Signs of Pregnancy? Unintended! Help Please!

[JorjaCrackers]

Hello!

Jorja our beautiful female hedgie is now almost 11 weeks old. When she was around 6 1/2 -7 1/2 weeks old we had her in the cage together with handsome Crackers, our boy, who is 13 weeks old now, but was 9 weeks at the time. We thought they would behave themselves (meaning no hanky-panky) because they were just too young and we hadn't had "the talk" with them yet about sex. When Jorja was around 7 1/2 weeks old, we moved her into a separate cage to make sure there was no "hedgie-style" going on.

Now, Jorja is away from her summer fling, here in Illinois, and Crackers is still waddling around on the beach in Florida, like Danny from "Grease". Jorja is growing like a nice little hedgie, but is starting to exhibit some signs of a VERY large tummy. Is thi normal hedgie growth? I feel her tummy and can almost feel something moving. What other symptoms should I look for in HH pregnancy? I can't run out and buy and EPT test and have her pee on it, because her aim isn't that good. How do I know if she is with hoglets? I am an avid reader of all of the sites, so I can figure out what to do if she does decide to drop a couple pups, but short of taking her to the vet on a Sunday..... We love these animals very, very much and want to give them the best care we can. That includes taking care of them and making them as comfortable as possible when she is probably scared.

[Lilysmommy]

Do you remember the last day that you had the two together? If so, you'll want to count from that day - 35 weeks is the earliest due date, but you'll want to treat her as pregnant until 50 days to be 100% sure. There are signs of pregnancy, such as larger belly, more noticeable nipples, eating more, moodiness, etc. but they don't all show up all the time, and sometimes there's no noticeable signs. The best thing to do is treat her as pregnant until the last possible day she could give birth. Definitely do make sure you that you have a knowledgeable vet around and let them know about the situation just in case she has any problems giving birth, especially with how very young she is. If you check out the Breeding & Babies forum (I'm also going to move this thread to there, since it fits in better), there's a ton of information on surprise/accidental pregnancies, what to do, how to prepare the cage, and what to watch out for. Ask any other questions you have if you can't find the answer through reading - I'm not a breeder, but have been on the site for quite awhile and know some of the basic questions, and we have several very experienced breeders on here as well.

[JorjaCrackers]

Thanks for the information, and thanks for moving the thread to the right area. I will find out the exact date they were last together and count from there. I've attached a pic of me scruffing her this morning, her belly isn't huge, but not sure if it's normal growth. But she REALLY is moody, and yes like a pregnant woman.

[JorjaCrackers]

Having trouble with posts today.

[LizardGirl]

She looks bloated to me, but keep an eye on her and treat her as pregnant just in case. Let us know what happens!

[Immortalia]

She's so little. What kinds of food are you feeding? She's going to need lots of really good food to help counteract the nutrients the babies will be taking from her(assuming she's pregnant)
This is essentially like a 10-11yr old human girl getting pregnant
When/if the babies do come, it may be wise to pick up a bottle of Tums for some extra calcium. But wait for a breeders input on that first. Calcium deficiency seems to be more common.

[Tabi]

Originally Posted by Immortalia

She's so little. What kinds of food are you feeding? She's going to need lots of really good food to help counteract the nutrients the babies will be taking from her(assuming she's pregnant)
This is essentially like a 10-11yr old human girl getting pregnant
When/if the babies do come, it may be wise to pick up a bottle of Tums for some extra calcium. But wait for a breeders input on that first. Calcium deficiency seems to be more common.

One of my girls had calcium deficiency the first litter she had at 6 months. I can't imagine how a baby will get through this. I'd supplement with a calcium supplement in the water a week before they're born and continue till they're weaned. Her being a baby, herself, she also needs calcium. poor girl

[LizardGirl]

Please be very careful supplementing calcium, especially before birth. You shouldn't need to supplement it before she has babies (if she's pregnant), but beginning to supplement it 1-2 weeks into nursing may help. Hedgehogs are so tiny, it is easy to overdose them on calcium and do as much harm as good.

[nikki]

Is it possible to get a picture of her when you're not scruffing her? I find that with some babies scruffing them makes their bellies look bigger.

I wouldn't put anything in any hedgies water as it could cause them to drink less which is not healthy.

[moxieberry]

Crushed Tums is the common choice, and a very small sprinkle is all it takes. Calcium deficiency can be caused by nursing, so there would be no need to supplement it before birth. However, you might want to try it once a few weeks before just to be sure there's no negative reaction. I can't imagine there would be something like an allergic reaction to Tums, but who knows, she might refuse to eat her food with it sprinkled on, and you don't want to be dealing with that when babies have already arrived. Once the babies are born, you can add a small amount to the mother's food daily or every other day as a preventative.