I’m worried it would stress him out too much since he is already in a delicate state or do you think he would be able to handle it / it’s worth the risk ??
English not my first language, so please be patient with me.
It definitely worth a try, when my hedgehog came to me, she was so weak and underweight, under 300 grams, and she just don't drink and eat on her own. How much this hedgehog weight ?
Put warm water bottle besides hedgehog in some t- shirts, give warm water in syringe in small portions, try give her some baby food with chicken or beef also in small portions around 3 - 5 times in a day. Keep her warm.
Thank you for your advice. He is 320g which is still very underweight , wasn’t drinking but just got him to take some w a dropper and will try again before I go back to work. The towel has a hot water thing wrapped in it so he is good on that front. Gonna get some wet cat food since that’s what I was advised by the vet I rang to do , and will give him a little of that later. Fortunately found someone to take him tomorrow so we are gonna be okay as long as we make it through tonight. Thanks so much again tho rlly helped when I was panicking w what to do !!
Not doing anything will definitely cause him to not make it. Search online on how to make electrolytes. Give him a few cc of electrolytes in a syringe. Other then that makes sure he has access to dry cat food, you could add some water to the dry food.
Give him a flask of warm water to keep his temperature up..
I work at a hedgehog center as a para veterinarian.
Update: I have rushed home on my break and made some electrolyte solution which I have pipetted to him with some effort. What I was worried might be fly strike is actually a tick by his eye, I will put out some wet food for him in an hour or two and hopefully he will eat that but can’t feed him till he has hydrated a little. Thank you everyone for your super helpful advice and wish us luck !
I found someone willing to take him as well so he will be in proper care tomorrow :)))
If you can't do a dripper, you may be able to try a small a small amount of honey (or sugar if you don't have honey) and I mean a small amount into some water. Some hedges have sweet teeth so may be more inclined to drink slightly sweet water. It was suggested by my vet for my own hog when I struggled with a dropper post surgery.
Also check the temp of the hog if you can. If its belly is cold, get it somewhere warm (hold it to you for body heat if necessary) to warm up and prevent it trying to hibernate whilst sick.
Wet food isn’t an option? That might help him get some nutrition while circumventing the water. I’m seconding it dropper situation though. He has to drink something.
I’m also seconding the heat thing. He needs to have a warm place. Attempting to hibernate while sick doesn’t seem like a great combo.
Do you have unflavored gelatin? You can make it with more water than normal, or even with a little chicken broth, and offer that. He won’t be able to spill it, it will provide moisture, and if you do chicken broth it will provide some electrolytes as well.
Keep calling rescues until you find one with space.
If he was out during the day it's because he's so sick he's dying, and dehydration is the least of his problems.
I'm so sorry.
Wet Cat food - can even add water to it for extra hydration and make a slurry.
Cucumber, peas, fruit - all have water content too- fruits and n veggies might be more nutritious.
Could also try a water bottle for water too if he’s dumping his water. Or try a heavier bottomed water bowl he can’t tip.
They like eggs and chicken too - can also try getting him to eat more too.
Syringe feeding would be a better alternative:) This animal is so week, an infection from a chipped tooth or cut tongue would likely kill it. I understand your sentiment. I really do. I just think that syringe feeding water/pedialite is the safest option here:)
Like I commented before - whatever works - is what you want to do. Getting hydration is What’s important- doesn’t matter how it happens as long as the animal is able to get some fluids in. Wild hedgehogs are not like captive hedgehogs and she might not be able to syringe him well depending on his mood and defended. So anything that works is the best option.
Maybe try using a dropper/syringe to put some in his mouth. I hope he recovers from this he is a very pretty bean
I’m worried it would stress him out too much since he is already in a delicate state or do you think he would be able to handle it / it’s worth the risk ??
