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Hedgehog Health Risks
Hedgehogs, as a general rule, are typically quite healthy, and experience few health problems during their lifetimes. However, the biggest health risk that most hedgehogs face is the fact that their owners have no arranged, in advance, for their care by a qualified veterinarian. Just because hedgehogs are low maintenance animals, this does not mean, by any means, that they are no-maintenance animals.
So, the first step to ensuring that your hedgehog lives a full, healthy life is to ensure that you have a veterinarian for him, and that you call that veterinarian when your hedgehog is ill, injured, or just behaving in a questionable – unusual – fashion. Because hedgehogs are so tiny, an illness or injury which may not seem life threatening in other animals can quickly turn fatal for a hedgehog.
Other than this, there are a few health problems that are actually common to hedgehogs, which you should be aware of. It’s also important to realize that hedgehog’s, like most other animals, will attempt to hide illnesses or injuries. This means that you must keep a sharp eye out for such problems.
Respiratory problems are common in hedgehogs, and without proper care, they can die. If your hedgehog appears to have a cold, he needs to see the veterinarian. To prevent respiratory problems, keep your hedgehog warm, and avoid using certain bedding, such a cedar or pine shavings.
Vestibular Syndrome and Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome are two conditions that are also common to hedgehogs. The first, Vestibular Syndrome, is simply a short term problem, and does not even need treatment. With Vestibular Syndrome, there is a temporary problem with the nerve that runs through the inner ear, and balance problems will occur. This problem usually corrects itself within a day or two.
Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome, on the other hand, is fatal, and unfortunately has many of the same symptoms as Vestibular Syndrome. WHS is a neurological problem that is progressive, causing paralysis. As with Vestibular Syndrome, a hedgehog that is suffering from WHS will initially appear to be ‘off-balance.’ Unfortunately, there is no cure and no treatment for WHS.
Various types of cancer are not uncommon in hedgehogs; however cancer in hedgehogs is just like cancer in people. It does not hurt initially, and unless you are screening for it on a regular basis, you won’t know that it is there until it is too late to do anything about it. Always be on the lookout for changes in appetite, changes in sleeping patterns, and of course for any lumps under the skin.
Because cancer treatment can be expensive, and because hedgehog’s don’t typically live for more than eight years even when they are perfectly healthy, most cancer treatment for hedgehogs turns into comfort treatment, meaning that your veterinarian will work with you to help keep the hedgehog comfortable when he has cancer, but that extreme measures for a cure are not generally taken.
Again, the first step to reducing health risks for your hedgehog is to first make sure that you have a veterinarian who cares for him. Make sure that you practice good hedgehog hygiene, and of course, make sure that you remain on the lookout for any health problems that could crop up and seek care immediately.
Hedgehogs, Hedgehogs information, Hedgehog tips, Hedgehog pets, Hedgehog advice
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