Keeping hedgehogs as pets is a relatively new trend, so there is still much to learn about caring for them while healthy; live alone while they are sick.
But, for passionate owners who find joy in catering to the needs of their pets, we have designed this article on how to care for a sick hedgehog to provide information that will help you restore the health of your little animal.
How Can I Tell If a Hedgehog Is Sick?
Knowing whether a hedgehog is sick can be challenging because the animal doesn’t spend much time in people’s sight.
Nevertheless, sick hedgehogs appear thin and may have a funny smell or flaky skin. Also, watch out for the following:
- nasal discharges
- Diarrhea
- Difficulty walking
- Lack of appetite
- Bloody urine.
Seeing a hedgehog during the day can also indicate that it could be unwell, particularly if it’s just lying around. She could be possibly poisoned, dehydrated, or injured.
Healthy hedgehogs come out during the day, maybe for nest building when expecting a young one or due to nest disturbance. This happens for a short period, and the hedgehogs should be fine.
Sick or injured hedgehogs are highly susceptible to hypothermia. Symptoms of hypothermia include staggering and sunbathing – to get heat into the body. You need to help the hedgehog quickly if you find one in this state, or else she may die.
What to Do If you Find a Sick or Injured Hedgehog
- Place the hedgehog inside a cardboard box and take it inside. Ensure the box is lined with a sheet or towel and is warm by placing a hot water bottle inside.
- There should be ample space between the hot water bottle and the hedgehog to avoid overheating.
- Maintaining the heat of the hot water bottle is crucial, and allowing it to cool could be hazardous. Do regular checks on the hot water bottle and change the water if necessary.
- If you find a seriously sick hedgehog or severely wounded, take her to the vet as soon as possible.
- When waiting to visit the vet with a sick hedgehog, leave the animal alone as much as possible to reduce its stress. Please keep him in a nice, dark, and quiet place away from other pets.
- Be sure to handle the hedgehog with gloves because they can carry diseases like salmonella bacteria or ringworm that can pass on to humans.
Caring for a Sick Hedgehog
- You can provide your hedgehog with general home care support, but this will not change the primary health problem without professional veterinary care.
- You should provide supplemental heat if your hedgehog is weak or feeling lethargic. Keeping a hedgehog’s environment warm is important because the animals enter a state of torpor when temperatures around them go below 65-70°F.
- To keep your hedgehog warm, place a human heating pad in her blanket or under one side of her cage. You can also use a heat lamp as long as the distance is safe not to burn the hedgehog.
- Always ensure that your sick hedgehog is fed. It is a vital step in building back the health of your hedgehog. If the hedgehog lacks appetite, give her chicken or canned kitten food, or soak her usual diet in low-sodium chicken broth or water.
- Exercise your hedgehog. Hedgehogs can get obese from constant eating without exercising all day. If you discover that your hedgehog has already accumulated excess subcutaneous fat, she may be suffering from obesity without you knowing, and you need to help it.
You can exercise your hedgehog by placing food in different places to encourage foraging activity. You can also add a wheel in the cage for exercising and a sandbox for digging.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Sick Hedgehogs
Some hedgehogs must undergo diagnostic procedures or tests to determine the illness they are suffering from. These procedures include radiographs, fecal analysis, ultrasound, physical examination, or blood test.
Treating sick hedgehogs is the work of a veterinary doctor. Depending on your animal’s illness, the vet should administer appropriate treatment and monitor the recovery progress.
Treatment can be through injection of medicine, therapies, diet corrections, or surgery.
Final Thoughts
Healthy hedgehogs are active and adorable pets, while sick ones are inactive and boring. It is okay to sympathize with sick hedgehogs and show them care and kindness when they are sick.
Caring for sick hedgehogs is necessary for them to live. Owners should strive to learn how to care for sick hedgehogs.
This knowledge begins with observing the hedgehog’s behavior and making the correct conclusions. You can easily determine the next step to recuperate your hedgehog from there.
This article contains useful information that could help you to care for a sick hedgehog. We hope it can also help you and make a positive impact on the health of your hedgehog.
