Do the hedgehog is very lethargic. Diseases of hedgehogs: viral, bacterial, parasitic. The pet itches and loses needles

It is sometimes not easy to notice this guest at their summer cottage. Hedgehogs are rather arrogant creatures, but shy and prefer to stay awake at night.. The territory that they bypass in search of food is quite extensive, but this food in summer cottages often has nothing to do with the natural food of hedgehogs. In the wild, hedgehogs feed on insects, invertebrates, amphibians, eggs of birds nesting on the ground. In suburban areas, hedgehogs collect the remains of people's food, steal food from cat and dog bowls, "graze" near composts, where leftovers are dumped.

hedgehog hiding in the grass

A common stereotype about a hedgehog carrying an apple on its needles is a myth.. Hedgehogs use needles for their intended purpose - to protect themselves from enemies. In the wild, those for adult hedgehogs are almost all larger predators. Hedgehogs are relatively easy prey for both birds of prey and small predators. In summer cottages, dogs and people become enemies of hedgehogs. If healthy hedgehogs run away from the former rather quickly, the latter sometimes do not know pity, considering the hedgehog a pest that can destroy an invaluable garden crop.

Hedgehogs do not threaten to destroy the crop, the fruit and vegetable diet does not play a significant role in their nutrition. The potential danger of hedgehogs for humans is a rather long list of diseases that the hedgehog is a carrier of. First of all, hedgehogs get rabies. And contrary to the frivolous disbelief of uneducated summer residents, rabies is a serious disease that ends in disability or death. In the Moscow region, as well as in New Moscow, enough cases of rabies are detected, so elementary security measures cannot be neglected. No need to touch the hedgehog, pick it up, try to cuddle.

In addition to rabies, hedgehogs carry salmonellosis (an acute infectious disease, an intestinal infection), leptospirosis (infectious jaundice with a severe course of the disease), dermatomycosis (skin fungi).

A hedgehog can settle in a summer cottage: under woodpile, warehouses of wood materials, under arbors and garden pavilions with low foundations. Finding a neighbor in this case is not difficult - usually hedgehogs lay their own specific routes, on which they are easy to notice. Hedgehogs are solitary animals, so one animal always lives in a nest / hole, except for the period of rearing offspring.

Occasionally, hedgehogs conflict with cats, although according to my observations this only happens if a particular cat has a lack of brains. However, the stable and rapid disappearance of cat food left overnight may indicate a good appetite not even for a cat, but for an ordinary hedgehog. Also, an indirect sign of the hedgehog's neighborhood can be the active destruction of bumblebee nests, which were not noticeable at all until the moment of destruction.

A hedgehog as a neighbor in the country is both a funny creature and at the same time troublesome, especially if small hedgehogs appear in the nest. Newborn hedgehogs are naked pink creatures, absolutely helpless and, from the point of view of lovers of touching usi-pusi, not very pretty. Unfortunately, I know of cases when hedgehogs accidentally found in the nest were killed, mistaking them for cubs of rats. Alas, perhaps that is why the common hedgehog is included in the Red Book of Moscow. True citizens are too afraid of all living things.

Sometimes summer residents take hedgehogs and especially hedgehogs into the house, trying to turn the prickly creature into a pet. But in addition to the above dangers of infectious diseases, it should be borne in mind that hedgehogs are not at all adapted to living in an apartment. First, they are nocturnal. Stomping and snorting is not the best accompaniment to a night's sleep. And the solution of toilet problems can pretty tire even a patient animal lover. Secondly, in captivity, with abundant nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle, hedgehogs grow up to 50 cm in length and gain body weight up to 2-3 kg. This is a fairly large animal for a small apartment, given that hedgehogs are not able to jump onto the sofa. Thirdly, for the winter period, hedgehogs hibernate. And in a city apartment, creating the conditions for this hibernation is not at all easy. Not to mention the fact that a hibernating animal is not at all the type of pet that the inhabitants of the metropolis usually dream of.

A reader, surprised and alarmed by the invasion of hedgehogs in her dacha, turned to the editorial office of the newspaper "Now". It gets a little dark - hedgehog families go to the yard, willingly eat food for chickens and other domestic animals. They look touching, I really want to touch, pick up. But they say that hedgehogs are carriers of dangerous diseases. Is it so?

