# My African Pygmy Hedgehog - Worried, please help!



## lexxiesmith (Nov 29, 2009)

I have just got an African Pygmy Hedgehog - he is a lovely chocolate pinto and he is the first hoggie I have had. He is 13 weeks old and has been with me for a ripe 3 days.
I did all of my research beforehand, got him from a reputible breeder who is registered and I have a lovely cage for him.
(He has a large zoozone cage as his abode with aspen bedding, a water bottle AND water bowl, food bowl, hidy house, reptile heat mat set at 72 deg f on thermostat, and wheel along with a play pen full of tubing, ping pong balls and toy cars). 
He is still of slightly cautious temprement, but is becoming more trusting with every bonding session - he huffs but it takes seconds for him to un-curl.

The problem and confusion I am having is with his poop. 
Icky subject I know... Sorry guys!

When he is in his cage at night he rarely poo's however when I take him out at around 9/10pm when he is waking up to handle him he will poo and pee all over me. 
Now, his poos brown in colour, look like minature cat poos but are VERY sloppy, not as bad as diorreah but sloppy still and they STINK, is he okay?

A word about his meals: He is fed a high protien cat food mix that the breeder gave to me and told me he had been eating it whilst with him, and he also has the odd 8-10 live mealworms as a treat every 2-3 days. 
He drinks mostly during the night in his cage and not when he is in his play-pen (even though the water is on offer) and I give him fresh water every day. 

Any help is greatly appreciated; although I am confident I am giving him THE BEST care and love (of cause), he is a new type of pet to me, and I don't know what is/isn't normal. I want the best for him and I am awfully worried. I'm in love with him already and would hate to think he's sick 
Of cause visiting a vets is ALWAYS an option, but I wondered if you guys might be able to shed a little light on his stools (EWWWW!







)

Thanks.x


----------



## tigerkitty (Nov 28, 2009)

Hedgehogs generally need to use the bathroom a lot once they first wake up, so try putting him in his tray after he awakens to get it all out of his system. If his poop is really stinky then perhaps review what you are feeding him. There are certain foods that can give them extra smelly poops, in which case Go Cat Indoors is advised to be used as a mixture in with their dried biscuits. This apparently reduces the smell of the poops slightly, however at the end of the day, poop is poop and will often always smell bad anyway.


----------



## KerryandCoco (Apr 13, 2013)

*Same problem*

Hi,

I am new to an APH and am having the same problem as you described,

During the night when in her cage my hog seems to poo in a litter tray and averages maybe 1-3 a night whereas when I take her out to play she poops all over me and can do it like 3 times in 10 minutes!

I'm not sure if this is because she's scared as I've only had her for 3 days did you find anything that stopped this happening as I would like to play with her without the constant fear I am about to bee pooed on!!

Many thanks,

Kerry


----------



## HowseR21 (Nov 5, 2011)

tigerkitty said:


> Hedgehogs generally need to use the bathroom a lot once they first wake up, so try putting him in his tray after he awakens to get it all out of his system. If his poop is really stinky then perhaps review what you are feeding him. There are certain foods that can give them extra smelly poops, in which case Go Cat Indoors is advised to be used as a mixture in with their dried biscuits. This apparently reduces the smell of the poops slightly, however at the end of the day, poop is poop and will often always smell bad anyway.


Through previous and current experience I'd say this is a good answer to follow, when they first wake up they have a bum full so naturally they have to empty so it's always best to leave them for 45/50mins to get it all out 

Also as mentioned above their food also dictates the outcome (poop) you want high protein and low fat. Brands like purina, IAMS etc. a lot of people will provide a mixture of a high price premium brand cat food and a decent one along with some dried mealworms mixed it.

Aslong as you're giving the Hoglet meat cat biscuits and not fish flavoured ones? They struggle to digest fish so that could account for some toilet issues.

Apart from that ours is the same, all huffy and miserable but once picked up she calms right down and will sit with us on a blanket or on our laps for hours on end : victory:


----------



## aps (Feb 21, 2013)

hi i think the reason for so many poos is when your pet is out its at its most active put a small litter tray out for your pet it may learn to use it keep at it. Also go-cat will help reduce the smell greatly also if you were to join one of the forums for african pygmy hedgehogs you would find help and advice i find pygmyhogsuk very helpful


----------



## vgorst (Sep 27, 2011)

I agree with everyone else, one of the first things they do when they wake up is go to the toilet (after all they've stored it up for many hours!). Some will also keep doing it if they realise that they get put down when they go to the toilet. So you can either stick to putting her in a litter tray or play area until she goes to the toilet, or endure it while handling. 

Someone above mentioned fish - there is no evidence to suggest that they can't digest the fish, it just makes for even smellier poos (sorry OP but hedgehogs are naturally whiffy). 

I would also up the mealworm intake. Many people say to keep the intake down and use them as treats but these guys are insectivores! Of course if she appears to be getting fat then cut down, but mealworms are a great fibre source (cat food doesn't necessarily have high fibre content). The fibre will help keep the gastrointestinal tract healthy and also help the animal to form more solid faeces.


----------



## KerryandCoco (Apr 13, 2013)

Thank you for your all your replies!

I have been feeding her the cat food her breeder gave me which doesn't contain any fish but I will try to introduce Go Cat to see if that helps the smell!!

I will try leaving her for about 45 minutes to evacuate before taking her out of the play area see if that helps and maybe also try keeping her litter tray near her when she is out of the cage so she has somewhere to go thats not my hand/lap!!

Thanks again,

Kerry


----------



## ChazzieJo (Jun 14, 2012)

Which cat foods are you feeding? Hoglets are like baby humans - they go A LOT, this is fairly normal. I normally get my girl out, handle a few minutes, then place her into her litter tray. They will grow out of this once they age. One tip; take out the water bottle, these are very dangerous for them, they're not rodents - a water bowl will suffice, there have been far too many cases of cracked teeth and jammed tongues. 

I'd also look at possibly switching over the aspen to something less dusty such as Finacard. Was your Hog registered at all?

As long as you're feeding a good quality diet, (a mix of several cat foods with around 10-15% fat and 30% protein) plenty of live insects (mine likes mealies, giant mealworms, cockroaches, the occasional wax worm, locusts), I wouldn't be too worried. As a species they don't tend to drink a lot either so again, don't be alarmed if you don't see her drinking often, they normally do it at night time, you should notice a decline in her water bowl.

Good luck.
:2thumb:


----------

