I wanted to give some background story first, I have about a 10 week old hedgehog and his name is willerferd, he is also albino.
I am a first time hedgehog owner as well.
He has started quilling, I noticed this after I saw his injury later on last night.
I had been handling him the day before and I noticed nothing wrong with him at all.
But when I got home yesterday from school before work I picked him up and when I had him in a ball on his back I had noticed that on both of his legs up by his upper thighs there were open wounds that looked very raw.
I figured he has been scratching him self ( I hear him at night) and maybe he did it so much that it became raw.
So I called the guy who I bought him from and he said to put peroxide on it and watch for an infection.
I was wondering if there is any way I can use something else? I also have difficulty with my willerferd letting me help him cause I'm sure the peroxide stings for him.
Also, When should I take him to the vet?
I'm very worried about my little hedgehog, I gave him a bath (which he needed) and I used the peroxide and clipped his nails.
I know I need to keep an eye for infection. But when should I take him to the vet? and could I possibly just treat this myself?
I am wondering if he was injured by another hedgehog before you got him? That's a place they will bite each other often times.
As for treating, I would recommend soaking him in luke warm water with epsom salts - and not do the peroxide. - This is assuming the wounds are NOT deep - if they are, then I recommend a vet.
Peroxide is fine when a wound FIRST happens, but it can actually slow down healing if used repeatedly. I am with Stasi, I am a big fan of epsom salt baths. You could also use a little bit of sterile saline to rinse the wounds with if you don't want to do the whole bath. If the wounds are just surface, like scrapes, then this will probably do fine on them. If they are actually open wounds, especially if they are deep, he should be seen by a vet. Watch closely for signs of infection, including redness, swelling, puss. If you notice any of these, or he goes off his food/changes activity levels, he should be seen by the vet promptly.
Becca
I've had my hog for about 3 months now, and yesterday I noticed that he had lik sxplits in his skin on the upper inside of his thighs- one side more so than the other, I figured it was partially from dry skin combined with him now getting a bit chunky and sweaty, I put some aveeno cream on in hope it would help, but then this morning when I checked in on him his wheel had blood all over it and some in his bedding, when I checked him out I could only come to it being the leg that was more split than the other (this split isn't at all deep but rather like a split lip we get when we get dry lips) it looked wet- I gave him a clean to make sure the pee and poo wouldnt make it worse....I dont have peroxide- unless thats the same as hydrogen peroxide (dont worry I havent used it just incase)
He hasn't been around any other hogs to fight.
Peroxide and hydrogen peroxide are the exact same thing. Is there any chance at all that he could have gotten hairs or threads wrapped around his legs? This can cause thin splits in the skin, and if not treated promptly, can actually cause the circulation to be shut off. PLEASE look very very closely, with a good light, to make sure there aren't any hairs wrapped on his legs. With the injury getting worse, I would recommend him being taken to the vet as soon as possible, especially if it is bleeding.
Becca
Hi Becca,
Thanks for that, I do actually check his legs daily for any hairs or threads as I heard of another hog who had hair wrapped around its leg resulting in amputation. His leg has healed rapidly which is good. I posted my concern on another thread also and had advice on there too, which I followed, I've got him some flaxseed oil as it was suggested he could do with some for his skin, I'm just waiting for them to suggest how much/little to give before giving him any.
Otherwise for now Quillbert is brilliant x
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