Newt's Story

Newt's story

I thought I still had so much time. So much time left to cuddle, spoil, and love my hedgehog. I did not expect him to pass at the age of one. The truth is hedgehogs are prone to genetic problems, because of the cross breeding of a Four Toed, and African hedgehog to create the African Pygmy (domestic hog). It is the responsibility of the owner to make sure they are buying from certified breeders in order to eradicate diseases like wobbly hedgehog syndrome, heart disease, and cancer.

My hedgehog, Newt, was my savior. People make jokes about emotional support animals that aren’t dogs, but in a way he was mine. I suffer from IBS which means I have to keep my stress levels as low as possible. Cuddling with him, and seeing his sweet face always made any stomach pain slowly disappear. The truth is he was from a backyard breeder. I had done all the research on what care was required, but none on how to find one. I went to petfinder.com and found this little guy being advertised. I showed up at the breeders home, and it was apparent he was not in a safe situation. He was being kept in a small container with only a blanket, she was in a small home with tons of other animals, and she would not give me any information on his parents. I could not leave him there after witnessing the living arrangements. I actually wanted to take all four of them, but I knew it would be an irresponsible decision on my part. After a week of patiently bonding with him I fell in love even more. He was the most curious, happiest, and sweetest hedgehog I could have wished for. I just only wish I had longer with him.

Now, after the fact, I have been able to piece together what happened. His symptoms were all very gradual, and not noticeable until the end. Heart disease in hedgehogs tends to do that. Starting a couple months ago I noticed his activity levels decreasing a little, but not anything worrisome. He was losing a few quills here and there, so I assumed he was going through another quilling. I could even see some new ones growing in. He also began to get pickier with his food. He would barely touch his cat food, but was still eating some, along with worms and treats. Whenever he was out of his cage he acted like himself and he was still using the bathroom normally. He really seemed like a happy hedgehog. His symptoms did not start to worsen until the week before his passing. He suddenly began to have no activity levels at all, and stopped eating all together. I immediately called his vet and they said it sounded like parasites. I got him in as soon as I could, but that same week I had surgery, so it had to wait till after. I syringe fed him water and pumpkin for a few days to get him to his appointment. The vet said he was the sweetest, and most socialized hedgehog they had ever met. She never had one that didn’t ball up, or try and nip during an exam. They took a stool sample and sent it off for testing and sent me home with pain meds till we could figure out what antibiotics he would need.

 

The next day everything was normal. He basked under his UV bulb for a bit, took his meds like a champ and even ate some chicken and pumpkin on his own. I checked on him every hour right up until I had to go to work. I don’t know when he had the collapse. It could have been when I got home, or even while I was at work, but somewhere during that three hour time period it happened. I remember seeing him laying in vomit with heavy breathing and my heart clenched, I immediately picked him up and called the emergency vet. He didn’t even raise his head when I did, but laid limp in my palm. If it weren't for the vomit and heavy breathing I would've thought he was already gone. His breathing was heavy and I knew it was more than parasites. The emergency vet immediately added him to their list, and I was on my way. He continued vomiting in the car, and was making these awful whimpering sounds I had never heard before. The vet prioritized him over the other patients. They put him on oxygen support and heat therapy immediately. He stayed the night that night, and I anxiously waited by my phone till I received the call at 3am that there was fluid in his lungs. They assumed pneumonia because of how young he was, but said I should be prepared for heart disease as well. I set my hopes on an pneumonia even though I knew it was unlikely. His cage was always warm enough, he had not been outdoors since the temperature dropped, and he hadn’t been wet in weeks. There wasn’t even sneezing, or a runny nose usually associated with this, but I just wanted him to recover. The vet did everything. The two and a half days he was there they called me with updates. He wouldn’t eat hedgehog food, so they even went all over to find food he would eat. I received the call on Friday night that it was not looking good for him. They told me if I received a call before 8:00 am the next day it was likely he passed, or that he needed to be put down. My heart literally sunk. I stayed up so late that night too anxious to sleep. I thought I was safe around 5:00 am and finally slept. Little did I know I would receive a call at 7:30 am just thirty minutes before I should have. He had gone into cardiac arrest and the CPR was unsuccessful.

 

The point of this story was so I could educate other hedgehog, and animal lovers on the proper way to go about getting a pet. Backyard breeders can breed animals from bad bloodlines. It is important to find a breeder, with proper certification, in your area to prevent yourself from this heartbreak, and make the backyard breeders cease to breed. When it comes to hedgehog breeders finding one that has a lifetime guarantee against wobbly hedgehog syndrome is a good start, there are also breeders approved by the hedgehog breeding association, and by the USDA. These hedgehogs have usually had clean bloodlines for the past five generations. While it may cost more money and the approval process is harder. I encourage anyone getting a hedgehog, or any other animal to find the right breeder. All I can hope for is that Newt was not in pain as long as I think he may have been. Any pet owners, especially of small animals, they hide their pain well. ANY small changes in behavior should lead to a vet visit. It is always better to be safe than sorry. If anyone can spare to donate still to help cover bills it would be appreciated.

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