Hedgehog faeces problem??

[Prickly Pair]

We have a rescue hedgehog kept in an enclosed walled in garden, as the rescue centre don't believe he will survive in the wild. So, he gets a free run in our garden. I have noticed in the last two days that his faeces has changed from the usual black/green shiny norm to a grey/white putty coloured stool which is softer and larger than the norm. It does resemble soft putty, and there is a lot of it.

His nocturnal habits are normal. He doesn't come out during the day. He eats (very) well - Whiskas chicken in jelly, Iams kitten chicken biscuits and meal worms. He gets fresh water every night.

We have inspected him and can see nothing amiss. He is piling weight on - he came out of hibo on 27th March at 584g and now weighs 762g. His weight is steadily rising.

So, in summary, everything looks ok, except for his faeces. I am at a loss. Could anyone enlighten me as to what could be the problem (if there is one at all), please?

Also - some guidance on diet and whether what we are giving him is ok would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Prickly Pair

[valleyforge]

Hi Prickly Pair and welcome to the WAB forum.

A grey/white, putty coloured stool is actually quite normal for a hedgehog on the diet you have described.

In fact it is shiny black and green faeces that are abnormal, and generally indicative of an intestinal worm burden ... in itself though that's not necessarily a huge problem as most hedgehogs tend to have some worms.

Sounds though from his weight gain that there's not a whole lot amiss, though he's still fairly light ... the diet you are giving him is adequate, but hedgehogs like variety and new tastes too.

Perhaps you could provide a more varied diet by including vegetable matter in the form of (unsalted) peanuts, walnuts, pine nuts, pumpkin/sunflower seed kernals (that is without the husks), banana, sultanas, diced apple or pear ... all of these tend to be munched with relish. Hedgehogs are omniverous, so an entirely meat-based diet won't provide all the nutrients and minerals needed for proper development.

You should avoid giving cow's milk, but a little bit of mild cheddar cheese makes a nice treat, but not too often.

[Hedgehoggy]

Agree with VF on the predominantly chicken diet being the cause. Black/green shiny stools are also often passed pre- and post-hibernation, as well as a worm burden, and stress being a possible cause - they do like to keep us on our toes you know! As he's gaining weight nicely since post-hibo, I don't think you've anything to worry about

Because he's a disabled, non-releasable, permanent resident in your garden, a varied diet (as per VF's suggestions) would also keep him stimulated.

[Prickly Pair]

Thanks to you both for the advice.

We have only had him since October, so i guess all we have seen is his pre and post hibernation stools, which have always been grren/black. Also, he came fully wormed, etc when he arrived in Oct, so there shouldn't be a problem there.

HH - your point on stress is interesting - the day before the stools changed colour, we cleaned his house out for the first time since he came out of hibo, and replaced all the nesting materials - maybe that stressed him out a bit.

He is light, but he is only about 9 months old - the rescue centre received him at 60g and built him up to 700g before he went into hibo. He came out at 580g and is now well over 700g. His weight gain is continuous and staeady, but i will keep a close eye on that.

Thanks as well for the tips on diet - i will get on with giving him more variety. Is there a limit to how much he should get, or do they just take what they need (i suspect there is a clue in the fact that his name is HOG?)? Any advice on volumes would be appreciated, especially as he has a limited area to exercise in (about 20m by 20m).

Thanks again!

[Hedgehoggy]

Originally Posted by Prickly Pair

Thanks to you both for the advice.
HH - your point on stress is interesting - the day before the stools changed colour, we cleaned his house out for the first time since he came out of hibo, and replaced all the nesting materials - maybe that stressed him out a bit.

When you next clean his house, always leave some of his old bedding in his house so he's reassured with the familiar scent.

Originally Posted by Prickly Pair

Thanks as well for the tips on diet - i will get on with giving him more variety. Is there a limit to how much he should get, or do they just take what they need (i suspect there is a clue in the fact that his name is HOG?)? Any advice on volumes would be appreciated, especially as he has a limited area to exercise in (about 20m by 20m).

