External parasites include fleas, ticks, and mites and cause various types of dermatitis. The 'Quill Mite', Caparinia tripolis, is the most common external parasite in pet
Hedgehogs are sensitive to respiratory disease caused by Bordetella, Pasteurella, and Corynebacterium infections. Watch out for sneezing, nasal discharge, or difficulty breathing. Diagnosis involves radiographs and a culture of their discharge and is treated with antibiotics. .
“In general, any time your hedgehog is less active, not eating well, or you notice more specific signs like coughing, sneezing, trouble breathing, abnormal urine or feces, etc., a vet visit is warranted,” she says.
Health. Hedgehogs can have health problems, including dental diseases, skin infections, intestinal parasites, and tumors. They may need a dental cleaning once a year to keep them from losing teeth. We can recommend a course of action during your hedgehog's annual checkup.
We often keep our homes cooler in the winter than is healthy for our pet hedgies. Click here for a great article on suggestions om providing your hedgie some supplemental heat from: Signs of hedgehogs in danger of being too cold are decreased activity, decreased appetite, sneezing (as opposed to puffling).
Keep the box in a quiet, warm place: a hot water bottle filled with hot tap water wrapped in a towel can provide a gentle heat source – make sure it doesn't go cold! You can provide some fresh water and meaty cat or dog food, but don't try to feed the hedgehog directly.
Hedgehogs need environmental temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees. Keep your hedgehog's cage away from drafts, direct sunlight, or cold areas. You may want to provide your hedgehog with a small warm spot in his cage where he can go to get warm but would also be able to get away from if he feels too warm.
What are some of the common diseases of pet hedgehogs? Common conditions of pet hedgehogs include internal and external parasites, ringworm, cancer, pneumonia, gastrointestinal disease, and obesity. Signs of illness or disease are often vague and non-specific, such as lack of appetite and lethargy.
Pet hedgehogs have an average life span of four to six years and weigh about a pound. Most owners will feed them a low-fat dry cat food supplemented with vegetables, mealworms, and crickets, and keep them in a large, flat-bottomed cage.
Signs of stress
The stressed hedgehog may also twitch or shake its head nervously. It is almost as if the hedgehog is saying “Sensory overload. I can't take it anymore.” The hedgehog might give you a warning bite if the first two signs are overlooked.
Use gardening gloves or a towel to handle the hedgehog, then take it inside in a box and place a well-wrapped hot water bottle underneath it. Fill the bottle with hot tap water (not boiling) – you should be able to hold your hand comfortably on the bottle when wrapped.
Signs of lungworm, therefore, can range from no disease to snuffles, wheezes, nasal discharge, increased respiratory effort (sometimes with rattling breathing), cough, weight loss, reduced appetite, weakness, reduced activity, staggering gait and open mouth breathing. In severe cases, the disease can cause death.
Chirping like a baby bird = hungry hoglets in the nest. Screaming Hedgehog = in pain and distress. Hissing Hedgehog = warning sign – keep away! Clicking and “popping” Hedgehog = challenge, often to other males in mating season.
HEATSTROKE AND DEHYDRATION
If they are laying on their sides then it is very serious. Often seen in the summer months but also dehydration can be a problem in the winter months.
Hedgehogs can carry Salmonella even when they look healthy and clean. Pet hedgehog owners can take steps to reduce the chance that they or their children get an infection.
Bonding with your hedgehog helps to create an attachment between you and your pet. The more the attachment develops between you and your hedgehog, the more you will grow to love and enjoy your pet. Some hedgehogs will bond to their owners for life (HHC).
Four-toed hedgehogs (African Pygmy hedgehogs) may legally be kept as pets. Australia: All hedgehogs are classified as exotic pets that are illegal to import.
Every hedgehog has a unique personality, but most aren't interested in human affection. Caretakers note that it takes a lot of time and effort to get a hedgehog to tolerate being held. Like porcupines, hedgehogs have sharp, prickly quills that they use to fend off predators.
The study has revealed the average life span of a hedgehog to be roughly two years only, with males faring slightly better than females. The study also found that the most common cause of 'hedgehog death' was crossing a road. Another finding was that the hedgehog population is quite inbred.
If your hedgehog is acting sluggish, lethargic, uncoordinated or they are wobbly with the inability to move limbs; it may be a hibernation attempt. Some hedgehog owners fear the worst – Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome – which is a definite death sentence. Between the two, you can determine hedgehog hibernation quite easily.
Hedgehogs are immune to snake and scorpion venom
Hedgehogs can provide themselves with extra protection by performing an act called “self anointing” where they eat these poisonous plants or other smelly things and create a frothy saliva that they vomit all over their spines.
While hedgehogs aren't usually aggressive, they will extend their quills when they feel threatened. Supervise children to ensure they aren't playing too rough with your hedgehog. They don't like being wet and generally don't like their heads petted.
Hedgehogs will relish any combination of meat-based wet dog or cat foods, or dry cat/kitten food. Just remember, they will be getting most of their food from insects and worms in the wild, and this food is only supplementary.
The most important invertebrates in their diet are worms, beetles, slugs, caterpillars, earwigs and millipedes. As well as these, they also eat a wide range of other insects. More infrequently, they will take advantage of carrion, frogs, baby rodents, baby birds, birds' eggs and fallen fruit.