My hedgehog does not eat

If you have a hedgehog as a pet you will know that Obesity is a problem that occurs frequently in these animals.A healthy and balanced diet will help prevent this problem.However, sometimes you may notice that your hedgehog stops eating or dramatically reduces its feeding.This may be caused for several diseases or for a bad diet.

If you want to know the causes that cause your hedgehog to not eat , keep reading this article from Animals and Pets Online and discover it to solve the problem as soon as possible possible and offer you a full and happy life.

Hedgehog feeding

Hedgehogs are omnivorous animals in captivity, they feed on fruits, vegetables, but mainly insects and small animals.They are classified as insectivorous because their diet in the wild is based on insects and small vertebrates and invertebrates.However, as we have just said, in captivity your diet also includes fruits and vegetables that provide vitamins.

In captivity you can feed with high quality cat feed (never of dogs) or specific feed for hedgehogs.Canned cat food is also suitable for hedgehogs.Remember that the pieces must be small, according to the size of your hedgehog.Of course, we can also include small insects to the diet, mealworms, bait or crickets.One day is enough.On the other hand, the fruits and vegetables will be occasional and in small quantities.You can offer small pieces of banana, Potato, peas, tomatoes...

The food ration is usually given at dusk.The hedgehogs are nocturnal animals , so they will be more active during the night hours than during the day.they are very large.If we will avoid overweight problems.In the morning it is convenient to remove the food that has been left over.

During the day you can leave a small amount of feed and remember that you should always have water, especially if It feeds on dry food.

If you do not give it feed, you can divide the night ration into two rations.Increasing the amount of insects and animal proteins to compensate.

Prohibited food for hedgehogs

Sweets, milk, onions, nuts, peanuts and raisins are harmful foods for hedgehogs.They should be avoided in your diet.

How much should my hedgehog eat?

Each hedgehog needs a different ration .Aspects such as age, health status and variety of hedgehog should be taken into account.Young hedgehogs and pregnant or lactating females should have of more quantity, in addition to a greater protein intake.

As a rule, an adult male weighs between 500 and 600 grams and an adult female 250-400 grams.Depending on the hedgehog variety its ideal weight It can vary.

To know how much you should feed you, you should know your hedgehog.Ideally, in the morning you have left a small amount of food.Try different amounts for several days, if you consume all the food in the first hours after offering it is that you are not giving him enough food.

You should also pay attention to what foods he likes best.Like all animals, they have their preferences and not all insects or All the fruits will be to your liking.

Once you have observed what is the amount that co nsume usually keep it.Observe if your hedgehog remains at its weight, and if so, the amount of food is adequate."alt=" My hedgehog does not eat-Causes and solutions ">

Although the feeding of your hedgehog is adequate, your hedgehog may not eat.This may be caused by different causes:

Parasites: They can suffer like other animals, internal and external parasites.

Oral problems: Oral diseases such as gingivitis, tartar or periodontitis are quite frequent in these animals.A correct oral hygiene helps prevent these problems.You can give cat rewards to prevent tartar.Excessively soft diets should be avoided.

Intestinal problems: Salmonellosis is a bacterial disease that It can cause vomiting, diarrhea and lack of appetite.

Neoplasm: The appearance of tumors increases after three years of age.to the whole body although the most common are breast tumors and oral carcinomas.It causes weight loss and anorexia.It is important that you periodically check your hedgehog's body for possible lumps.

Anorexia: Sometimes the lack of appetite can be caused by some sudden change or stress situation.The air currents can affect them a lot.

Hibernation

In nature , with the arrival of winter hedgehogs tend to hibernate.Not everyone does, only if they have reached the right weight and the conditions are correct.state of lethargy for several months.Depending on the hedgehog variety there may also be variations.For example, the African hedgehog has no tendency to hibernate because in its habitat temperatures are usually high.

In captivity instead, they are not exposed to low temperatures and have constant food, so they do not usually hibernate.However, hedgehogs are very susceptible to temperature changes, and their exposure to very low temperatures or low conditions light can lead your hedgehog to hibernate.

The symptoms that may indicate that your hedgehog is beginning to hibernate are as follows:

Body and legs cooler than normal
Loss of appetite and thirst
Decreased activity both diurnal as nocturnal
Less abundant droppings
Decay
Lack of balance

How to avoid hibernation

The hibernation process usually causes the animal to reduce weight even more, so if our hedgehog does not eat and, therefore, is below its ideal weight, it will not be convenient to start it.We can prevent our hedgehog from entering hibernation by controlling the temperature and light conditions:

Temperature: The ambient temperature must be between 22 and 27 ° C.You must not allow your hedgehog is in colder areas.In winter you can move its cage to the hottest place in the house, where it does not receive drafts.

