months old. She was very, very chubby but has recently lost a huge amount of weight and has become thin now.

I give them still the same food as always and the same amount, a little bit more because she continued to lose weight. I recently replaced the wheel she runs around in and ever since she's running the whole night and if I take it out she tries to climb out of her terrarium.

I read that some hedgehogs are more active and therefore have a different bodytype, more slim and sporty and she looks a lot like she did back when I first got her, but obviously bigger now and not like a baby.

Should I worry? I've noticed that they both haven't eaten a lot of cat food recently but are drinking a moderate amount. It reminds me a little of the time when I first got them and they had to get used to their new home.

I hope someone can help me, because google can only do so much and I'm a little freaked out :-|

Thank you so much x
 
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#2 ·
Okay first of all it sounds like the older one had a hibernation attempt. Do you know the temperature of the cage, and do you have a heat source attached to a thermostat? What is the amount of food you give them? Hedgies should be free fed, they ever so rarely over-eat. Keep the wheel in the cage at all times, hedgehogs run for miles in the wilderness. What is the fat percentage on the cat food you're feeding them?
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the quick answer!

I think it was a hibernation attempt as well and did the appropriate steps afterwards. I don't know the exact temperature of the room but it's always around/above 28° Celsius and the terrarium is close to the heater. But two days ago my dad went in there and turned the heater down a little, I noticed a few hours later and quickly turned it up again, so I guess that might've been the reason for the hibernation attempt?

They have a pretty big bowl so I usually give them enough that the bottom of the bowl is easily covered and that the next day there's still a little bit of food left, before I replace it. The food has 28% protein and 20% fat, it's from Royal Canin for outdoor cats and they refuse to eat any other kind of cat food even if it's from the same brand. Additionally they get eggs and insects during the week ( I tried other treats the breeder recommended, but they won't eat those).

I haven't taken the wheel out of their terrarium for quite a while.

Additional Note: The hedgehog who tried to hibernate is currently running around the wheel and seems totally normal. Her eyes are clear, she's breathing easily and her nose is just the usual kind of wet.
 
#4 ·
It's a good thing you caught the older one and helped warm her up. You need to get a thermometer for the cage itself, because the temperature of the room and the temperature of the cage differs. For the hedgie that is a bit too heavy even though she won't eat anything but the cat food you have now, you might want to switch her off the cat food, because 20% fat is way too high and can cause health issues. I think you can leave the food for the skinny one because the hedgie's body type you describe needs to have a high fat % to maintain her body.
 
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