Generally concerned! :(

[Grace Kelly]

Hello, everyone! Perhaps some of you recall me from the old CnQ? If so, hello. If not... hello!

To start this post off, I will say my hedgie, who is aprox 4 years and 3-4 months old now has been a WONDERFUL pet. Aside from a minor ear infection in 2008, I believe, his health has been nothing but astounding. *knock on wood*

However, he is getting older. I have noticed a few minor things as he ages, which are probably normal, and some other behavioual changes.

• He eats lots! His appetite is unusually large in the past 6 months. He also drinks plenty of water, but he has always been an avid water drinker
• He has put on some weight, which is AWESOME! I always said he is the runt of the litter. I think when I got him he weighed in at a mere 150-200 grams. I would guess him to be anywhere from 300-350 now. Overall, his health seems pretty fine to me! He has always been pretty thin, but since he started to eat loads, he has been pretty plump. I mean this in a good way.
• He still enjoys running on his wheel plenty. My boyfriend took care of him while I was away and commented he runs a lot. Howeverrrrr, maybe not as much as he used to. He would literally run a marathon in one night for about 5 hrs non stop. Now it's more like 2-3.
• He comes out in the daytime more often, and is not shy of letting me watch him eat.

So overall, he's pretty awesome. I check his body regularily to see if anything is changing. Nothing has, except for...
the little dot on his nose in this photo of him recently. Click here! I just took that pic. You see that little speck of brown in the middle of his nose (is that the proper term for that area?)

It has been there for about maybe 1-1.5 years now. It has not changed at all since the first day I saw it, and if it has, it isn't drastic enough for me to really have noticed at all. I do NOT recall it not being there previously, though, when I first got him 4 years ago. I do not think it is a wound of sorts, since it would have healed over a billion times by now, yes?

My real question is one that no one can answer. I'm just terrified of losing him. Yes, I understand loss of pets is common, just like losing your parents, or a spouse, or God forbid, a child. That is life. But I am really hoping his streak of good luck continues with health. What can I expect at his age? What are some tell-tale signs that something is terribly wrong (besides the obvious like not eating, different stools, WHS, visible tumours)?

How did your hedgies age? What happened as they approached the 4-5 year mark?

Any advice is awesome.
Glad to be back here, if only for a short while -- a trip to Europe on Monday! But not to worry -- my dad will take care of the little bugger here in Canada.

 

[Nancy]

If the spot on his nose has been there a a year or longer without change then it's most likely nothing to worry about.

Usually as they age they start to have difficulty crunching the hard kibble. Adding a bit of warm water to soften it works well. Sometimes the difficulty eating is from them loosing teeth. Watch out for signs of infection in his mouth as sometimes happens with tooth loss. Sadly oral tumours are very common in our little ones and often pop up at this age. Oral tumours are usually very fast growing and surgery is not only very painful but usually doesn't give any appreciable amount of time. Oral tumours can appear from one day to the next.

Generally they start to slow down on activity. Avid wheelers don't wheel as much as they once did. They often walk slower and sometimes a sort of wobbly walk because their joints can become arthritic just like elderly humans.

Often they take on a different feel to their body. Although their weight doesn't necessarily drop, you feel their bones more, a more fragile feeling. Sounds like your little guy has done the opposite and that can happen too as their activity level drops.

Other than weighing regularly and keeping track of food intake and behaviour, there is really not much else you can do. At his age cancer is a big concern but also to do surgery often does not buy enough time to make it worth putting him through.

Hopefully he has another year or two with you but at his age we just never know. Seemingly perfectly healthy ones can suddenly pass away.

 

[charlie]

I'm glad to hear he sounds like he is doing well. My oldest currently (Cedrick) is also consuming much more water. I've noticed that with a few now. Like Nancy says, a number of things can happen. Sounds like you continue to keep a close eye on him and make sure the rest of his life is comfortable. Four years is a wonderful age and hopefully he has more time like that to enjoy

 

[Grace Kelly]

Hopefully he has another year or two with you but at his age we just never know. Seemingly perfectly healthy ones can suddenly pass away.

Thanks, Nancy, that's great advice. I figured his weight may have something to do with his lack of activity, or the fact he does less of it. I have always been very picky about the foods I feed, I never would give him anything with too much fat (I read somewhere that fatter hedgies get tumours more often but I am not sure if that is true), and I've taken the best care of him I know how to. I just wish someone could tell me that he would live long enough for my grandchildren to play with him. It's such a pity that they are beautiful, wonderful pets and their life spans just are NOT long enough!

I've also never dealt with a loss of any pet, aside from a fish when I was 7. I am concerned on how to prepare for this because it will happen one day, I am assuming, unless he is some super breed of hedgie that lives 200 years (we can wish, can't we? LOL). How does one deal with... a ... dead animal? A dead friend? Friends dying is one thing, but I've never buried anyone or touched a dead person's body. Since he is my pet, it will be down to me and the idea of it is just keeping me up at night.

 

[Grace Kelly]

I'm glad to hear he sounds like he is doing well. My oldest currently (Cedrick) is also consuming much more water. I've noticed that with a few now. Like Nancy says, a number of things can happen. Sounds like you continue to keep a close eye on him and make sure the rest of his life is comfortable. Four years is a wonderful age and hopefully he has more time like that to enjoy

Thank you! I'm so used to him being so energetic and lively and he seems a little slower. He likes his head being petted, he'll hold still for a picture... I think he's really enjoying his life. It's like the retirement age... with lots of kibble, backrubs and pampering