About Crystal Expertise I can answer most questions about hedgehogs. I can answer questions about basic care, handling, symptoms and treatments to common hedgehog illnesses, housing, and how to make cheap toys for hedgehogs. I cannot answer questions about how to treat serious illnesses in these animals, but I can help find a good veterinarian in any state.
Experience I have owned a female African Pygmy hedgehog for four years. I have also read many publications on the care of this breed of hedgehog.
Expert: Crystal Date: 12/1/2005 Subject: quills and wobbles
Question In desperation I have sought the internet. I have successfully fostered several hedgies but this one is quite ill. He was full of maggots in between the spines with no injury found (got rid of maggots!) and he is quite unsteady on his feet. Has a healthy appetite but has passed faeces in his sleep. He also has half of his upper body spines rotted or broken look like brocken wet tooth picks or straw. Other spines are healthy. Vets in this country are unable to treat hedgies as they are considered a pest (not to me!) I would like to see if I can help this guy. I wonder how to tell his age,teeth are worn.
Answer I honestly cannot help with this, but I thought I should at least offer my opinion. It sounds like you have a very sick hedgie, and I really don't think there is help if you cannot get vet care. I am not a vet, nor do I claim to be. You are better off taking him to a vet and having him humanely euthanized if you cannot find one who will offer treatment, even though it is unethical for a vet to deny any animal treatment regardless of the species.
It concerns me greatly that his spikes are rotting and that he had maggots on his skin. I am curious to know where he came from. It is also a bad sign that he is passing feces in his sleep as that is a condition that needs to be monitored and medicated in any speces, and you definately need vet care to save this little guy. I really believe the most humane thing to do would to have him euthanized. I recently had to have a hedgehog euthanized due to very advanced cancer, and it was unlikely that even surgery would help the situation since the vet believed there would be smaller tumors found once the surgery started. It was a hard decision for me to make, but it was the right decision. She was ready to go awhile before that, but she waited for me to say my goodbyes, and I while it hurt to lose her, I knew it was the right thing to do.
Good luck, and please let me know what happens. I wish I could offer you more hopeful information, but this is beyond my experience and knowledge.
