Bloody mouth

[Jguash]

Hello everyone. I'm new here so any help is much appreciated. My hedgie, Anakin, is a year and a half old. I noticed yesterday he was acting strange (laying where he doesn't usually lay, awake when he's usually asleep, funny odor, moving kinda sluggish) I was looking online and read about hibernation and thought maybe he wasn't warm enough etc. I gave him a warm bath and used a heating pad for the rest of the night. He seemed to perk up and start moving and wiggling more. I just went to get him now after work and he is sluggish again. He is also moving his tongue around a lot and producing a lot of foam which looks like there's some blood included in it. His food and water levels haven't changed much either so I don't believe he's eating or drinking. I know I need to get him to the vet asap but I wouldn't be able to for almost another 20hrs. Does anyone have any suggestions for how I can help him now? I feel so bad for him and just want to help him if he is in pain.

[Yukidama's mama]

He needs to be seen by a vet urgently, is there an emergency vets open?

Just keep him warm using your body heat only. what is the temperature of his cage? Do you have a heat set up for him (Ceramic heat emitter controlled by a thermostat) and is he on a lighting schedule?

Putting a cold or suspected sick hedgehog in water is dangerous, it can send them into shock and make their condition worse. Also do not use a heat mat, if they are cold, the extreme heat can also be too much, as well as potentially burn them. Skin to skin is the best heating method, as it warms them up slowly. A heat mat in the cage also does not provide sufficent heat, since they need the air to be heated, not just the surface they lay on. Cold spots in the cage can then trigger a hibernation.

If he hasn't eaten for more than 24hours they can deterioate quickly and it's best to start syringe feeding them straightaway but if he has already started foaming and has blood in his mouth I think you need to get him to the vet urgently if he's got a chance of surviving. Is there an emergency hosptial you can call for advice in the meantime?

Hoping he makes it, please keep us posted.

[Jguash]

Thank you for the response! I will definitely look into some better heating options asap. He is ok for now, we are heading to the vet in an hour. Hopefully they can help us out. I will keep you posted

[Yukidama's mama]

Glad he's doing ok and you're off to the vet soon.

Let us know how it goes ♡

[Jguash]

Turns out he had a piece of nut stuck in his teeth! They dislodged it and gave him fluids. He's on a soft food diet for a couple days then he should be good as new! Thank you for the reply! Glad I found this forum

[nikki]

Nuts should never be fed for this reason the same goes for dried fruit. It's good you took him to the vet.