unwindingthoughts
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help anyone? - 2007/12/04 18:25
we got pippin and hes been well... a lil grumpy fellow! he unballs pretty quickly but is still hissing and puffing and even bitting. my question is- am i doing something wrong here?? ive done the whole scent thing, and unscented everything. ive done the whole taking it easy and being patient thing but hes still as grumpy as ever. ive kept our 'bonding' time to a minimum and raised it lil by lil but hes still grumpy mcgrump! im sure theres a sweet lil guy under those pointy quills somwhere i just hope im not doing anything wrong!
Post edited by: unwindingthoughts, at: 2007/12/09 19:10
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jick
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Re:help anyone? - 2007/12/04 19:06
I really like to watch TV or read with my hedgehog in his bag. He sleeps and sometimes he'll come out to explore. Honestly, I'm not sure if this is helping us bond or not, but I do really enjoy it and it seems he does as well. 
ps. You might find it helpful to poke through some of the older posts and articles on here. Some of them have been very helpful to me.
Check out Ham's Blog ! |
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psi_chick
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Re:help anyone? - 2007/12/04 23:43
two weeks isn't all that long, maybe he is just a little more cautious than other hedgies. likes suggested, try just holding him in your lap while you do something to get him used to your scent and being around you. if you don't have a bag use a blanket. i don't have a bag, but my little girl likes to sit in my lap under a blanket and sleep. i do this with her almost daily and it's really helped bring her around. at first when i got her she would come out of her ball but it would take 10 minutes or so, now she'll calm down pretty quick and just snuggle up in my arm and hang out (i've had her less than two weeks). also keep the lights low and make sure that there's no loud startling sounds, that should help him feel more secure.
i'm sure he'll come around soon enough, just give him some time and he'll be your best buddy 
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Julie Pierce
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Re:help anyone? - 2007/12/05 07:47
Hedgehogs by Vicki is a very large operation and its hard to say how much handling your little guy actually received prior to you getting him. Also depending on his age he could be quilling ..that makes everyone grumpy. That on top of the fact that some hedgehogs are just more grumpy by nature than others (not much you can do about personalities other than trying to breed hedgehogs that have great temperments..not just breeding for color). So you could have your work cut out for you.
Take him out nightly, dim the lights in the room, offer him some treats..if he bites or acts up DO NOT put him back in his cage (doing so will reinforce his negative behavior). If he is quilling, a nice warm bath with aveeno can help calm him and offer him some relief. Good luck
Julie Pierce
Pierce's Pogs
http://www.piercespogs.com |
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unwindingthoughts
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Re:help anyone? - 2007/12/05 08:29
thank you all for ur suggestions! i do have him in my lap and he does quiet down a bit but generally is just very huffy and after about 5 minutes of sitting still has had enough! ha! i dont put him back in the cage unless he behaves himself so i know ive done good on that part. about the quilling... the breeder said he was about 11 weeks old when i got him?? and ive had him for about two weeks? could that be it? i havent seen many quills lying around thou...
thanx again!
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Julie Pierce
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Re:help anyone? - 2007/12/05 18:32
Every hedgie differs but usually around 8-12 wks the quilling is an issue. Your guy could be done quilling by this point. It sounds like you are doing all the right things.
Hopefully things will improve to some degree over time. Some hedgies really can come around and some stay rather grumpy regardless of your efforts. Those that do come around are always a joy and those that have the "I am so tough" attitude you just gotto love because they are so darn funny when they act all "bad".
Julie Pierce
Pierce's Pogs
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unwindingthoughts
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Re:help anyone? - 2007/12/06 09:57
oh thank u! i was really concerned about him quilling! well im going to give u all an update since uve all been so kind to me! last night while handling him, again i washed my hands with unscented soap (i looked like a surgeon going into a high risk surgery) wore the same shirt i always do while handling him and just sat there with him... he bit me once while i picked him up. so im thinking.. well maybe i did something wrong, held him a certain way or something, corrected him a big 'NO' and a puff in his face. he calmed down a bit and i had my hand on the other side of my lap (far away from him) and im thinking okay its going well... hes huffy but still! the next thing i see hes waddling to my fingers and im thinking 'aww how cute'.. CHOMP bit down on my finger and this time i knew it wasnt just a nibble! so there a correction and back sitting on my lap while im examining my bonding marks!
HELP?!
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jick
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Re:help anyone? - 2007/12/06 10:33
Maybe it's best to just keep your fingers away from him for now? Maybe he'll outgrow it soon. 
Check out Ham's Blog ! |
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Julie Pierce
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Re:help anyone? - 2007/12/06 19:52
Ouch!!! Bites really hurt.
By any chance are you a smoker???
Julie Pierce
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unwindingthoughts
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Re:help anyone? - 2007/12/06 20:41
haha yeah i try and keep my fingers away from him but he marched straight up to me!! im hoping hell grow out of it!
those bites do hurt!! nope ive never smoked a cigarette in my life! and i dont even handle garlic! (i read somewhere that they seem to like it) do u think he will grow out of it? he just dosent seem to be coming around even a lil bit???