We have addressed for explanations to the director of the Latgalsky zoo Mihail Pupinsh. He confirmed the activity of hedgehogs this year. Last year they had a lot of food - earthworms, frogs, caterpillars; the winter turned out to be mild, so a wave of hedgehog numbers arose. Hedgehogs and other wild animals can easily be found not only in dachas, but also in city parks and even ordinary courtyards within the city. This process began a long time ago: if earlier there was a kind of buffer zone between the forest and the city in the form of collective farm fields, now the forest and the city have become as close as possible.

But all the troubles associated with hedgehogs are easy to avoid - do not touch them. If the animal accidentally ran into the house, cover it with a bucket, drive the bucket outside with a mop and let the hedgehog out. Feeding them is also not particularly recommended: human food is harmful to hedgehogs, but they absorb food for cats and dogs better, but they can do just fine without them.

In addition, if hedgehogs overeat, they may not fall into hibernation in time, which is harmful to the animal. And do not try to feed hedgehogs with apples, and even more so put apples on their thorns - only in fairy tales and cartoons hedgehogs carry fruits and mushrooms on their backs.

And finally - advice from Mikhail Pupinsh. Hedgehogs are animals that are loved. They are not afraid, they evoke good feelings in people. Hedgehogs snort funny and tap their paws, they have funny needles and smiling faces. Therefore, get yourself a decorative hedgehog. There are white, dwarf, eared, etc. And it is better to bypass the wild hedgehog.

Mihail Pupinsh, Director of the Latgale Zoo

The owner of a hedgehog should carefully monitor the health of his pet. Before acquiring an animal, it is very important to make sure that there is a doctor nearby who understands the problems of hedgehogs. After the purchase, you must definitely visit a specialist to make sure that the hedgehog does not have any diseases, as well as pass all the tests and undergo a general examination. As a rule, at the first appointment, the maintenance, nutrition and hygienic care of the animal are considered.

During the medical examination, the doctor must perform the following operations:

Visual inspection of the animal.
Animal weighing.
auscultation.
Temperature measurement.
Oral survey of the owner.
Palpation.
Taking a direct smear.
Analysis of urine and feces.
Inspection of teeth.

Not all of these procedures are required if the hedgehog is healthy. For example, a direct smear is taken if the hedgehog has any illnesses.

Most often, hedgehogs suffer from diseases such as salmonellosis and lung worms. Hedgehogs have a very weak liver, so they need to be prescribed reduced dosages of all drugs, and in parallel - means to support the liver, and also try to avoid any antibiotics. For the same reasons, hedgehogs tolerate anesthesia very poorly, including gas anesthesia, which is used for rodents. Hedgehogs have very sensitive skin, so all external products must be chosen very carefully. Also, the blood of these animals coagulates very quickly.

The first thing to look out for is your hedgehog's teeth, as plaque can contribute to the formation of tartar, which in turn is a major source of oral disease in hedgehogs.

Therefore, it is necessary to regularly examine the teeth and gums of the animal, and apply preventive measures, which include, mainly, feeding with solid food. Solid foods help to clean the teeth from plaque, but they should not be abused in order to avoid premature strong grinding of the teeth.

You can also add a special veterinary drug - liquid from tartar to the water that the hedgehog drinks, and also brush his teeth with a silicone brush.

There are several signs that your pet may be having dental problems, such as refusal to eat or avoiding solid foods, bad breath, or swollen gums or jaws. Also, black teeth are a sign of dental problems, as well as loss and loosening of teeth. Sometimes it's best to go to the veterinarian in order to have your teeth cleaned. The procedure for removing tartar in animals is identical to that in dogs or cats.

Everything in the body is interconnected, so bad teeth can lead to liver infections as well as heart disease. That is why it is important to monitor the condition of the hedgehog's teeth, and its general condition, as well as carefully monitor and properly care for it.

Hedgehog stool can also be used as an indicator of health. A normal stool in a healthy hedgehog is elongated and about half a centimeter in diameter. The color should be brown, medium to dark. The stool should be firm, but not rigid. It should be easy to lift in one piece.

Abnormal stool has a different color, such as green. In this case, this means that there is a lot of bile in the digestive tract, and this is a sign that the hedgehog cannot digest food. In addition, it can be caused by stress, as well as changes in the hedgehog's diet or various diseases, such as infection or pancreatitis. In this case, you need to carefully monitor the behavior of the hedgehog, as well as his feces. You don't need to give him any new foods, and keep only a soft diet, but if the problem persists for several days, then the animal should be sent to a veterinarian.

