what on earth was that?
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Well she must have woken up whilst I was busy in the kitchen, as I’ve just checked on Sweetpea and she had left a little fully formed poo – but near it was a little blob of clear jelly.
What on earth could that be? And did it come out of her bum or mouth?
\But anyway, if it was just the little poo, I would have left it as she had gone back to bed to sleep, but I wanted to get rid of this blob of jelly, in case it is crawling with something horrendous. But She seems to have got used to be removing the puppy mat now, and doesn’t seem to be bothered about it – I think she even appreciates having a clean cage –
Anyway, gonna research this clear jelly blob, try find out what it was.
Found some info on mucus from Hornbean Wood Hedgehog Sanctuary website,
mucus indicates gastric upset which can happen if hedgehog changes food types.
Given that I haven’t been putting out dog meat out, but Sweetpea is now eating it, it could be due to that. Her little formed brown poo had a little bit of mucus on it, and so the blob must have come out after the poo perhaps.
Oh well, she’s in hospital tmrw – and she’ll get the correct portion of dog food, I feel that I’ve giving her more than I should – and that might be a factor – perhaps too much protein?
I shall give her a little bit less tonight. But she was awake this morning, and she looked like she was hoping for more food – ‘no chance’ I told her ‘it’s bed time.’
And, as a coincidence, she did actually move into her bedroom box a few seconds afterwards!
She’s one of those hedgehogs that would eat anything you’d give her, so I think I need to give her a little bit less, even though it’s my last night with her.
well she’s just had some dinner, and routed through the spikes and cat biscuits to get to the dog meat – she will eat the biscuits later on no doubt.
then she did a poo straight after she finished eating and it wasn’t solid this time, but it looked like dog meat – the same colour – it did have a bit a mucus round it though – and then she did a blob of green mucousy poo.
So I reckon she’s probably got a gut infection as well as the lungworm.
I don’t think it could be stress due to being indoors, as she appears settled now – she’s been indoors since Tuesday – and been eating the same food since Tuesday.
So I would of thought stress poo would only last a couple of days, and change of diet poo, would only last a couple of days too.
oh well, she’s off to hospital tmrw – I’ll weigh her tonight (I didn’t bother last night), she does look quite a bit bigger than what she did on Tuesday, and she’s eating all the food, and looks at me, in the morning as if she is hoping for more food (which I refuse). She’s drinking normally, I’m keeping the cage as clean as I can with the help of puppy mats, I’m taking the poo out as soon as I see one, instead of wiping it off (and smearing it) with toilet roll, I left her food dish in boiling water today and then gave it another wash before I filled it up again.
The only thing I can think of is that on a night, I can’t clean the poo up until morning, and she tramples in it. However, there is never any poo in her food bowl or in her water bowl. She doesn’t like to poop in her bed or near her food.
I’ve enjoyed looking after her, but it’s stressful, and I find myself being absolutely obsessed with her poo. I’ll be relieved tmrw when I know it’s off my hands, and she get all the meds she needs and access to a vet, the will be sampling her food every other day to begin with, and then weekly when her stools start looking normal.
just weighed her 462g she was 385g on Tuesday night – so 77g in 4 days, nearly 20g per day.
Perhaps it’s due to feeding her too much.
Just let the hospital know her weight and about the mucusy green poo – got reply back and she will get fully examined tmrw anyway – relief!
Just thanked the hospital for supporting me and all the advice, she said ‘don’t stress, I’ll be here.’
So I said I’d love to help her out, but she said we’ll speak tmrw, she said I live a long way and don’t drive, so that’s the issue.
But yes, probably couldn’t do the morning clean because with public transport – I don’t think I’d get there in time. Such a shame, that would be perfect for me.
Hi Hedgie Lover, I’ve missed all about your latest trials, but just read all your posts, you’re a true champion and well done for looking after this little hog. Like I said once before, in a while we will all be using poo testing kits! Was it you who was collecting urine to put on your boundary to deter the foxes? I read you have trouble with them again, so does it not work at all? Wishing you and hoggy all the best.
Nope – it did work for about 2 nights (perhaps 3), but it got used to it, so I put even more down that following day, when I realised it wasn’t working, hoping that would do the trick, and no it didn’t work.
So I guess it was a good way to trial it out before I followed the advice from someone who works in conservation for wildlife, and bought an expensive bottle of tiger or lion urine (amazon sells mountain lion urine from canada about $30 for quite a small bottle – would only last one day).
Someone else suggested coyote urine, that might actually work, apparently they use it in north canada, and rangers put it on christmas trees, to deter people chopping them down and using them for decoration, because, according to the guy who said it, the urine freezes, and when they bring it indoors, it unfreezes and it makes their house smell horrendous, so it must have a very powerful disgusting smell – but couldn’t find anywhere that smells it, plus if it smelt that bad, no doubt it would also deter all the hedgehogs, so I thought, waste of time.
The videos haven’t picked up on the fox trying to grab a hedgehog, but it’s started to sniff near the hedgehog home which I’m deeply upset about, and it goes in the crouching position sometimes, possibly when there is a hedgehog in the feeding station,
Now, because I can’t cope with what the fox might do, if I see a video i close it down as soon as I get a glimpse of it and delete – I just couldn’t bear to see it.
Your a true champion aswell, given by what you post, we are on here. We all share the same obsession which is nice.