Light: we can offer them natural or artificial light.The important thing is that they have about 10 hours of daily light, so that they do not alter their cycles.

If you act quickly you can reverse the process of hibernation.Place a heat source, such as a hot water bag in your hedgehog's cage.Little by little, recovering its body heat will recover.and do not apply very strong heat sources, since your body does not respond and can not get away if it burns.It must be a gradual process.

What can i do?

If it has been more than two days since your hedgehog has stopped eating you should go to your veterinarian .If you will rule out the diseases that you may suffer and that as we have seen They affect your appetite.

On occasion, your hedgehog can stop eating for a day or two. Vary your diet a little and include some insect if you don't usually do it.If your hedgehog's feeding is varied and balanced you shouldn't have trouble eating.

Make a clean of teeth complete your hedgehog from time to time, so you will avoid oral problems.Some also need a regular cut.

You should not forget to deworm it both internally and externally.periodically.Consult your veterinarian on the subject.

Take care of your surroundings .Make sure that the conditions of temperature, humidity and light are the suitable.Incorporate a tea rmometer and a lamp or heat mat in your cage to control your environment more effectively.

Following these tips and knowing the most common diseases that affect hedgehogs we can act and prevent feeding problems.We will ensure that our hedgehog is healthy and happy.

If you want to read more articles similar to My hedgehog does not eat-Causes and solutions , we recommend that you enter our section on Feeding Problems.

Comments

What to do if my dog is afraid of rockets?

Remove the dog's fear of rockets It will not always be possible.When we talk about traumas or fears, carrying out a systematic desensitization process with a professional can be very effective, but when we talk about phobias, the process can be lengthened much more and can even be Impossible to treat.However, if there are any tips to reassure you that you can use. These are very useful and simple tricks to carry out, especially if we have not had time to go to the veterinarian or educator canine.Next in ExpertAnimal we explain what to do if your dog is afraid of rockets : Why are dogs afraid of pyrotechnics? It's totally normal for a dog to be scared of loud noises.The survival instinct makes them try to run away or hide to save their lives.In the most serious cases we can also observe Excessive salivation, vomiting, diarrhea, nervousness, tremors and anomalous behaviors. There are three main causes that can make the dog afraid of rockets, firecrackers and firewor...

What do rabbits eat? - Gazapos, adults and the elderly

domestic rabbits they are mammals that belong to the order Lagomorpha , that is, they are not rodents, as it had been considered until the beginning of the 20th century, they are a different order.The rabbits are sociable and intelligent animals, which They can accompany us for more than ten years.As with dogs, we currently find a wide variety of types and breeds of rabbits. If you have a rabbit, you have decided to adopt one or you will do so soon, It is very important that you properly inform yourself about the diet of rabbits , to ensure an optimal quality of life and a positive state of health.Are you wondering what rabbits eat? How to feed a newborn rabbit? In this Animal Expert article we will inform you about rabbit feeding in all its stages, let's talk about rabbits, adults or the elderly.Find out below the keys so that your rabbit is healthy, happy and well cared for.Take note! Feeding newborn rabbits Rabbit pups, also known as " rabbits ", are esp...

AIR ANIMALS - Examples and characteristics

Flying is one of the ways animals have to move , but not everyone can do it.To fly it is necessary to have physical characteristics that allow the flight.The human being, through the observation of aerial animals, has taken centuries to create a machine that flies, for example, as a bird. Only a few groups of animals have the real ability to fly, although if we see it from the perspective of the species, most of the animal species that exist on the planet fly, insects.In this article of Animal Expert we will know which are the aerial animals , their characteristics and some examples. What are air animals? Air animals are those that use flight as a mechanism of locomotion.For some animals this is their only way of moving but many others use it as an escape route in the presence of a predator. Certain animals spend the majority of their lives flying, performing all their vital functions in the air: eating, interacting with their environment and living or reproducing.For them, f...

My lovebird has diarrhea - Causes and treatment

Lovebird has become one of the most frequently birds they find in our homes.Their color, their beauty, and that nickname of "inseparable" that we like so much, makes them as appreciated as the canaries were once. But the arrival of any bird, exotic or not , puts us in front of new situations that sometimes we are not accustomed to face.Animals and Pets Online will try to help distinguish pathological situations from those that are not, and to handle us in the event that our lovebird has diarrhea , In the following article we explain the possible causes that cause it . It is not always diarrhea, even if it seems We may notice that there are more liquid stools than usual in our lovebird on the floor of the cage and identify it as diarrhea, even if it is not. Evacuations Sewers in birds are made up of a greenish part (they can vary in color if they take feed, they are real feces), a white part (urates, mineral salts), and a liquid part (urine).Everything goes out...

