Kayak
I was contacted by a man. He said that his hedgehog had babies, and one of them was very sick and couldn’t stand. He wasn’t able to take care of the baby and was going to have it put to sleep. I asked him to bring the baby to me. I immediately made an appointment with our vet for the next morning. He weighed only 64 grams – after being fed. Our vet prescribed antibiotics, an anti-inflammatory and gave him
subcutaneous fluids, which we continued at home.
He improved each day, and today is a healthy, active little hedgehog. He loves mealworms, running on his wheel, sleeping in odd positions, and cuddles from Mom & Dad.
Kayak has become quite the little celebrity. Here are links to his videos. He was featured in a video by HooplaHa and the story was picked up by our local news station KTHV, channel 11, who did several interviews with us. Kayak is such an inspiraton - proving that you can overcome obstacles if you aren't afraid to try, have determination, and are supported by people who love you.
He improved each day, and today is a healthy, active little hedgehog. He loves mealworms, running on his wheel, sleeping in odd positions, and cuddles from Mom & Dad.
Kayak has become quite the little celebrity. Here are links to his videos. He was featured in a video by HooplaHa and the story was picked up by our local news station KTHV, channel 11, who did several interviews with us. Kayak is such an inspiraton - proving that you can overcome obstacles if you aren't afraid to try, have determination, and are supported by people who love you.
Here is the link the the KTHV channel 11 interview
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Frisby
Frisby was thought to have been bitten by a sibling. The wound became infected and spread to both ears, as well as various sores throughout his body. He lost his left ear and part of his right ear. We believe he has lost hearing in his left ear as well.
Today, Frisby is a sweet, healthy little boy. He has quite a few curly quills on his left side, which just add to his cuteness. While he loves mealworms, he is always very polite about taking them. He is gentle and easy going. He has the softest quills, and they shimmer in the light. This little guy has us wrapped around his paw - and we love it.
Today, Frisby is a sweet, healthy little boy. He has quite a few curly quills on his left side, which just add to his cuteness. While he loves mealworms, he is always very polite about taking them. He is gentle and easy going. He has the softest quills, and they shimmer in the light. This little guy has us wrapped around his paw - and we love it.
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Eva
Eva also came to us as a baby. The runt of the litter, her siblings were pulling out her quills. She weighed only 46 grams at about 7 weeks old. Given a safe, warm place with all the food she could eat, Eva quickly grew into a beautiful hedgehog.
Either because of being traumatized by her siblings, or because of the two subsequent quillings, Eva is very timid and shy. She can ball up tighter and for longer than any hedgehog we have ever had. We are trying many different things with her to make her feel safe, secure, and confident. We have found that she does like to explore, and loves mealworms - she just doesn't like being touched (breathed on, talked to, looked at!). This will be a long road for Eva, and she may never be very social. But we love her the way she is, no matter what - and we are determined to show her.
It is important to know if you are considering buying or adopting a hedgehog, that they are, by nature, reserved, shy and grumpy. Regular cuddle time may help them become more social, but you must be prepared to love them, no matter what. Even when they are grumpy, huffing balls of pointy, pokey pain.
Either because of being traumatized by her siblings, or because of the two subsequent quillings, Eva is very timid and shy. She can ball up tighter and for longer than any hedgehog we have ever had. We are trying many different things with her to make her feel safe, secure, and confident. We have found that she does like to explore, and loves mealworms - she just doesn't like being touched (breathed on, talked to, looked at!). This will be a long road for Eva, and she may never be very social. But we love her the way she is, no matter what - and we are determined to show her.
It is important to know if you are considering buying or adopting a hedgehog, that they are, by nature, reserved, shy and grumpy. Regular cuddle time may help them become more social, but you must be prepared to love them, no matter what. Even when they are grumpy, huffing balls of pointy, pokey pain.
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Echo
We received a phone call. A young woman had a hedgehog and noticed some blood in her cage. She didn't know what was wrong, but only knew that she couldn't afford a vet visit. We thought that it could perhaps be a UTI or perhaps uterine issues. After having the hedgehog relinquished to us, we immediately headed to our vet's office. It turns out that there had been a hair or something that had gotten tangled up around her back leg. Our vet tried to save the leg, but, during surgery, she noticed that it had been cut all the way to the bone. There was no other choice but amputation.
Echo has healed quickly, and today, she doesn't even acknowledge that anything is missing. She loves her wheel and has the desire to explore her surroundings. She has become a permanent member of our family and we look forward to many years with her.
Echo has healed quickly, and today, she doesn't even acknowledge that anything is missing. She loves her wheel and has the desire to explore her surroundings. She has become a permanent member of our family and we look forward to many years with her.
Lolly
Lolly's former owner was trying to sell her as a breeder on Craigslist. He casually mentioned that she had an injured leg. When I went to pick up her and her mate, they were being housed together in a homemade cage, with only chicken wire separating them. Lolly had been bred back to back 3 times. Her mate, Crook (who has since been adopted to a loving home) was living in a space roughly the size of a shoe box. When I picked up Lolly, she bled all over my hand. I turned her over, only to realize that one of her front legs was 2 times the size of the other. On the long way home, I called my vet to schedule an appointment the next day for Lolly. There was obviously something wrong with her leg, but they weren't able to see what exactly it was, even with an x-ray. We decided to have her leg amputated. It was such a difficult decision, since it was a front leg, even if she pulled through, there was a possibility that she could never adjust. Lolly came through the surgery like a champ. It turns out that she had severe suppurative osteomyelitis - which basically means, a severe bone infection, with pus. What most likely happened, is that she tried to climb out of her cage, fell, and injured her leg. She was never treated, and the injury turned into a bone infection. This kind of infection will continue to grow new bone around the affected area. We had Lolly on antibiotics for over two months, to fight off the infection. She has a cage, all to herself, and a wheel! Yes. Lolly, who is missing a front leg, who hobbles around, has her very own wheel. And it is DIRTY every single morning! She is our little fighter.
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