[msyronfire]

Today, I brought home a blind hedgehog. He's doing okay--quite shy around us, of course. But he seems to be in good health, excluding his eyes (which are healed but heartbreaking).

I was just wondering if anyone else had any experience with blind hedgies? What should I look out for? Are there any tips or tricks I should take into consideration with getting him acclimated to us, and raising him? I was told at the pet store that he had problems with finding the food bowl and water bottle. Currently, I scattered some food around the cage for him to root for, and I have a little dish of water for him.

Thanks so much for any help!

 

[rainbowcookie]

I think I'd give him a saucer or small plate with food on it and keep it near his water dish. My hedgehog are so bad at finding food that is not in a dish or handed to them on a spoon that they'd probably starve to death if they had to find it on their own! Pet hedgehogs have never had to hunt for their food!

My other advice would be to set the cage up the same every time you clean it so he will learn where stuff is and he won't get lost in his own cage. Obvious stuff, really, but I've never had a blind hedgehog, so that's just what I'd do! I read that they really do pretty well despite their disability.

 

[LarryT]

Your a wonderful person to take in a hedgie with such a condition :mrgreen:
I think Nancy has had a blind hedgie or two...she'll be along soon i'm sure.
Some other blind hedgie post;
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3814&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=blind+hedgehog

 

[silvercat]

I remember someone posting somewhere about always trying to approach the hedgehog from the front, so they may smell you. I would suggest the food bowl/dish always in the same place plus some scattered. I agree with rainbowcookie. I've watched Sylvie walk by the same piece or even a mealworm countless times before she's figured it out. I've also watched her stick her full face in the water dish thinking it was the food bowl when I accidentally switched their spots.

To that note, hedgehogs really seem to be habitual creatures (or at least Sylvie does). So I would suggest trying to set up a regular routing for your hedgie to get used to.

 

[hedgielover]

The other posts I've read about blind hedgehogs basically say the same as everyone has said and also that hedgehogs don't have good eye sight to start with so they adjust fine to being blind.

You had mentioned that the pet store was using a water bottle so I wanted to make sure you know that most people think that water bowls are better to use than water bottles because they are safer and easier for the hedgehog to drink out of.

 

[nikki]

I had a blind hedgie, Mirabelle, that I took in as a rescue. If you didn't know she was blind before seeing her you would never be able to tell. She had no trouble finding anything in her cage, food, water, snuggle sack and wheel. I would just suggest that you speak to her softly when approaching so she knows you're there, with Mirabelle that didn't work because she was deaf as well. With her I had to put my hand in the cage and wait for her to smell me before picking her up. She ran up a storm everynight and seemed to not even notice that she was blind and deaf.

 

[Kalandra]

With ones I have had who were blind or partially blind I tried to announce my arrival. I would tap on the side of their cage to wake them. I'd put my hand down near them so that they could smell me and talked to them as I picked them up. I also never moved any of their cage items around.

I'd put his food back in his bowl and show him where it is. He will figure it out and get used to where it is located.