If your hedgehog has diarrhea, then it is probably due to the animal's improper diet. This problem may be temporary, but if it lasts for a long time, it can lead to dehydration and pose a danger to the life of the animal. If the hedgehog has diarrhea, be sure to make sure that he drinks enough. If the diarrhea lasts more than two days, you should see a doctor and bring a fresh sample of the "problem" with you. The causes of diarrhea can be different, most often it is associated with stress or illness.

If the hedgehog just has an intestinal disorder, then live food in the form of cockroaches will help in this situation, since they have a beneficial effect on the intestines, dry the stool well, and chitin from the insect shell cleans the intestinal walls of the animal. You can also try to brew a pre-selected medicinal herb for a hedgehog. It will need to be poured into a drinking bowl or given from a syringe. The method depends on how the hedgehog feels.

In any case, if the hedgehog's behavior makes you doubt its health, contact your veterinarian.

If you feed and maintain the animal correctly, then the risk of disease is reduced to zero. It's safe to say that the domestic hedgehog is in good health.

Of course, he can get sick, like any pet, but with proper maintenance and feeding, the hedgehog lives an active and long life.

Common diseases of domestic and pygmy hedgehogs are:

Living at home, the hedgehog eats everything that a person offers and by the excreted feces, you can determine how the pet is feeling. In a healthy hedgehog, the feces are elongated, dark brown in color and resemble plasticine in consistency. If the discharge of a pet has acquired a green tint, then this indicates a violation of digestion. The reasons are:

Change or abrupt change in diet. For the treatment of a pet, the previous diet is restored.
Stress. The pet is provided with peace.
Allergy. After installing the allergen, it is necessary to exclude it from everyday life.
Pancreatitis. It comes from malnutrition. The pet is put on a soft diet and heavily watered with boiled water.

If the measures taken did not help, then the animal should be taken to the veterinarian for testing and diagnosis. Loose green stools with mucus are a sign of the development of infectious diseases:

In addition to refusing food and rapid weight loss, the hedgehog has a fever. With the development of the disease, the functions of the kidneys, liver and respiratory organs are disrupted. If help is not provided to the pet, the nervous system and joints are affected. The animal dies in agony.

For treatment appoint:

Baytril injections of 10 mg per kilogram of body weight twice a day.
Synulox subcutaneously or intramuscularly, 30-50 mg.
Septrin in tablets or suspension, 1 per day.

The main thing is to prevent dehydration. Additionally give Nifuroxazide. The animal is given a drink, preventing dehydration.

During treatment, personal hygiene and increased conditions for keeping the animal should be observed.

In the spring time the pet may develop beriberi, leading to dysbiosis.

In addition to the correct diet and the introduction of vitamin feeds, the hedgehog is supported with drugs:

Espumizan emulsion is infused at 1 ml orally twice a day for a week.
Bifidumbacterin. A fifth of the serving is diluted with water. Enter orally 2 times a day.
Suspension Enterofuril. 0.1 ml orally 3 times a day.

If your pet develops diarrhea, a mandatory visit to the veterinarian is required.

Constipation: why?

Eating dry food and lack of water causes constipation in the hedgehog. Symptoms are:

Hard, painfully swollen abdomen.
Rare fecal discharge or their complete absence.

For treatment, 3-5 castor oil is poured into the pet or a baby laxative for newborns is orally administered. The anus is lubricated with Vaseline. Soft vegetables are introduced into the diet. Let's say a gentle massage of the abdomen.

Urine with blood

Blood in the urine of a hedgehog means the occurrence of diseases:

Cystitis as a result of non-compliance with the temperature regime. Assign medication Travmatin and Gamavit 3-5 drops 1 time per day for 10 days. Nettle decoction is added to the drink. With frequent attacks, Phytomenadione is used.
Infection of the genitourinary system. Baytril 2.5% 1 ml per kilogram of animal weight is administered subcutaneously, Cotrim 1 ml orally, for 7 days.
The formation of kidney stones. Requires surgical intervention.
Old age.

Treatment is prescribed after x-ray and urinalysis results.

Sore eyes

Eye diseases are quickly treated in the early stages. Conjunctivitis is a common eye disease in pets. Pygmy hedgehogs are no exception.

Curious animals during a walk climb into unimaginable places, collecting dust and fluff on their faces. The disease is accompanied by lacrimal discharge, sometimes with pus, irritation and redness of the cornea.

In advanced form, the disease flows into serous rhinitis. For treatment, the application of Levomycetin ointment is used. Tautonus drops and Actovegin gel help relieve inflammation. For prevention, the eyes are washed with Optrex drops. The disease is not contagious cage cleanliness is required.

