Hedgehog First Aid

I found this way to do compressions on a hedgehog on another site, and felt this was something everyone should know!

If They Are Choking

1. First, try and see if there is any obstruction visible in their nose or mouth, and try to remove it gently if possible.  If they do not start breathing immediately after removal, or you didn't remove any obstruction, move onto the compressions.
2. Hold hedgie with their head on the palm of your hand, and have the rest of their body trailing up the underside of your forearm. Hold them at the 4:00 o'clock position.
3. Shake them towards the floor a time or two.
4. Now place your other hand on top of them and firmly squeeze (compress) them with your hand pressing down and your arm pressing up (like working a bellows) twice. 
5. Listen. If needed, shake and compress again.

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day everyone!



Hedgehogs 101

Common Health Problems

Mites: Refer to my earlier post titled "Attack of the Mites"

Green stools: A stool of this colour can indicate several different problems. A few are an excessive amount of bile in the digestive tract, indigestion of food, stress, an infectionary process, or it could be brought on by a change in food. Keep an eye on your hedgie, if you notice abnormal stools (take not of how much it is eating and drinking), do not feed anything new during this time, make a note of any new treats, supplements etc. that have been introduced into your hedgehog' diet. Keep the diet bland, if the problem persists, for more than a week; take your hedgie and a stool sample to your vet.

Diarrhea: Although diarrhea can be a temporary problem, if it isn’t brought under control quickly, it can be life-threatening. If you notice this in your hedgie, make sure he/she is drinking enough water so as not to dehydrate and keep the diet bland. Take note of whether or not you have changed anything lately; are you feeding your hedgie something new? Is his water coming from a different source? If the diarrhea lasts for more than a couple days, see your vet and bring a fresh stool sample with you. Diarrhea can be caused by much of the same things as green stool are, but could also be a sign of illness, infection, allergies, irritable bowel syndrome, internal parasites or other internal problems. You can give your hedgie a drop or two of Imodium AD, this will usually stop the diarrhea, but do not be fooled into thinking your hedgie is back to normal if it does, for this medication is just a temporary fix and does not address the main issue.

Constipation: If your hedgie seems a bit constipated, try putting him in a couple inches of warm water for quick relief. This will almost always do the trick. Following this, try feeding him a little canned pumpkin (unseasoned brand). Pumpkin almost always works well for constipation. Constipation could be a sign that your hedgie does not have enough fibre in their daily diet. In addition to canned pumpkin, other high fibre treats are pinches of powdered dry baby food on your hedgie’s kibble, sweet potato etc. If the condition persists, see your vet.

Tattered ears, dry skin: Possible issues that could cause these symptoms are mites, fungus or dietary issues. If mites and fungus infection are ruled out, apply either cocoa butter, Vaseline, vitamin E oil or aloe gel to ears several times weekly to soften them, and bathe hedgie in fragrance-free oatmeal based soap such as Aveeno, or put a drop of bay oil, vitamin E oil, or olive oil in the bath. Adding 1 drop of Spectrum Essential Oil to your hedgie’s food each night really helps dry skin and is very healthy for your hedgie as well (only 1 drop!), as it contains Omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids. Also dry skin can be more common in winter due to indoor heating.

Crusty feet: Occasionally, you may see a hedgehog with a crust-like formation on its feet. One possible cause of crusty feet is a fungal infection. Please see your vet for proper treatment.

Lethargy, wobbliness, cold to touch: Immediately warm your hedgie up by placing him under your shirt. Once he is warmed sufficiently, increase room temperatures and provide some additional source of heat in the cage such as a Snuggle safe Disc, or a heating pad under the cage. Keep an eye on your pet to make sure he isn't trying to seek out the cooler end of the cage to try and hibernate again. Also make note of how often your hedgie is running on their wheel, playing, eating and drinking. Declines in these activities are also possible signs your hedgehog is too cold, older or sick hedgehogs are also more likely to become chilled. If this problem persists, see your vet as it may be an indication of illness.

Wobbliness or paralysis, with gradual onset: Several possible causes, one of the possible health issues is a neurological disorder called Degenerative Myelopathy otherwise known as Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome. This is a degenerative disease that unfortunately is incurable, and eventually leads to death. This does not mean that your hedgehog cannot have a good quality of life with you for a time before this end. See your vet immediately, for more information visit: http://www.angelfire.com/wa2/comemeetmyfamily/wobblyhs1.html. These symptoms could also be a sign of other neurological, spinal or liver issues. In any case, a vet should be contacted immediately.