What I’ve done wrong with this hedgehog, Sweetpea, is that I have checked on her too many times, it’s been better when I’ve had to go out and leave her in total quietness.
No doubt, I will be rescuing again, especially next autumn, so I’ll do it differently then.
It’s because I’m constantly worried about her – she did a beige coloured poo earlier, and no green, but was slightly mucusy, which the mucus poos has only just happened today, I can’t help thinking it might have been something I’ve done wrong, have I given her too much food, I probably have cos she’s put on 77g in 4 days which is quite a lot.
Thankfully, she’s in a medium sized hamster cage so I’ve not needed the worry of her escaping. And she’s relaxed now and doesn’t try to escape – but that’s another worry – is she relaxed or is she lethargic cos she’s ill?
I’m glad she’s off to hospital tmrw, as it’s actually quite stressful.
I put a puppy mat down in the feeding station, and I think only one hedgehog has visited, so I think it’s preventing them coming – but they’ll get used to it. problem is with puppy mat’s they have a slight smell to them, it smells nice to me, but obviously to a hedgehog it might have made them a bit nervous.
If it deters them completely, I’ll go back to not using it. I just thought I could keep the station more hygienic, and would soak up rat wee if the rat comes back.
Evening hedgie lover, you’ve livened up the site a bit😁👍
But your ‘poo experiences’ are important, a basic sampling kit plus medications, available to all carers/rehabilitaters (who have taken the requisite training) would give many more hogs a ‘fighting chance’
Well done.Yes it would, she’s got lungworm, so that’s why the hospital is taking her in – at first, because she’s been eating all the food and drinking ok – (I think mushy poo is to be expected when you take them from the wild into captivity for a few days and change of food), the hospital was planning for me to release her back into my garden – but they did a poo sample, and it came back as lungworm – so they want to treat that before releasing her – so she’ll be overwintered in the hospital.
I don’t think the green poo I saw today is linked to lungworm, it could be a gut irritation of some sort, it might be due to having too much food. It’s a small plastic bowl, it’s small to me, but in reality, it’s probably a quarter the size of her – so I think she might have been eating a quarter of her body weight each night.
My bad! I should have weighed out the food really. Funny she eats the wet dog food first, then goes back to eat the spikes, and then leaves the cat biscuits till last, I mix it together, so that the dried food sticks to the wet food and doesn’t fall out so much – but she routes through it with her nose to get the best bits, she’s not daft.
I’ve given her a toilet roll tube to play with, but she’s ignoring it, so I’ve just given her some paper to tear up – but she’s just sniffing at it now, trying to work out what it is, hopefully she’ll have some fun tonight – I feel like she needs some stimulation.
she’s being very active right now, I don’t want to check on her as she might stop in her tracks – but i think she might be playing with the toilet roll – she’s busy ripping something up anyway, sounds like cardboard.
Update, she’s dragged the toilet roll tube into her nest and bashing it about – she loves it – so happy she’s being active, I feel a bit more hopeful about her health now – poo looks a bit better too – need to clean the cage really as shes done some poos – but bit reluctant to disturb – think, as she’s busy playing, I’ll leave her to it – apart from need to top up her water, maybe I’ll just top up the water before I go to bed and leave the poo? she’s just gonna do more poos anyway
I’ll just wait to do the morning clean.
Hi-
What a busy bee you have been!
Just catching up with all the posts. Sounds like Sweetpea will be going to a good rescue and has been spoilt by you.
Keep us posted and well done on all your efforts.
Also there was someone here who was going to do the hedgehog course at Vale- maybe something you could look at??
If the person who was going to do the course sees this maybe we could get some feedback. I can’t seem to find the post now.Thanks so much Simbo – I’d love to do that.
I’ll google it.
I;m gonna miss her, but glad she’s off to hospital to get looked after properly, because with me, she’s starting to get too used to me, because I’ve checked on her too much, that’s what I’ve done wrong. But it’s learning for next time.
Least in hospital she’ll have minimal contact.
They post videos of their hedgehog on facebook, so I’ll no doubt be looking on their facebook page everyday.
Cage is a right mess, she’s pulled out the puppy mat from underneath her box again, I don’t know if she wants it for nesting material, cos it looks like she’s tried to pull it into her box, and she slept with her food bowl on one side of her and a toilet roll tube on the other, I don’t know why, perhaps for comfort?
I asked the hedgehog rescue if I could volunteer, I can’t drive but like doing the morning clean. But she said I live far away and don’t drive which is an issue, but she said she’ll have a chat to me about it today. I could get there for 7am one day a week, it would involve getting a taxi at 5.30am, getting a bus and a 20min walk (which I’d actually enjoy a morning walk), which isn’t too bad just once a week, but if she does the morning clean at 6am, I wouldn’t be able to do it.
I used to muck out once a week at a animal shelter, until they asked me to change the day — which I couldn’t do and when a big aggressive pig called Blossom (she was cute though), started humping me every time I went into her patch. Up to the humping started, I really enjoyed it. I wouldn’t get that problem with hedgehogs!
her poo looks better today, no mucus around it – it’s brown and still a bit mushy but having formed poos, just soft ones.
Could be due to the dog food, rather than stress now.
I’m wishing you and little hog all the best Hedgie Lover. You’ve been wonderful with her and I’m sure she knows you are trying to help her. Let’s hope you’ve started her well on the wY to recovery and made the task of the hospital easier. You will miss her, but don’t stress too much, you’ve done a wonderful thing, bless you.
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