[Morel3etterness]

I took Egon to the vet today because of the itching I reported on here a week or so ago. First they had asked me to be there monday at 1:00. I agreed knowing I was cutting it close with work. I ended up making a mistake with my work schedule and got a call from my manager saying I was supposed to be at work for a double shift. I explained I could not be there because I was at the vet. Well I get to the vet and they have me waiting around for a half hour. Someone comes in and sees I have a hedgehog and she says "well our regular doctor isn't here and she deals with exotics. The fill in doctor won't even see a rabbit so it isn't looking too good for you either. I don't know why they scheduled you for today." I said it's fine Ill reschedule, EVEN though I missed work, pissed my managers off and lost out on 100 bucks.

My new appointment was for 9 this morning. I get there really early, 8 30 AM and hang out in my car until 9. I had to pry the front doors open because they did not open them to the public. I get in there and end up waiting in a room for 15 minutes again. Someone comes in and weighs him again, asks me all these questions she cannot answer and tells me to wait for a doctor to come in. The vet finally comes in and asks why I brought him in. I explain and say he is itchy. She said well he may have mites and the thing is with these guys we have to sedate them in order to get a swab because he wont unball for me. She tells me she will get me an estimate and 10 minutes later another girl comes in with paperwork. 250.00 bucks! I was like no way can I afford that. She sends me on my way with my vet visit bill of 45.00 bucks. I was like I was told it was 35.00 for a visit and shes like well I don't know who you talked to but its 45.00. I go I WAS TOLD TWICE on two different days. She tells me to talk to the girl at the front desk.

The girl at the front desk says the same thing. So I go, you want me to pay you 45.00 for the doctor coming in the room for a total of 2 minutes, not even talking my hedgehog or offering me any advice, and failing to return to see if I had any questions? and shes like yes I am sorry but that is the standard price for a visit. I gave her the money she said have a nice day and i ignored her. I also told them they would never be seeing me again. AND I am reporting them to the BBB. How dare they. What kind of vet comes into a room without any preparation to handle a hedgehog? If she knew they were impossible to get a swab from why couldnt they tell me on the phone the kind of money I would have to pay? They scammed me and now I am reporting them. I cried on the way home because I felt so bad for my hedgehog. I dont care about the 50 bucks. I went to get him help and instead I didnt even get a suggestion on what i could temporarily do. I am furious right now.

What should I do at this point?

 

[Kalandra]

I bet the $35 amount was for a dog or cat and their $45 is for exotics. Some charge a lot more just for the vet to walk in the room with you.

However, sedating to get a skin scraping is utter BS. As long as you can get the quills parted so they can get to the skin, they can get a scraping. I've had hedgehogs that were in tight balls, clicking and we managed it. Yes my hands hurt afterward (and had many marks from quills), but we did it. My vet never once suggested sedation. He was against sedation unless needed. He'd rather spend time with us calming the animal than sedate.

 

[Morel3etterness]

Nope. She said she NEEDED to sedate him and they usually do have to with hedgehogs. Which to me did not make any sense because I was holding him in my hands the whole time so she would not even have to touch him and she said she has to get in between the quills... well when is a better time to do it? He was balled up so tightly that there was so much exposed skin.

I reported them to the BBB of New Jersey and demanded a refund for my visit. They totally tried to financially rape me twice today. And imagine if I paid 250.00 for that whole swab test and medication and he didn't even have mites? Like come on man. They also had on the paperwork that they would have to give him that ivermec shot for mites. I was like oh **** no. I was told that leads to a lot of hedgie deaths.

 

[Kalandra]

Ivermectin has been troublesome. It has also been used without any problems. The biggest problem is that if you overdose, it is dangerous. Our little ones are so small, that it doesn't take much to overdose. Revolution is definitely safer.

Have you tried the black shirt test? Take your hedgehog, roll it on its back and rub a black or dark blue shirt against the quills. Take the shirt and look at the flakes of skin that fell off under a bright light. If you see movement, you know there are definitely mites. No movement, may mean no mites or that just none fell off.

 

[Morel3etterness]

I didnt see any movement. He doesnt itch all day...which is weird. He only itches at night when hes on and off his wheel. I dont know if its habitual with these guys or what.

 

[Kalandra]

I've had some that will scratch but it was normal for them. NeMali would scratch off and on for 30min-1hr after being awakened. I think she was particular over how her quills laid and felt the need to "comb" them.

 

[leannem]

Harley is a big scratcher. If he has a spot that he's working on he'll usually let me take over the scratching for him. Very cute Usually it's when he first wakes up for awhile or If he's been rummaging under a blanket.

 

[Brlewh]

I had to goto the vet twice to get my hedgehog seen.
First I went and the lady at the front said the vet had an emergency at home and tried to call me to let me know (she didn`t) wasted an hour driving to the vet. Then came back the next day, good thing she was there.
The vet cost me 67 dollars to look at my hedgehog for a yearly checkup.
The vet was alright, she sedated her, clipped the nails, weighed her, didn`t check her skin for mites (said her skin looked amazing), checked the heartbeat and liver, and the teeth.

I told her Sally (my hedgehogs name) had a bit of blood in her poop but the vet kinda brushed the question away, said to continue with the pumpkin...she didn`t even do a poop smear thingy to check for intestinal problems.
Not sure worth $67 dollars but atleast I know Sally is as healthy as she can be (besides the constipation which is almost gone)