spine

[mcwojo]

When Hazel and I have cuddle time I pet her pretty much the whole time. I noticed that last couple days that I can feel her spine. I never paid attention to it before so I don't know if I could always feel her spine. Is that normal? I weighed her and she is about 10 oz. She is 12 and a half weeks old.

[Hedgieonboard]

I have not noticed this so hopefully someone else will come a long and be able to help. I have noticed though that when they are relaxed that there is certain areas where they have a leg bent and you can feel the form of the bone, sometimes I can feel the shoulder area but I can feel that there is a padding of fat on it also so don't know it that helps.
Some things I would check to be safe in the meantime though was making sure they are drinking and using the bathroom well to rule out dehydration, the skin should have good elasticity if not that could be a sign. How much is the little one eating and how does his current weight compare to his weigh in?

Hope someone comes a long that can shed more light on this, I'm not much of a help

[mcwojo]

Thank you for that info. I too can feel her legs. She is eating and drinking just fine. Her bowl is usually empty or close to it both water and food. She eats her mealies like they are going out of style. I don't think that eating is an issue. I am going to start switching her food though because the one I'm using now is too high in protein. I also leave a little bit of food in her dish during the day in case she comes out, which she has. She has been wheeling like a fiend at night and definatley has been pooping and peeing with no problem. I sometime wonder how in the world so much can come out of such a small animal

[MissC]

I can feel Snarf's spine, legs, etc...he's trying to gain weight...he's 1.5 yrs and only 300grams.

Have you weighed Hazel lately? I weight Snarf once a week so I can catch any health issues before they're serious.

[mcwojo]

I weighed her twice this week. I just got the scale. One day she weighed 10.5 oz and a couple days later she weighed 9.8 oz. They were different times of the day, I don't know if that matters or not. I just went out today and bought some new food (I'm trying to get her off the Wellness Core). I bought the Wellness indoor and when I get her over to that I'm going to add the blue buffalo basics turkey and potato.

[MissC]

Their weight will fluctuate an ounce or so just cuz...the important thing is to watch for a pattern of loss/gain or a sudden drop/gain in weight...

I'm not sure of the average weight for 12 weeks...someone with more experience will jump in, I'm sure. You could stroll through the "Pictures" post and compare weights with similar aged hedgies...can't hurt and it's fun to see all the cute little guys...

[mcwojo]

I have done that and I think she is pretty much similar to the others her age. I just wanted to make sure that this might be normal. She seems just fine I just didn't know about being able to feel her spine. I do believe though it is more when she is in a certain position now that I am more aware of it.
Thank so much.

[Nebular]

Norman just turned 12 weeks old today and tips the scales at a whole 295 grams (10.4 ounces), so Hazel's weight sounds about right (if she's around the same size as Norman - but I don't any sort of measurement except for "uh... roughly hedgehog size?"). I can feel his spine if I rub him just right (it's tough to get my fingers in there with all of those quills) as well as his ribs when he's splatted out.

I weight him at roughly the same time each day now. I've found that weighing at random times each day produces different results. For example, he'll typically weigh more in the morning after filling up on food and water, and less later in the day after he's "lightened his load" and metabolised his food. So not weighing at a consistent time could produce misleading results. I was alarmed to see his weight go from 305 grams to 295 grams before I remembered that I weight him at different times on those two days.

[mcwojo]

I thought the exact same thing. Just a little panic set in, but then I realized that maybe different times of day might make a difference.
Thank you for letting me know.

[ThePliny]

Yup, weighing at different times of the day will make a difference. Pre and post-poop makes a huge difference!
Pliny is a 'fluffy' 445grams and I can feel his spine when he is snuggled in and relaxed; I can also feel his shoulder blades and hips.