The pet itches and loses needles

In place of old needles, new ones do not grow - this indicates a lack of vitamins. On the body of an adult hedgehog there are 5-7 thousand needles. Born naked and defenseless by two weeks after birth, the hedgehog is covered with thorns.

Soft and transparent needles acquire color and hardness by the ninth week, and by the age of three months the main protective cover is established in the pet.

An animal loses and acquires new needles during its life, this is a natural process. If the pet began to rapidly shed needles and bald spots began to form on the skin, this indicates a lack of vitamins in the diet or a skin disease.

Hedgehogs under the prickly cover have very delicate skin. and, despite the protective barrier, needs careful care. Pets are susceptible to:

fungal infections.
Dry skin.
Scabies.
peeling.

The reasons are:

Moisturizing and emollient oils are used to treat the skin, the addition of vitamins A and E to the diet, compliance with the temperature regime. If there are no signs of improvement, you should consult a doctor and take a skin scraping for analysis.

The loss of hair and needles around the muzzle, the formation of peeling, crusts and scabs, shows ringworm disease. The reason is contact with a sick animal, disgusting conditions of detention or malnutrition. The disease is contagious to humans. Treatment is long, you will need:

Skin treatment with almond oil. A drop of oil is applied to the scabs and rubbed into the skin with a toothbrush in the direction of growth of the needles.
Bathing with the addition of Imaverol, every 3-4 days.
Application of Kanesten 2% cream or Tinaderm once a day on lichen plaques. Avoid getting the ointment in the eyes and ears.

In parallel, the hygiene and diet of the animal are observed. Requires supplementation with vitamin B12 injections.

Allergy

Allergies in hedgehogs are rare and if they happen, the reasons are:

Symptoms include nasal irritation, sneezing, discharge from the eyes, scratching of the animal. For treatment, it is recommended to determine the irritating factor and remove it. If the measures taken do not bring relief, then a specialist consultation is necessary.

Rabies

Infection with rabies is possible from contact with a carrier of the disease. The incubation period is ten days. The pet becomes lethargic, loses appetite, and rabies appears. After a period of aggression and convulsions, the animal dies. There is no cure. It is a contagious disease for humans. Prevention is vaccination.

Most diseases can be avoided by observing the elementary rules of keeping, a balanced diet and a caring attitude towards the pet.

In contact with

Like any animal, the hedgehog has many obvious signs of poor health, so you should watch your pet carefully. Monitoring the hedgehog's health will allow you to prevent possible adverse consequences and premature death of your pet.

What should your hedgehog look like?

Behavior.

Keeping a close eye on your hedgehog will help you understand which hedgehog behavior is normal and which is not. If the hedgehog has become lethargic and inactive, it may mean that the hedgehog is unwell.

Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals, if your hedgehog sleeps during the day, it does not mean that he is sick, in most cases this is normal. However, pets can adapt to the owners and change their lifestyle to a daytime one. In this case, daytime naps may mean your hedgehog is unwell.

The average weight of African hedgehogs is 250-300 grams. You should keep an eye on your hedgehog's weight, as ill health can cause a hedgehog to lose weight or gain weight, and even if there are no other signs of illness, you should contact your veterinarian.

Temperature.

The normal body temperature of an African hedgehog is 35 C., but a temperature ranging between 35 and 37 C is considered acceptable. If the temperature differs in one direction or another from the permissible one, this may mean that the hedgehog has an infection.

The normal heart rate for hedgehogs is 180-280 beats per minute. But if the hedgehog is in a state of hibernation, then the pulse can drop to 20 beats. Hibernation must be avoided as it can be fatal for pet hedgehogs.

The frequency of breaths of the African hedgehog is 25-30 breaths per minute.

Urine and faeces.

Healthy stool color should be light brown to dark brown. It should not be liquid, like diarrhea, it should be quite solid. Green stools can be a sign of illness or stress. Stress can be caused by moving to a new home or changing food.

An adult hedgehog eats 1-3 tablespoons of food per day (the norm of dry food). Ideally, a hedgehog should be fed twice a day, as they have small stomachs and this will ensure that they eat the food, rather than being thrown out of the feeder and dragged along the litter. If the hedgehog stops eating or reduces the volume of food, then this may be a sign of poor health.

Traffic.

The hedgehog should move easily and evenly. Lameness and swelling on the paws can be signs of health problems. If the hedgehog falls to the side when walking, then this may be a sign of degenerative myelopathy.