Trial and error with a captive hog; some hogs will just continue to eat 24/7 given the chance, while others will just eat what they need. Continue to weigh him regularly (e.g. once a week) to keep an eye on his weight - the worst scenario would be that he gets too fat to be able to curl into a ball!

[Prickly Pair]

Thanks very much HH,
Next time we change his bedding, i will remember to leave some of the old stuff in there - seems like common sense now, i wish i had thought of it at the time!

We will be keeping an eye on his weight and on his waist line!

Thanks again.
PP

[Malx]

I bow as I should to Hedgehoggy's superior knowledge about changing the bedding, of course.

I 'm just surprised that a chance for a Spring Clean doesn't involve the opportunity to clear out everything - all the fleas, ticks and general mite-like infestations which have been kept warm and alive by hedgey all winter. Surprised hedgies are not better off having totally fresh bedding - a clean sheet, if you'll forgive the pun.

The box/floor surely smells just the same at any rate?

[Hedgehoggy]

Originally Posted by Malx

I 'm just surprised that a chance for a Spring Clean doesn't involve the opportunity to clear out everything - all the fleas, ticks and general mite-like infestations which have been kept warm and alive by hedgey all winter. Surprised hedgies are not better off having totally fresh bedding - a clean sheet, if you'll forgive the pun.

Because PP's hog is a permanent resident, he'll be having his bedding and house cleaned on a regular basis, so there will be little chance of a severe insect infestation getting a stronghold. PP would notice if there were ticks lurking and be sure to remove such soiled bedding anyway. Hoggy could also be sprinkled with a little insecticidal powder to ward off any uninvited guests.

Originally Posted by Malx

The box/floor surely smells just the same at any rate?

Assuming PP lines the house with newspaper (which makes for easier cleaning as you can just lift out the contents in one go), once the house has been replaced with fresh newspaper and hay, hoggy's immediate surroundings smell unfamiliar. Leaving some of his hog-de-cologne bedding behind will reassure him.

My blind hedgehog has confirmed this too She sleeps nestled on top of two fleece blankets, if I remove both blankets at the same time and replace with two clean ones she gets very agitated and restless and spends an age smelling both blankets and circles round and round before finally settling back down. Now, if I replace one blanket at a time, she sniffs out the old blanket and settles straight back down immediately!

[Prickly Pair]

Thanks HH and Malx.
Our hog has a a newspaper base which we change regularly. We check him for fleas and ticks and haven't spotted anything yet.

With regards to the flea powder - we bought some flea powder for kittens, but we haven't used it yet. The reason for that is that the instructions on the packaging talk about brushing out the powder after application - which you can't do with a hog. We were uncertain as to whether it is safe to leave the powder on him. Could you confirm that it is ok to leave it on (in which cae he is going to get a sprinkling tonight!!).

Another quick question - i usually put weed and feed on the lawn at this time of the year, but i have not done it yet because i am not certain whether it is harmful for the hog. I also use a weedkiller called Verdone. Do you know if there is any problem with this? Or can you point me in the right direction to get hold of some litereature in the subject?

Thanks again guys.

PS: His weight is rocketing!

[Hedgehoggy]

Nooooooooooooooo! Please don’t use any form of pesticide/weedkiller (including Weed & Feed) in your garden - I’m surprised the rescue centre you got hoggy from didn’t stipulate this as one of the conditions in adopting a permanent resident hoggy ). Studies are currently ongoing into these toxins and the harmful effects to our wildlife, including hedgehogs (I can’t find where I’ve stored the links, but a google search may provide this info). Your hoggy is one of nature’s bestest [100% organic] garden pest controllers

This link lists some of the garden hazards our hedgehogs face: The Seven Most Popular Ways to Kill a Hedgehog - UK Safari

Re flea powder for hedgehogs. General consensus is to only use preparations designed for small animals, and not stronger preparations designed for cats/dogs. A popular effective, and safe, preparation is Johnson’s Insecticidal Powder for Small Animals, which kills mites, lice and fleas (and doesn’t need to be brushed out after application!).

P.S. I’ll be off-line for a few days after today, but any other questions/concerns, there’s always somebody on WAB willing and able to help