Hedgehogs Balloon Syndrome

Hedgehog balloon syndrome is a life-threatening medical condition that can occur under hedgehogs.

This condition is when gas in trap under the skin of hedgehogs due to an injury or infection, causing the hedgehog to inflate. This appears similar like the skin emphysema in humans. This phenomenon is possible because of the tissue structure of hedgehogs. It makes the hedgehog swollen up like a balloon, sometimes twice their normal body size.

Due to the fact that hedgehogs have extra loose skin that enables them to roll up in a ball, this syndrome can occur under hedgehogs. Although, it is regarded as very rare.

How does this happen?

To understand how the injury can occurs, we first need to look at the hedgehog autonomy.

Hedgehogs have a windpipe (trachea) that begins at their mouths and is connected at their noses and lungs. At the top of this windpipe is the glottis. The glottis is the space between the larynx and arytenoid cartilage consisting of vocal cords and the opening between them. The glottis opens into the windpipe and is responsible for sound. This opens and closes as the hedgehog breath.

If a hedgehog is kicked, or struck by something while the glottis is closed, it caused for the air to be trapped, causing for lungs to rapture or resulting into damage to the rib muscles. With each breath the hedgehog then takes, the air accumulates inside the hedgehog, causing the animal to inflate.

A series of punctures then needs to be made over the hedgehog body to help the air escape.

Romain Pizzi, the specialist wildlife veterinary surgeon at the Scottish SPCA said that most cases look more like “bubble wrap” than a balloon.

So far, the only cases reported that can be found on the internet is from European Hedgehogs. Perhaps the fact that African Pygmy Hedgehogs we encounter are mostly kept as pets, and live a rather protective life, it can be the reason for no reported incidents so far.

To see how it looks like and to read more about the subject, click on links below.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-40252983

https://www.livescience.com/59994-balloon-syndrome-hedgehog.html

Article by Lizl van Vreden