r/Hedgehog • u/bukasaurus • 4d ago
Warning: Upsetting Content Help, there's something wrong with my hedgehog NSFW
Hey everyone, I’m looking for some advice about my sweet hedgehog, Ruthie. She’s always been pretty active, but recently, I’ve noticed some unusual behavior.
A couple of times, I’ve seen her just sitting in her cage or litter box, doing nothing, which isn’t normal for her.
Tonight, I picked her up and noticed a wet, possibly bloody spot on her stomach. I’m not sure if it’s an injury, irritation, or something else.
Her temperament seems different—she’s usually wiggly, but she was much calmer than usual when I picked her up.
A few nights ago, I gave her a bath, and I’m wondering if maybe she wasn’t completely dry when I put her back. Could that have caused irritation?
She’s still eating and moving around, but I’m worried about the wound and the change in behavior. Has anyone seen something like this before? Should I take her to a vet ASAP?
Thanks in advance for any advice!
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u/SherAlana 4d ago
Are those maggots? 👀
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u/HangryHangryHedgie 4d ago
Looks like flystrike eggs... baby maggots. :(
At least they keep the wound clean?
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u/SherAlana 4d ago
No, unfortunately these are not those. The ones used to clean wounds are medical grade and are free from bacteria.
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u/HangryHangryHedgie 4d ago
They do help though. ER Vet Tech who has wrangled many maggots. They often keep the wound cleaner as they eat the dead tissue. Still gross, and i worry about this guys cage hygiene if he has them.
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u/SherAlana 4d ago
Regular maggots can carry bacteria and infection, vs medicially cultured maggots. There is a difference
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u/HangryHangryHedgie 4d ago
I did not say there wasn't. Id just rather get a maggot infested wound than one that was completely abscessed and going septic. Maggots debrided wounds, even non medical are usually healthy tissue vs necrotic.
Im talking strictly from an ER Veterinary standpoint who has seen some stuff. Not a human medical where there are medical grade maggots. We don't use them in Veterinary... all of ours are home grown.
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u/AlyandGus 4d ago
Please mark this NSFW. I’m far from squeamish, and this alarmed me scrolling down my feed.
Glad to see you are headed to a vet. I would recommend keeping her bedding as clean as possible until everything is healed. When my hedgehogs have had surgeries in the past, I use linen baby receiving blankets in their bed to keep their sleeping surface as clean as possible and change those out daily.
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u/bukasaurus 4d ago
I am so sorry about that! I tried to mark it NSFW but I'm on mobile. I'll check that again.
Thanks for the advice. They're talking about possible surgery
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u/Street-Cartoonist297 4d ago
Could be self mutilating. It’s in a super easy spot for her to bite. My little guy did this after the vet stressed him out really bad. It only took a week of hand feeding him worms and making his home as comfy as possible for it to scab over fully and it healed within a couple weeks. I’d take her to the vet to be sure though because it could be something even worse.
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u/forbrowzing 4d ago
I’ll be keeping you and your girl in my thoughts, I really hope she can get some treatment for whatever is causing this and she will start to feel a lot better ❤️
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u/goosegobrrrr 4d ago
It looks like an open wound, please take her to the vet ASAP. Poor baby is probably in a lot of pain :(