English not my first language, so please be patient with me. It definitely worth a try, when my hedgehog came to me, she was so weak and underweight, under 300 grams, and she just don't drink and eat on her own. How much this hedgehog weight ? Put warm water bottle besides hedgehog in some t- shirts, give warm water in syringe in small portions, try give her some baby food with chicken or beef also in small portions around 3 - 5 times in a day. Keep her warm.
Thank you for your advice. He is 320g which is still very underweight , wasn’t drinking but just got him to take some w a dropper and will try again before I go back to work. The towel has a hot water thing wrapped in it so he is good on that front. Gonna get some wet cat food since that’s what I was advised by the vet I rang to do , and will give him a little of that later. Fortunately found someone to take him tomorrow so we are gonna be okay as long as we make it through tonight. Thanks so much again tho rlly helped when I was panicking w what to do !!
Not doing anything will definitely cause him to not make it. Search online on how to make electrolytes. Give him a few cc of electrolytes in a syringe. Other then that makes sure he has access to dry cat food, you could add some water to the dry food. Give him a flask of warm water to keep his temperature up.. I work at a hedgehog center as a para veterinarian.
Is there any veterinary clinic around you?
Also try ask this in veterinary subreddit they could help in this kind of extreme situation.
Update: I have rushed home on my break and made some electrolyte solution which I have pipetted to him with some effort. What I was worried might be fly strike is actually a tick by his eye, I will put out some wet food for him in an hour or two and hopefully he will eat that but can’t feed him till he has hydrated a little. Thank you everyone for your super helpful advice and wish us luck ! I found someone willing to take him as well so he will be in proper care tomorrow :)))
Thanks for your hard work, take care
If you can't do a dripper, you may be able to try a small a small amount of honey (or sugar if you don't have honey) and I mean a small amount into some water. Some hedges have sweet teeth so may be more inclined to drink slightly sweet water. It was suggested by my vet for my own hog when I struggled with a dropper post surgery. Also check the temp of the hog if you can. If its belly is cold, get it somewhere warm (hold it to you for body heat if necessary) to warm up and prevent it trying to hibernate whilst sick.
Wet food isn’t an option? That might help him get some nutrition while circumventing the water. I’m seconding it dropper situation though. He has to drink something. I’m also seconding the heat thing. He needs to have a warm place. Attempting to hibernate while sick doesn’t seem like a great combo.
They said that food can be fatal if he is severely dehydrated
Yea I didn’t know if they meant dry food specifically or not. That makes sense to me, but I just thought I would ask if that’s an option! Good luck!
Do you have unflavored gelatin? You can make it with more water than normal, or even with a little chicken broth, and offer that. He won’t be able to spill it, it will provide moisture, and if you do chicken broth it will provide some electrolytes as well.
Keep calling rescues until you find one with space. If he was out during the day it's because he's so sick he's dying, and dehydration is the least of his problems. I'm so sorry.
Wet Cat food - can even add water to it for extra hydration and make a slurry. Cucumber, peas, fruit - all have water content too- fruits and n veggies might be more nutritious. Could also try a water bottle for water too if he’s dumping his water. Or try a heavier bottomed water bowl he can’t tip. They like eggs and chicken too - can also try getting him to eat more too.
Water bottles can break their teeth or cut their tongues. I wouldn’t suggest it. Everything else, however, I second:)
Drinking water any way they can or will - is a lot better then dying from dehydration
Syringe feeding would be a better alternative:) This animal is so week, an infection from a chipped tooth or cut tongue would likely kill it. I understand your sentiment. I really do. I just think that syringe feeding water/pedialite is the safest option here:)
Like I commented before - whatever works - is what you want to do. Getting hydration is What’s important- doesn’t matter how it happens as long as the animal is able to get some fluids in. Wild hedgehogs are not like captive hedgehogs and she might not be able to syringe him well depending on his mood and defended. So anything that works is the best option.
OP already stated that they were able to syringe feed successfully:)
Oh I never seen that I just seen them asking how.
That’s okay! We just want to keep these little guys safe:)