Hibernation symptoms - warm environment?

[smalltownlassie]

Hello,

My little Shakespeare is acting quite weird these days. I believe he did a hibernation attempt a week ago when my furnace broke down (he got wobbly and lethargic and his belly was cold). I caught it fairly quickly and had a space heater while it was being fixed and he got back to normal.

Now, he's back to acting kind of weird. His belly is slightly cold, I see he wobbles a bit and he sleeps out in the open (not in his blanket). He seems to be dragging his legs a bit. His cage temperature is reading at 74.5F.

I just put the heater back on to provide him with a bit extra warmth cause I'm a bit confused. He doesn't really have any vet nearby and I don't have a car, so it's not the best option.

Can anyone please try to enlighten me? My little Shakey worries me. He's about 3 years old.

Thanks!

[smalltownlassie]

UPDATE: with the heater, his cage reads at 78.5 and he's currently eating. Good sign I assume!

[Ria]

Is he still wobbly?

I've just had a friend who had this same sort of thing only theirs stopped eating too. But they needed a vet and something
injected every 2 hours for a few days but a vet has to do this so kept in vet. But now isnt as wobbly. Just working on food and getting her to sleep in her normal place again.

I dont really know what was wrong she never said. But just keep it in mind incase.

[Spiky_Floof<3]

Not sure, maybe he isn't feeling well? I know there are online vets that you can skype or video call and they will help you if that's helpful for you.

[Kalandra]

Keep his cage warmer for a couple of weeks at a minimum. It is fairly common for them to become more sensitive to temperature changes after they have had one attempt. Monitor his weight and how much he is eating, also listen for any respiratory changes. URIs are known to pop up in hedgehogs who have had recent hibernation attempts.

The problem with hibernation attempts is it has an impact on their immune systems. While they will appear to be perfectly normal right after you warm them up. But a couple of weeks later a health issue like a URI will start to manifest itself. Monitor and try to make a plan now of what you would do if your hedgehog needs a vet.