So Poppy is a bit constipated. I am not too worried as her poop is normal color. She just seems to be straining to get it out. I feel she needs to drink more water. I offer her fresh water daily and fill her bowl about 3/4. The next morning, I see the water level has dropped but it's hard to tell what she drank and what evaporated from the CHE. I was wondering if there is a better way to monitor drinking? Also, is there something I can do to encourage her to drink more? Thanks!
Poppy_the_hedgie
Water intake help...
I don't know what you can do to get her to drink more but you can try feeding her some canned plain pumpkin or baby food squash to help with the constipation.
I have to get her more cat food so I was planning on picking up some baby food then. 
Do you know how I could monitor how much water she is drinking though?
Do you know how I could monitor how much water she is drinking though?
You could use a graduated cylinder (like what's used in science labs) to measure the amount you're giving & then what's left after a night. I would think the amount that's evaporating over one night would be pretty minimal, so it should still give you a fairly decent idea of how much she's drinking. You can also check hydration by looking at urine spots (darker colored urine is more concentrated, which means drinking less water), or by pinching her skin lightly. If it takes more than a second to return to normal, that's a sign of dehydration.
To give her more moisture, you could offer wet food or baby food nightly, you could add water to her hard food, etc. If higher moisture doesn't help or she doesn't seem dehydrated besides the constipation, more fiber in the diet may help as cat foods tend to be low in fiber.
To give her more moisture, you could offer wet food or baby food nightly, you could add water to her hard food, etc. If higher moisture doesn't help or she doesn't seem dehydrated besides the constipation, more fiber in the diet may help as cat foods tend to be low in fiber.
I have a similar issue with my hedgie, Quilliam! He definitely struggles to poop, wiggling his butt like a dog. Yesterday, I checked his tummy for stiffness, but he seemed fine. And then he pooped a large, smelly poop so the massage seemed to help him. I am not sure if it is that he isn't getting enough water (right now, he is being very picky with water. He had a bottle, and drank regularly, then I bought a waterer dish which he liked, and now he will only drink from the bottle sometimes...). Do you think it is a water issues? He free feeds Ferret food and generally eats the same amount every day.
Ferret food is too high in protein for hedgehogs and can cause kidney issues. I would slow switch him over to a good cat food.
Agreed, ferret food is inappropriate for hedgehogs (and most of them are inappropriate for ferrets as well, for that matter). But yes, one of the numerous issues with water bottles is that it's harder for the hedgehog to drink from them and they can be more at risk for dehydration due to that. I would ditch the bottle & stick with the water bowl instead.
This thread should help you out - http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/foru...ral.com/forums/12-diet-nutrition/23034-beginner-s-guide-hedgehog-nutrition.html
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