Several Hibernations

[roxyy]

I am very concerned for my hedgehog. Shes barely 7 months old and she has gone into hibernation twice. It just happened tonight about an hour ago. She finally is awake but very grumpy.. I check on her every morning, and she was fine.. I couldnt check on her till later tonight because i was busy.. but at about 9:00 pm i took her out and she was in a ball. Refusing to come out. I finally got her out. I have heating lamp for her. its normally between 70-80 degrees. But when she uncurled, she was pretty cold! If her cage is good temp.. then why is this happening. Im very concerened especially since this happened twice.. So why is this happening? How can i prevent it from happening again?? Should i take her to the vet? Please i love my baby very much..

[Lilysmommy]

70-80* is way too much temperature fluctuation. You need to keep the temperature steady, within a 2-3* range at most. You said you have a heating lamp, but do you have a thermostat controlling the lamp? Is it a ceramic heat emitter bulb (that doesn't give off any light, only heat), or is it a reptile heating lamp that gives off light (white, black, or red light)? Do you know what the wattage is?

You need to change her heating set up ASAP to keep the temperature steady. It'd be best to try keeping it around 75* and see how she does with that. If she's still not very active or is attempting hibernation, try higher around 78*.

Another thing to make sure of - she needs 12-14 hours of light during the day, which usually should be from a lamp, not just daylight.

[sc2001]

70-80 degrees is a pretty big range. I would say try to keep the temp more stable. The temp in my hedgehogs cage ranges from 74-76.

Your hedgie probably went into hibernation when the temperature dipped close to 70 degrees which is bare minimum.

When a hedgie hibernates once, it will be more prone to hibernating again. So try to keep the cage a little warmer and more stable. I would say 75 or 76 is always safe but some hedgies like it warmer.

I would say keep an eye on her for the next few days. If you see any worrying changes in your hedgie, update the forum or take her to the vet if necessary

[roxyy]

I dont have a thermostat controlling the lamp, but i have one just in her cage.. Also the lamp gives off red light and is 70 watt..

Im going to starts controlling the heat so it stays between 75-78...

I tried to give her some food but she doesnt want to eat and shes really grumpy... will she return to normal and start eating?? should i be concerened if she doesnt??

[sc2001]

The lamp should be 100 watt or over. And also shouldn't give off a red light. That will really disturb a hedgie. Buy a CHE bulb. Very reliable and are perfect for hedgehogs. I'll post a link.

And definitely get a thermostat for the lamp. That's the only effective way to control the temp. I will also post a link. They are pretty expensive but completely necessary.

And yes I think you should be concerned if she doesn't start eating soon. If she continues to refuse to eat you will need to syringe feed her. But I don't know how long you should wait to start doing that. Perhaps lilysmommy would know

Zoo Med Ceramic Infrared Heat Emitter 100 Watts:Amazon:Pet Supplies

Zoo Med Ceramic Infrared Heat Emitter 100 Watts:Amazon:Pet Supplies

R-Zilla Controller Temperature, 500-watt:Amazon:Pet Supplies

R-Zilla Controller Temperature, 500-watt:Amazon:Pet Supplies

[Lilysmommy]

You need to get a thermostat. It'll turn the lamp on & off as needed to keep the temperature steady. They're a requirement for a heat lamp set up unless you're around 24/7 to be able to keep an eye on the temperature and control the lamp.

You also need to get a different bulb. A red light bulb is not good - the light bothers almost all hedgehogs and can prevent them from coming out as much as they normally would at night. They do see the light & it can throw their schedule off quite a bit. You need to get a ceramic heat emitter bulb. They don't give any light off, just heat. I would get a 100-watt one, along with a thermostat. Together, they should do a much better job at keeping your hedgehog's cage temperature steady & at a safe temp, and she'll be on a more normal light schedule as well, with no night-time light.

She'll probably eat tonight, and if she doesn't, I would prepare to syringe feed her tomorrow, just in case. It's normal for them to be a little off after a hibernation attempt though. Just keep her warm and keep an eye on her for tonight. Try to get the new heating supplies as soon as you can - tomorrow or within the next few days. You can get them from pet stores or online. Online is typically cheaper, but you'll have to wait for them to ship too.

[roxyy]

Ok thanks. I plan to get those supplies today!

She ate some last fold last night. not a lot though.

Thanks to everyone who replied and helped

[Lilysmommy]

Hopefully she eats normally again tonight. It might just take her a bit to rebound from the attempts. That's good that she ate something though! And I'm glad to hear you're getting the supplies today.

[december]

Same with mine little one, she is only six m.o. and first time hibernated 13 days ago, on my own fault because I left the room door half open and even though I use heaters, apparently the cold air coming from the hall was too much. I was terrified to find her in the morning curled in a spiky ball, not responding to anything. I warmed her up and even got late to work one hour, because I had to make sure she's allright. But now, she's done it again . The oil heater in the room is on, Pu has a heating pad and 100vats ceramic heater on all the time, no doors open, yet, she's still done it again . Found her in her usual sleeping place, just very little responsive. She hissed at me a bit but wouldn't uncurl at all, so I've done the emergency waking up treatment. Just managed to wake her up couple of minutes ago, I'm gonna set the temperature few degrees higher but I'm so scared she's gonna do it again anyway, when noone's home...