Wobbliness or paralysis, rapid onset: Possible stroke. See your vet immediately.

Lumps or masses under skin: Possible cysts, tumours, or even pregnancy. See your vet!

Yellowing under armpits: Cause; obesity, which could lead to FLD: fatty liver disease, a very serious and often fatal disease, if not treated. Increase your hedgehogs activity (does he have a running wheel?). Allow supervised free-roaming. Put your hedgehog on a low fat diet and reduce its daily caloric intake.

Quill loss: There are several possible causes for excessive quill loss; mites are the most common cause, followed by dietary issues, allergies, illness and or hormonal issues. It is important to note that baby hedgies go through a "quilling" process whereby they lose their baby quills and adult quills grow in to take their place. During this time, it is common to find several quills dropping every day, and your hedgehog at this time will usually be quite irritable. For more information refer to an earlier post titled “The Trials of Quilling”

Loss of appetite: Can be brought on by many causes, but if problem persists, see your vet right away. Have your vet check the teeth to rule out any problems there. It is important to note that sometimes a new hedgie will not want to eat when you first get it. Make sure you find out what that hedgie has been eating prior to your acquiring him and offer him what he is used to. If the diet he is on is less than satisfactory, slowly wean him off of it and onto the new. Pay attention at this time to whether or not the hedgie is drinking adequate water. A hedgie who isn't drinking, will usually not eat either. Dehydration can set in rapidly and can be fatal. Was he used to drinking out of a bottle or a bowl before you got him?

Discharge from ears: See your vet. Possible ear infection, mites, or head injury.

Wheezing, nasal discharge: See your vet! Possible upper and or lower respiratory infection. Keep your hedgie warm and dry till you get to the vet.

Eyes; watery, discharge, inflamed: See your vet immediately. Possibly resulting from an injury and or infection process, allergies, or a foreign object lodged under the eye lid.

Open sores: Possibly mites. See your vet!

Swollen jaw, inflamed gums: The most common problem is Dental disease i.e. an abscess or cavity. Have your Vet do a through dental exam, and give the appropriate treatment. Another key indicator is if your pet seems to have trouble eating hard food, it may be too painful for them to chew it. A swollen jaw can also indicate a more serious condition, such as cancer or a benign cyst/tumour.

Cancer: Various forms of cancer are, unfortunately, very common in hedgehogs. Feeding the best diet, void of chemical preservatives, artificial colors and flavours can help, but there are many other factors which influence this disease.

Swollen feet and ankles: This could be a sign of injury or infection to the leg, check your hedgies legs for any string or hair wrapped around them cutting off circulation.  This could also be a sign of stress to the joints, caused by excessive running or a sprain.  Double check the wheel your hedgehog uses, make sure it doesn't have spokes or it isn't too small for your hedgehog.

Blood in the cage:  Obviously your concern should be do they have an open wound?  Torn nails are especially prone to bleeding excessively, things such as corn starch or quickE stop works well for treating nails.  If the blood is mixed in the urine this could be a sign of a bladder or kidney infection.  If the blood is on its own it could be a sign of a uterine infection or cancer in female hedgehogs.  Another symptom of uterine infections are a lack of eating, excessive drinking, and change in temperament.  You should see your vet ASAP, my one female had a uterine infection (luckily there were no lumps upon inspection) and this was treated with oral antibiotics twice a day for 2 weeks.  I also had to force feed her a soft wet cat food high in protein and fat by syringe (meant for cats and dogs who haven't been eating, use a VERY small amount because it's very rich) to compensate for the 4 days she hadn't been eating.

Attack of the Mites

          This is a very common health issue that your hedgie may come across. Symptoms include frequent scratching, dry and scaly skin, excessive quill loss, tattered and/or crusty ears, and open sores. If this isn’t treated, it will eventually result in blindness and death. Luckily, it is fairly simple to prevent as well as treat
          Some ways your hedgehog can get mites is through wood shaving bedding that isn’t kiln dried (I only use aspen); if it doesn’t say kiln dried or treated on the package then assume it isn’t! Mites can also be carried into the house by outdoor pets that aren’t treated with insecticide, untreated wood from outside and used toys and cages. With this in mind, always clean and disinfect any used toy or cage you plan on using for your hedgehog.
          If you suspect your hedgehog has mites, it’s time to make a vet appointment. Your vet can prescribe an insecticide treatment safe to use on an animal that weight. The treatment is applied to the skin between the shoulder blades, where it spreads killing all mites and eggs; this is usually applied once a month for 2-3 months. You must also replace the bedding and disinfect your hedgehog’s cage as well as all the cage accessories. Anything made out of wood should be disposed of, as it’s almost impossible to adequately kill all the insects and eggs hiding in the wood grain.