The nose should be slightly damp, but not wet.

Feet should be soft. The toenails need to be trimmed. You only need to cut off the tips of the nails.

Mouth, lips, gums, teeth and tongue.

The mouth must be clean. Lips should also be clean and may vary in color from light pink to dark pink. Teeth should be white.

The eyes should be round, clean, without any crusts and growths.

The ears should be round and smooth, the skin should not be damaged, and there should be no roughness and scales.

Genitals.

The genitals should be clean and dry, they should not have any damage, swelling and redness. There should be no blood or other discharge.

The needles should be distributed evenly over the hedgehog's body without bald patches. Small hedgehogs between 8-12 weeks of age may begin to actively shed their spines, and the loss of spines should be even.

Healthy skin should be smooth and elastic. There should be no scales or lumps on the skin. Dry skin can be a sign of mites.

If the hedgehog constantly itches.

This hedgehog behavior can be caused by dry skin or mites. For starters, don't panic. First of all, remember if there was a hedgehog on the street or, perhaps, other animals that live nearby brought a tick. If you no longer have other animals, and the hedgehog is kept in a room that ticks cannot get into, then it is unlikely that these are ticks. Make a warm bath for your hedgehog and put a stocking of oats in it. Oats soothe the skin of hedgehogs and moisturize it. If this does not help, then you should contact your veterinarian.

The most serious problem is obesity.

Obesity in hedgehogs appears due to very kind and loving owners who provide a lot of food with a high fat content. You should not give hedgehogs too much food, it is better to prolong his life with proper nutrition than to kill him with his love and kindness.

Another reason hedgehogs become obese is a lack of exercise. In order to stimulate hedgehogs to exercise, you can purchase a wheel.

If the hedgehog is obese, it can affect the liver as well as the cardiopulmonary system.

Degenerative myelopathy, or staggering hedgehog syndrome.

Degenerative myelopathy is a progressive, degenerative, neurological disease, the causes of which are not yet understood. Some breeders suggest that heredity may be the cause. Another version of the origin of this disease is the malnutrition of the hedgehog.

Currently, there is no medical treatment for this terrible disease. However, there are supportive therapies that can make your pet's life easier and longer.

This disease can appear suddenly with constant deterioration. The hind limbs are the first to suffer from such a disease, then the disease, in most cases, spreads to the forelimbs and other parts of the hedgehog's body. In some cases, paralysis appears on only one side of the body. If this happens, then the hedgehog begins to tip over to one side.

The results of studies on this disease suggest that it develops from 18 to 24 months, although there are cases when this happened to both younger hedgehogs and older hedgehogs.

Weight loss is also a symptom of this disease. Weight loss occurs in most cases due to the inability to reach food bowls and drinkers. If the disease progresses, then the hedgehog becomes completely immobilized and cannot eat. In the cases studied, hedgehogs died 6 to 19 months after the onset of symptoms.

From the moment the symptoms of the disease begin, special care and monitoring of the hedgehog is necessary.

As long as the hedgehog can eat its usual food, you can roll up towels and put them around the hedgehog so that when moving to the bowl, it does not go off track and circle around itself. If the hedgehog is no longer able to maintain balance, then you can create a maze for him. The labyrinth will facilitate the movement of the hedgehog. The distance of such a maze should be narrow enough to allow the hedgehog to pass without falling on its side. It is necessary during this period to engage in exercises with the hedgehog, stimulating him to move, for example, offering him goodies.

With imputation, parts of the hedgehog's body lose their tone, so daily massage is necessary to maintain the normal functioning of the body. Without daily massage, a hedgehog can develop a number of additional problems.

The massage of the hedgehog must be done by placing it with its back in the palm of your hand and very gently massaging his stomach in a clockwise direction. An important point is the direction of movement, since if this rule is not followed, the hedgehog may have problems with digestion. Massage movements should be very soft and bring pleasure to the hedgehog, you need to massage not only his stomach, but also his paws.

When caring for a sick hedgehog, care must be taken to maintain the temperature in the room where the hedgehog is located, approximately 25 degrees.

When the hedgehog can no longer eat on its own, it will be your responsibility to feed it. Feeding in such a situation can occur through a pipette or syringe. It is worth introducing food into the corner of the mouth very slowly and carefully. Some hedgehogs are fine with this feeding and get used to it quickly, but there are hedgehogs that can resist and you will need to work hard to feed him.