# hedgehog help....holy crap



## emmipez1989 (Jun 5, 2008)

i borrowed an aph from a pet shop 4 a few talks and it turns out shes pregnant. i know this because she just had her 1st baby. it was a stillborn and she has taken it out of the hide. i have removed it and froze it but i was wondering if there was anything i could do to help the others survive. some1 must have some info please.

emma x


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## angels1531 (Aug 27, 2008)

Awww so sorry to hear that hun, Im sure someone will be along to give you some good advice soon. RIP little one x


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## enola69 (Aug 27, 2008)

How many more hoglets has she had? Have you seen any more?

Try to disturb the nest as little as possible!


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## emmipez1989 (Jun 5, 2008)

just the 1 dead 1 i think so far. she is just curled up in her hide sort of doing press ups, she just lifts and lets herself down. i dont want to move her. do they have them all at once or can there be a few hours beween hoglets??
Thanks,Emma


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## enola69 (Aug 27, 2008)

I would just leave her alone in a darkish room.


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## Amyboo (Nov 11, 2007)

yeah dont disturb her, hedgehogs kill there young if they feel threatened, just leave her to it.


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## Amyboo (Nov 11, 2007)

how old do you think the hedgehog is by the way?


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

Leave her absolutely alone! In a quiet room, no noise, even vacuums or daily noise if you can help it. Resist the urge to keep peeking in on her as this is only going to stress her. Don't disturb the nest, as this may cause her to cannibalise or abandon the young even if the next are born fine. Wait for a few days and hope to hear squeaking but you don't want to disturb for the first few weeks at all.


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## emmipez1989 (Jun 5, 2008)

i think she is about 18 month old, they were only small when they went into the shop about 9month ago i will get a pic in a min cuz there are a few on my camera already
i had a slight inckling she was pregnant but i just put it down to a poor diet in the shop!


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## happyhogs (Nov 18, 2008)

sounds like she's still in labour so just leave well alone and hope she does ok....the more you interfere, the more likely she is to panic and harm them. Sorry, I know how helpless you must feel but nature must take its course. Unfortunately with the stresses of being moved and handled and stuff, it doesn't look good for the litter but that's not your fault...you should have some very stiff words with the idiots at the pet shop though xxx


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## happyhogs (Nov 18, 2008)

at nine months the hogs would have been fully grown so sounds like she is younger than you think


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## emmipez1989 (Jun 5, 2008)

Just a few days ago









Yesterday









Hope you can tell. i can hear her eating now.


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## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

Well she seems plenty fine size for breeding anyway so I don't think it's going to have hurt her at all, first litters are always a little risky and even more so if it's an unplanned pregnancy (they breed pretty easily and are very easy to sex so the shop really should have said if she'd been in with a male)... even with planned pregnancies the first litter can go downhill so there's nothing you could have done really, except keep her quiet and minimise stress now and hope for the best. Some mums only have one in the first litter anyway so she might be done if she's already out and eating.


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## happyhogs (Nov 18, 2008)

tell what hon? Her age? not really, they are fully grown by about four to five months and then you can't tell age at all. Even before fully grown you can't tell as hogs can vary in size and weight enormously xxx


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## happyhogs (Nov 18, 2008)

how's it going hon? Any more little ones? xx


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## ownedbyroxy (Jan 27, 2009)

When do you have to take her back to the shop? 
I personally (if was me) wouldn't want to take mum back as yet, as if they let them get together 2 breed, then let her go out for talks.... she should be left alone a while when preg surely? rather than handled and given for talks etc. (to me seems a little wrong)
i'd prob worry about giving her back straight away - esp if she does / has had any more babies. Hopefully she'll be able to stay with you for a while to rear her young and recooperate. 
JMO tho.
edit to add: i have no exp with hogs, so i do apologise if this i'm wrong. but from what i'm told they are not the easiest to have a good healthy surviving litter (esp for a 1st time mum) and i just felt that they shouldn't of let her go out visiting. this is not a dig at the OP - but at the shop


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## emmipez1989 (Jun 5, 2008)

she hasnt moved this morning yet so i dont know if there are any more cuz im not going 2 go poking her about. tbh the shop only go anywhere near them 2 clean them out, i had 2 have her for a few weeks 2 het her used to coming out. i didnt actually know she was pregnant i just thought she was chunky so i doubt the shop would either. im going to the shop later 2day 2 suggest they seperate them and dnt sell any females.

thanks for all the advice. is there anything i can put in for her like milk or something to build her back up and help her lactate if she needs 2? shes on a mixture of iams and tescos cat crunchies mealworms every few days and water. is there anything else she can have?? she doesnt show much interest in fruit/veg


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## animal addict (Jun 1, 2008)

they are thought to be lactose intolerant so milk wouldnt be a good thing - she could have a couple of live mealies a bit more regularly and a bit of cooked chicken or mince??


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## Tan (May 7, 2008)

NEVER give them milk, they cannot tolerate the lactose and it will start off giving them runny poo and will eventually kill them as this worsens.

To boost you can offer her loads of animal protein in the form of pinkies, high meat content wet cat food, loads of insects gut loaded and even full fat cottage cheese in small doses.

One thing which has amazed me is the amount of hedgheog people here and not one person has told you the most important thing with a labouring hedgehog. It is very quick, generally all hoglets ar delivered within 30mins although many report delivery in 10-15mins. Personally my longest which I witnessed was from start to finish just under 30mins. If the first hoglet has been born and no other baby has apeared within the next hour and the female still exibits labouring signs you must seek a vet asap to make sure no other babies remain inside the mother as this will kill her.

I would not offer a hedgie fruit and veg and NEVER to a mother who has just delivered. Her body has just undergone a trama although natural still needs time to recover and these foods can cause a strain on the rectum when she deficates and prolapse is at a higher rate of probability within the first week after delivery due to straining from either constipation or diorhea so best to avoid this.

How is she doing now?


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## emmipez1989 (Jun 5, 2008)

she isnt doing much at all, Thanks for that tan really helpfull. i will monitor her 2nyt and call the vet 1st thing just 2 make sure. ill try her with some chicken in a min and see how she does with it.


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## Heavenlyhogs (May 15, 2008)

:gasp:that must have been a shock.
Good luck with any babies if there are any more:2thumb:


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