Post edited by: unwindingthoughts, at: 2007/12/09 19:12
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starnightstarsky2000
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Re:help anyone? - 2007/12/06 22:24
May I suggest you buy some hand stanizer, as besides being a great way to keep your handles clean it taste and smells horrible and I had s hedgehog bite me once while holding her and once she got a taste of the stanizer (as I have many different animals I use it whenever I touch anyone) and started spitting and gave me this WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME look and never bit me again. Best if luck-Dani
Dani Marshall Kansas
Lots Of Love Exotic Small Animal Kennel
"From Our Heart To Yours"
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HamorHollow
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Re:help anyone? - 2007/12/06 22:48
jick wrote:
I really like to watch TV or read with my hedgehog in his bag. He sleeps and sometimes he'll come out to explore. Honestly, I'm not sure if this is helping us bond or not, but I do really enjoy it and it seems he does as well.
ps. You might find it helpful to poke through some of the older posts and articles on here. Some of them have been very helpful to me.
If you both enjoy it, then I believe it qualifies as a good bonding experiance.
-K
Kelly Sosik-Hamor
Hamor Hollow Hedgehogs - a New Hampshire breeder, serving Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and any where else hedgehogs are legal. |
Do you want to buy a baby Hedgehog? Please fill out out questionnaire. |
Hedgehog World - A Community for African Pygmy Hedgehog Owners and Breeders
Join us for Hedgehog Fest 2008
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HamorHollow
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Re:help anyone? - 2007/12/06 22:51
Do you smoke by any chance? Some hedgehogs are very sensitive to nicotine and will 'attack' the smell.Since it gets into your skin, washing your hands doesn't help.
-K
Kelly Sosik-Hamor
Hamor Hollow Hedgehogs - a New Hampshire breeder, serving Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and any where else hedgehogs are legal. |
Do you want to buy a baby Hedgehog? Please fill out out questionnaire. |
Hedgehog World - A Community for African Pygmy Hedgehog Owners and Breeders
Join us for Hedgehog Fest 2008
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unwindingthoughts
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Re:help anyone? - 2007/12/07 10:19
nope never smoked in my life! i havent even held a cigarette for any of friends to lite! (call me the anti- smoke warrior)  i just dont know whats else to do! maybe he was just done being handled? last night when i handled him he seemed ok but then i kept my fingers away. hehe
im going to try the hand sanitizer trick maybe that will work! ty
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CandJ327
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Re:help anyone? - 2007/12/08 00:12
Ava has never once bitten me. She hasn't even licked me as if to taste me to see if I'm edible but she LOVES to nibble on Carlo's fingers. He always washes his hands before holding her. Even when he hasn't eaten garlic recently and he quit smoking a year ago. I think maybe he just metabolizes things differently than I do (or maybe he's just saltier). Anyway, he gently blows in her face when she starts licking him and it seems to distract her from biting.
Ava's mom!
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unwindingthoughts
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Re:help anyone? - 2007/12/09 19:15
haha thats too cute! i love the picture too!! too cute
thank you for all ur help!!
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Hedgehogmadhatter
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Re:help anyone? - 2007/12/14 14:54
Blowing gently in his face should help but the biggest tip I can give not to give up! Keep at it and eventually your hedgehog will give up and do what you want him to! Some hogs do take longer than others to give in.
I think it's interesting how different each hog is. My new baby fancies himself an acrobat and yours is Osacr the Grouch! Please let us know how he is doing!
~Sara
“The fox has many tricks, and the hedgehog only one, but that is the best of all”
Archilochus (Greek lyric poet and soldier, 675-635bc)
There's no love like HEDGEHOG love!
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unwindingthoughts
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Re:help anyone? - 2007/12/17 19:08
update: im actually doing nothing wrong here and he still bites! im pretty much at a loss on what to do because we just have not seen any improvement what so ever.
Post edited by: unwindingthoughts, at: 2007/12/18 14:31
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Julie Pierce
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Re:help anyone? - 2007/12/17 20:19
Sounds like you really have your hands full with your little guy. I have one male that is very oral...he bites onto everything. He is not doing it to be aggressive, he just really for some reason needs to bite onto objects. When I take him out I am very conscious of where my fingers are in relation to those teeth (lol). I have him on a blanket which he can freely chew on and I usually have some other object out that he enjoys biting (ie foam tubes are a big hit). He still LOVES to bite my clothing whenever he gets a chance so as long as I have my baggy sweats on we are ok...hahahah.
So I guess one thing to figure out for your guy is if he biting because he is fearful/aggressive or if he is just a very oral hedgehog. I would say if he runs across the couch to bite you he is definitely aggressive. If he tends to bite your clothing or any other thing he comes in contact with for no other reason than it seems like a good idea..then I would say he is just very oral.
How you would approach working with him would depend on where the behavior is stemming from - aggression/fear or just a drive to chew/bite. At any rate, you will most likely need to decide if you want to exchange him for another baby or keep him and try to work through the behavior. Your breeder should be open to an exchange if that is what you decide to do. Check over the contract she had you sign..it usually states some sort of exchange policy on it. Keep calling and emailing Vickie until you get some sort of response from her and reach a satisfactory result.
Let us know how it goes for you. Good luck
Julie Pierce
Pierce's Pogs
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unwindingthoughts
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Re:help anyone? - 2008/01/01 17:17
thanx for all ur help, we r still working on the lil guy and hes getting better slowly but surely getting better. he is a very oral hedgehog but so far so good i think im finally getting to the point where i think we r making progress!
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