New behavior

[Tessa.31]

Hello,
I'm probaly over-reacting about this but I just want to make sure nothing could be wrong, So Aiden has recently decided to go to the bathroom in his bed, he has never done this before he always went either in the litter box or by his wheel...I dont know if this is a real issue or if im just being a overly worried hedgie mom, he also isnot getting up at his regular time,he used to get up between 8:30 and 9:30 and now he either is up early or later around 10:30, his heat is what it always has been at, he doesnt seem injured( i've checked all his legs and tummy ect), he hasnt been moved and there hasnt been anything new in my house, no smells or people ect, and I havent changed when i play with him or when i clean his cage and wash his liners, so i dont exactly know if its soemthing to be concerned about or if its normal hedgie behavior...?
Thanks for your help,
Tessa

 

[Nancy]

Sometimes pottying in bed can be a sign of illness. Keep a close eye on him and count his kibble. Weighing would be a good idea too.

 

[Kalandra]

Just seconding what Nancy said. I'd keep an eye on him closely. Count his kibble and monitor how much he is running on his wheel. If you aren't already start weighing him daily to monitor his weight. If there are any changes in these areas as well or if his activity levels continue to change, its time for a wellness check.

One other thought. You said his heat is the same, but how much light is he getting? While it wouldn't explain him going to the bathroom in his bed, it may explain his time change.

 

[charlie]

Something may have made him too nervous to come out, or he may have been uanble to for some reason. Check for any loose threads in his bedding area just in case he did at one point get caught on one.

 

[Nancy]

Remember too that we set our clocks back a couple of weeks ago so that could account for some of his time change.

 

[Tessa.31]

Thanks everyone for your quick replies. Well he ate about 3 pieces of food last night, didnt run on his wheel or go to the bathroom, so this morning I made a vet appointment for tonight because I am extremly concerned. His lighting has been normal about 13 hours a day(when i get home i turn on a lamp in his room because its now getting darker earlier because of winter) and everything else has been normal, same food, same water, same toys, same playtime, same noises in the house, so i really have no idea wahat could possibly be wrong, but i know something is wrong. Im really concerned but hopefully the vet can tell me what is going on, i really hope he will be alright, my pets are family to me and losing him would be really hard, even though i have only had him for 4 months I have grown very attached to him, so I hope whatever is wrong with him, that the vets or myself are able to fix it.

Another question do any of you know what could be wrong with him? Any ideas that go along with his symptoms?
THank you,
Tessa

 

[Kalandra]

I'd have doc check his teeth and mouth to see if there is any reason he isn't eating.

One other thought on his food. Is it nearing its expiration date? Sometimes food will start to go stale and they will stop eating it. If he is hungry he may not have the energy to go out and play.

Is he drinking water still? If not ask doc about dehydration and doing a sub-q of fluids. To test for dehydration, pinch the skin on his back. When you let go of the skin it should return to normal immediately. If it stays pinched or takes a bit to return, he is dehydrated and will need a sub-q of fluids.

We will keep our quills crossed here that it is something minor.

 

[Tessa.31]

Well the docter thinks that this is caused by his new food, she said that they can have allergies and such, because she checked his mouth, his stomach, his stool and did a skin scraping and nothing was wrong with any of that, and he has been drinking and on the way to the vet he did go to the bathroom, so i took him off his new food ( he has only been getting about 3-5 pieces mixed in with a tbsp of his regular food, so i thought it wouldnt bother him that much, i feel really stupid and upset that i didnt think of his food first and get him off of it soon but because it was only 3 pieces i didnt think it could make him stop as much as it did). So she said to monitor him for a couple of days to see if it is his food, she said if he doesnt get better then we will have to come back in for blood tests, x-rays ect, i am really hoping it was just his food and that once he is off of it he will go back to his regular self. He has also has dry skin( it has gotten really cold, really fast here, so between the furnace and everything else his dry skin has gotten a little bit more dry then regular but not too bad becasue i do give him extra flax oil), she told me to put a humidifier in his room and also to use this aloe spray for him, so i hope that will help him, So im hoping all goes well and that he will be okay in a couple of days.

 

[Kalandra]

We have to use a humidifier every winter too. Some hedgehogs don't seem to have a problem, where others get nasty dry skin from the dry air. Instead of aloe I'd use either flaxseed oil or vitamin E oil. The vitamin e oil is a lot more sticky than the flaxseed, but both work wonderfully at quickly moisturizing and providing some relief from dry skin.