Animals that clean the aquarium

Aquariums tend to get dirty very easily.An excess of food, a direct sun, having excessive plants or algae in the water can make the water cloudy.Getting a pump or a filter is a good idea but we can also turn to fish and other animals that clean the aquarium naturally by feeding on the carron that resides in the bottom sand. In ExpertAnimal we propose a list of animals that clean the aquarium and some basic notes to know if they could fit in your fish tank.Are you ready? Keep reading and discover our proposals to choose the right one: Snails Here are some species of snails that are in general, excellent bottom cleaners of the aquarium, however you should know that they are suitable for saltwater aquariums so they will be a good option if you have saltwater fish: Tectus niloticus This type of snail is certainly large reaching about 15 centimeters so it is recommended for aquariums of superior size.It has high nutritional requirements so it will serve as a potential clea...

Advantages of having a mongrel cat

There are approximately 100 breeds of cats officially recognized by the competent bodies in that matter, no However, they all have the typical characteristics of felines: an independent character, a conservation of the natural hunting instinct, great concerns to explore their surroundings, a great sense of hygiene and an amazing physical agility. Generally people who decide to host a cat in their home know that these are the main characteristics of these companion animals, but sometimes they look for a specific aesthetic that corresponds to a certain breed, which is a completely respectable decision, although in This time we will talk about other types of cats. In this article of Animals and Pets Online we explain what are the advantages of having a mongrel cat . What is a mongrel cat? We can define the concept of a mongrel cat in different ways, perhaps the simplest is to say that a mongrel cat is a cat that does not correspond to a standard of a certain breed , however, yo...

My parrot itches a lot, what do I do?

All the birds we have as pets bite, this is the true.This also applies to our dear and colorful parrot friends.However, it is important to know that this does not mean that all birds are aggressive or that they have behavioral problems.What it does give us is a little more information in case to consider taking a parrot home.Eventually they will bite you, to the point of believing that your parrot bites you, since with those sharp beaks, it will be painful.However, it is a mistake to talk about bite when it comes to birds, since no teeth are found in its beak. If you have passed that stage and you already have a parrot that you adore but that itches a lot, it is good that you know that this is one of the most common problems observed in "domestic" birds.Parrots are still wild animals, have instinctive features and can bite er for different reasons that you will now know.Although it is very common, itching is a complex problem.So, if your parrot is a bird that repeats thi...

Home remedies to deworm my dog

If our dog has frequent contact with the outside, play with other animals and also It has a garden in our home, it is much more susceptible to contracting a parasite infestation, the most common fleas and ticks . Of course, deworming is essential for preserve the health of our animal, since otherwise it could contract serious diseases, especially in the case of the presence of ticks.The products that are generally used to eliminate external parasites are effective, but also very harmful, especially if We take into account that there are numerous very effective natural remedies. In this article of Animals and Pets Online we discover several home remedies to deworm your dog . Apple Cider Vinegar and Water Apple cider vinegar is a basic ingredient, although it has multiple benefits when applied to veterinary health.It is a liquid capable of acting as an effective repellent against lice, fleas and ticks , also, will help increase the dog's natural resistance against viruses...

The raccoon as a pet - Regulations and care

The raccoon ( Procyon lotor ) is a carnivorous mammal originating in Central and North America.It stands out for having a black mask around the eyes, a thick and ringed tail, as well as specially sharp claws prepared to climb.this animal seems endearing to you, even more if you have seen videos about them on the net, however, is the adoption of these animals as pets correct? In this article of Animals and Pets Online we will talk about the possession of raccoon as a pet , if it is legal to have a raccoon in Spain or that care should receive this species if it finally reaches our homes, in addition to many other tips.We answer your questions below: Is it legal to have a raccoon in Spain? The possession of exotic animals has a direct impact on the conservation of the species that inhabit our ecosystems.In fact, it is estimated that the introduction of exotic species has caused the extinction of 39% of the species autochthonous , being also the second cause of biodiversity los...

Caring for a alaskan malamute in summer

Did you know that alaskan malamute is one of the oldest breeds of sled dogs ? This breed is native to the Arctic zone and it mainly highlights its great beauty, its great strength and ability to work, so this type of dog was chosen to make expeditions to the polar circle and rescue wounded during World War II. Although it is a dog very close to the wolf and has hardly been modified since its origins, its temperament is very balanced, being a loyal, affectionate, playful dog with a strong instinct for protection towards children. It is a dog commonly identified by its dense and voluminous fur, a fur that makes this animal a pet that needs specific care.In this Animals and Pets Online article we show you how to care for a Alaskan Malamute in summer. Alaskan malamute's fur The alaskan malamute has accompanied from its origins the Eskimo tribes, in truly adverse weather conditions, but for which this type of dog was specifically prepared.In addition to its robust structure, ...

Animals and Pets Online

Search This Blog