weird ears

[elvira.]

my hedgie has some ugly ears goin on.
they look dry and scalie and theyre all torn up... like alleycats in cartoons.
what could be wrong?

 

[Nancy]

It's probably just a gunk buildup. Some hedgies get it very easily and quickly. You can rub a wee bit of Vasaline, bag balm, human nipple cream, Vit E oil, or flax seed oil on his ears daily. After a few days to a week, the gunk should start to pull off. How long it takes depends on how well he allows you to rub it.

I had to rub Peaches ears weekly or she was starting to get buildup. Others have never had a problem.

 

[Chinniechantel]

Bag balm is awesome, I use it on all my pets and myself!

 

[elvira.]

what about olive oil?
i just got him, he wont let me touch his ears, i could at least apply a little olive oil with a q tip, but hes not going to co operate

 

[Kalandra]

You probably won't get a q-tip near his ears either. If he is very defensive, he is going to see the movement towards his ears and tuck them under his head quills. Of course that depends on how defensive your hedgehog is.

My latest very defensive kid, he had 1" dirt "fingers" on his ears. I sat very patiently for a great deal of time with a glob of nipple cream on my finger tip and smeared it on his ears whenever I got the chance. It took longer to work because I couldn't rub it in, but it did the job. Within 3 days I found the first "finger" missing.

 

[Nancy]

The problem too with Q-tips is the risk of poking him in the eye if he jumps. There is more chance you will move your finger than a Q-tip.

 

[elvira.]

Hes getting better with me by the day, ive never had a hedgie before so im unsure about just how "tame" i can expect him to get.
I still have to use 4 layers of fleece to pick him up, but he only huffs once or twice now then unballs and lets me handle him with bare hands, mind you thats also him earning MY trust cause i was quite intimidated at first and used a blanket for protection lol.
He seems to be settling in though, hes even started chasing the cats
I'll try the vasaline today or tomorrow, thats the only one of the things mentioned that I actually have here.

 

[Kalandra]

Just a quick warning. Only use unscented vaseline. Someone once used I believe a baby powder scented and their hedgehog started to "freak out" over the scent on their ears, trying desperately to get to it. With him being timid it could be very difficult to wash it off.

 

[EyeSack]

The problem too with Q-tips is the risk of poking him in the eye if he jumps. There is more chance you will move your finger than a Q-tip.

Or you might get it in his nose, causing breathing problems! =(

You probably won't get a q-tip near his ears either. If he is very defensive, he is going to see the movement towards his ears and tuck them under his head quills. Of course that depends on how defensive your hedgehog is.

My latest very defensive kid, he had 1" dirt "fingers" on his ears.

My hedgie's ears are too big to fit under her quills! LOL! And dirt-fingers?! That's gross! I'm so happy you fixed that lolol.