[Hope]

Ok, so another question from the new parent. I just brought my hedgie home last saturday and pretty much everything is new to my Hedgerton except the food and a sleep bag. My question is how long will the new home sickness last. He has greenish slimy poops and has been spitting up near his food bowle. I know that the vomit could be from trying to get peices of food from the roof of the mouth and there usually is some food chunks in it. I have been trying pumpkin and he only seems to be anointing with it. Last night it looks like he ate he pumpkin and then threw it up near his food bowle. I know the water can cause problems, and he has been drinking plenty of it, but how long is relocation sickness supposed to last?

 

[Nancy]

If food is getting caught in his mouth it should be broken up smaller. Is this the same food the breeder had him on? How much food is he actually eating? Is his green slimey poops frequent?
You've had him a week today so things should be settling down somewhat.

If he is having frequent slime green poops as well as vomiting, this could be more than just a stress reaction.

Break his food into small pieces that can't get caught in his mouth and try and count the kibble to know exactly how much he is eating. You can also try putting a bit of warm water on the kibble so it will soften. While you have him out with you, feed him so you can see how easily he is able to eat.

 

[Hope]

Thank you, I will try this. He threw up again this morning. The poop color is more brown than dark greenish but still looks slimy. He eats a lot and drink a lot. The food is the same that I got from the breeder. I have been trying pumkin but it looks like he just throws it up. So, I will try crushing the food and see if he vomits still then I will soften it with water. If all this does not help I may take him to the vet. Hopefully he will stop being so sickly this next week.

 

[rtc]

Stick with the original food if it is a good one for the first little bit. Try not to change too rapidly from food to food.. as long as he is drinking he should be fine in a few days. Try to keep him in a quiet area and allow him/her to become use to his surrounding. I am sure other more experienced members can offer more detailed advice. Things must be done gradually as to avoid stressing your hog out..
Scott.

 

[Nancy]

If he'es vomiting when he has pumpkin, I'd quit giving him the pumpkin and only give the food from the breeder.

 

[HedgeMom]

It's been over a week. At this point, he needs a vet. There is a significant risk of dehydration at this stage and complications from the vomiting and slimy stool is a sign of a GI upset that may require meds to calm it down.

Personally, I wouldn't delay medical care any longer.

 

[Hope]

I took him to the vet today. Things did settle down but then got worse. The vet said he was losing his quils also and that he was probably really stressed. He gave me some antibiotics that I have to INJECT twice a day for three days! It breaks my heart every time. I know its just under the skin but I just get do nervous doing it and I don't know how far the needle is in. It can go orally but I think he will just anoint with it or not let me near his mouth at all. He has went through a lot today. He also gave me guide lines for his food because he didn't think he was getting the right quality of food. I have just been giving him what the breeder gave me. So, I got some purina kitten food mixed in with his old food and gave him a little carrot and apple.I hope this isn't too much change for him. I mixed about 1 tsp kitten food with about a half cup of his old food. Is this the right wat to go about it?

We are all stressed.