Hedgehog Health Log

This may seem a little off-the-wall, but if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Hedgehogs are very finicky creatures and it can sometimes be hard to tell if they are unwell. A health log can help you to monitor any changes in behavior, bowels, appearances, etc. By keeping a health log, you may also begin to notice some trends! (For example: diarrhea on Sunday followed by weight loss on Monday) The log will also be greatly appreciated by your veterinarian if your hedgehog does fall ill. It may even aid in a more timely diagnosis. The best method of keeping a health log from my own personal experience is to use a combination of a planner, (yearly, monthly, daily combo preferred) a journal, and a kitchen scale (measured in grams). On a regular basis you should: 1. Take your hedgehog’s weight down in your planner on the same day every week. It is best to take the weight in the morning before they eat or even poop. 2. Use the journal to take detailed notes on any other changes. (For example: went outside, unusually huffy, clean wheel this morning) 3. You can also use the planner for appointments and milestones! To make things more visually appealing, you can put stars next to dates in your planner notating the days you have written in your journal. If you want to go above and beyond you could even insert a line graph at the end of every month showing any changes in weight. So as you can see, a hedgehog health log is a very good idea to keep. Hedgehogs may be easy to take care of, but they are still exotic animals and should be treated as such. So customize your health log and make it your own! You’ll be doing your Hedgie a favor and having fun in the process! Feel free to share your method of keeping a hedgehog health log on social media under #HedgieHut.