Happy Hedgehog Day!!!

Groundhog Day 2011: Is Punxsutawney Phil the wrong species? (Oh, no!)

The news from Punxsutawney, Pa., this morning was just what we wanted to hear: Spring will come early this year, thanks to good old Phil predicting the winter, just as he's done for 125 years (longest living groundhog ever?).

Hooray, I thought, gleefully plotting the banishment of my sleeping-bag jacket to the recesses of my closet.

And then National Geographic, that bulwark of bizarre historical trivia, went and ruined everything.

For 125 years, the country has watched Punxsutawney Phil, a groundhog with a mission, crawl out of his burrow on Feb. 2. If he sees his shadow, boom, we're stuck with winter for six more weeks. If he doesn't, it means we've got only two more weeks to trudge through (and with the storms that have walloped the country this year, that's happy news).

So what if the National Climatic Data Center says Phil is correct only about 40 percent of the time? The country still believed. The groundhog knew.

But on Wednesday, National Geographic gave us a giant lesson on Phil that totally buried the lead: "Romans also believed that conditions during the first days of February were good predictors of future weather, but the empire looked to hedgehogs for their forecasts."

Hedgehogs? Hedgehogs?! We've been looking to the wrong animal all this time? Turns out when German settlers came to the United States, they couldn't find any hedgehogs, so they settled on groundhogs instead. So that's why we get 40 percent accuracy!

As the descendant of German settlers, I apologize for my ancestors' lazy and sloppy solution to the hedgehog problem.

The Neatorama blog wonders whether we need to start wishing everyone a "Happy Hedgehog Day." I think we need to find a Hedgehog Harry.

Original article posted on February 2, 2011 in The Washington Post  Blog
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/blog-post/2011/02/groundhog_day_2011_is_punxsuta.html

Hedgehogs join 'protection' list

Hedgehogs and house sparrows have been included on an updated list of species and habitats which need protection.

The new Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) has identified 1,149 species and 65 habitats in the UK as being in need of conservation and greater protection.

When the action plan was launched in 1997, it listed 577 species - half the number included in the updated version.

Wildlife experts said this was a result of wider research and not necessarily down to more habitat being destroyed.


Other animals added to the list for the first time include the grass snake and the garden tiger moth; while otters, bottlenose dolphins and red squirrels are deemed to remain in need of habitat protection.


But the latest BAP shows that a number of species have benefited from being featured on the original list 10 years ago. The numbers of ladybird spiders and lady's slipper orchids are at a 50-year high.
The BAP is considered to be one of the most authoritative reference sources for the state of the UK's wildlife.

The result of more than two years of research by more than 500 wildlife experts and a large number of volunteers, it brings together key scientific data on all the listed species in one document.

As well as outlining the state of British species, it also contributes to global conservation commitments, outlined in the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Biodiversity Minister Joan Ruddock said the updated action plan would help shape the government's conservation policy.

"Conserving biodiversity is essential if we are to pass on a healthy environment to the next generation," Ms Ruddock said.

"The new list will help us target our resources and efforts where they are needed, and demonstrates our commitment to publish new priorities, targets and plans for halting biodiversity loss by 2010."


'Cause for alarm'
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said that as well as the house sparrow, the starling was another familiar garden bird to feature on the BAP list of 59 bird species.

"The fact that the bird list now includes more than a fifth of all the UK's regularly occurring birds is a cause for alarm, " said Mark Avery, the RSPB's conservation director.

"We will have to act fast if we are to meet obligations of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010."

But Dr Avery added that the BAP had focused efforts on stemming the decline in a number of vulnerable species.

"To its credit, we have seen dramatic increases in key species, like bittern, stone-curlew, corncrake, nightjar, cirl bunting and woodlark."

A separate study, also published on Tuesday, also highlighted the decline in the UK's hedgehog population.

The study by the University of London for the People's Trust for Endangered Species and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society listed tidier gardens and urbanisation as key factors affecting the fall in the number of the small mammals.

Nigel Bourne, chairman of the Wildlife and Countryside Link's biodiversity working group, welcomed the updated list and called it a "major boost".

"The list will focus efforts on the real, shared conservation priorities in the UK.

"The conservation charities that make up Link... look forward to continuing to work in partnership with the government," Dr Bourne added.

"Together we can turn the list into targeted action to deliver the conservation of our very special habitats and species."

Original Article Published on August 27th 2007 at BBC News UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6965681.stm