Stuber75
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new hedgehog - 2007/07/30 16:33
Hi everyone, I am new to the forums me and my fiancee just recently bought a 4 month old female albino named Chloe.
We made a new home for her out of sterilite containers with two connected by pvc pipe, one room with a wheel and food/water, and the other container with a big igloo and a bed inside of that. She enjoys digging into the bed in the igloo and sleeping.
We have started handling her and have noticed that when we try to pick her up she will roll into a ball and make a hissing sound, and will also pop when we touch her. Once we get her out of her cage she will just want to explore, and will not pay any attention to us.
Just today we got her out of her cage and were holding her and she bit my fiancee and didn't let go for a few seconds, and then she got bit again! We are just looking for a few pointers to make it easier to socialize our hedgehog with us, and hopefully have her enjoy our company.
I know its early but we are going to keep handling her and working with her. I have yet to find a treat that she likes also, and I notice that I have never seen her use her wheel.
Other than that we really enjoy the experience so far, and are excited for our new family member!
Any advice is great and much appreciated!
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HamorHollow
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/07/30 16:40
Head on over to the articles section of this website. There are some good articles on socializing your hedgehog and some others that just go over the basics of hedgehog personality.
-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. |
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clutterbuster
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/07/30 17:03
our P-k was a rehome because she was a biter. We were her fourth home during her first six months of life so she had huge issues. We've had her three months and she finally trusts us and has bonded with John and he hasn't gotten bitten in three weeks (down from 3 times a week). From my experience: do not rush handling them when you first get them.
When you do get them up, try it mid-evening or later in the evening... on their wake schedule rather than yours (I have also gotten up in the middle of the night to get myself a drink of water and detoured to the cage and gotten them out - they are more receptive to socializing during their activity time. After two months of spiking and huffing from Pippi - this middle of the night visits had her bonding with me within two weeks.
We never feed P-k from our bare hands as we did Pippi. Take a cap from a juice bottle, rinse and dry, and put dried mealies or other treat in there. When you get them up nightly, hold them with one hand and let them eat out of the cap being held by the other hand. This has helped P-k welcome our intrusion into her cage.
P-k is a hedgie that does not like to be held or restrained, knowing that we don't hold her after she is done with the treat bowl for we know we may still get bitten. When playing I will slip my hands under her and palm her, but I will not arc my thumbs over her back for she'll sense them and bite me.
We know that P-k is not a cuddler, but she has turned out to be extremely playful and John enjoys his social time with her immensely as he tosses the toilet paper tube and she retrieves it on her head and goes up and bats him with it so he will toss it again.
I can now pick up P-k from the cage with bare hands and she does not ball up or huff, but I have to get her to the destination quick for she will squirm a lot and I risk dropping her. BE VERY PATIENT, don't rush your hedgie... it was over two months before we sensed contentment from P-k and our present relationship was established.
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CThogs
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/07/31 06:04
Welcome and congrats on your new hedgie
If she likes to explore, let her explore(safely of course) and you will find out a lot about her that way. Some of my avid explorers really do not like being held still, but they do like walking around with me carrying them.
She may be biting your fiancee because of different smells-perfume, soap, other animals, etc. Try both using the same hand soap when you handle her and see if that helps.
She will figure out the wheel - if she has never had one before it may take a few days.
Be patient and consistent and spend a lot of time with Chloe and you will find out what she enjoys.
Ann
Connecticut Hedgehogs
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Stuber75
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/07/31 23:33
thanks for the tips, I may have just not noticed her getting on the wheel, its been 5 days now, and I have seen no signs of Chloe ever using it like feces or urine on it for example.
But she is starting to warm up a bit more, we put a shirt in her igloo and then we use that shirt when we hold her and she will cuddle up and sleep.
This is something new for us, so we are still trying to learn their habits, and the mentality of these animals so that we can make it that much easier for Chloe to adjust to her new home.
Thanks again, and if you have any more advice I'd love to hear it!
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clutterbuster
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/08/01 14:28
I just have to share what a sweet guy Max is, he put up a little resistance to the three medicines he had to have but once he realized that John had him and I was aiming he settled down. He did not clench up his jaw as Pippi used to. I do wish he liked treats for I'd love to give him something for being such a good boy. He's been here about ten days and even though he still won't let us pick him up barehanded, little things tell us he is a mature easy going hedgehog that I hope will be part of our family for quite a while. 
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Stuber75
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/08/01 16:19
-update-
Chloe has been making some great progress in the last 2 days! We got her out of her cage, and she let us feed her a mealworm from a bottle cap. She chomped it right down. Also we would pet her, and she would almost lean into it, does that mean she really likes it, or wants us to stop? It really seems like she enjoys it when we do it.
She is very active, and we let her explore outside and she runs around a whole bunch, but still no wheel action and I would really like to see her use it just so she can get some exercise aside from being outside to get it.
Is there any way to entice them to use it, or should i keep waiting...its going on 6 days....
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CThogs
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/08/02 06:57
Glad you are making good progress with Chloe-that is wonderful
Can she get on the wheel-is it too high off the ground for her?
Ann
Connecticut Hedgehogs
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clutterbuster
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/08/02 07:14
because of Max's age and arthritis, I was noticing him having trouble climbing into his wheels. If your bin has fill settle the base down into the fill so Chloe can easily climb into the wheel. If you use fleece as I do - I just took a no-nap tea towel and folded it up and put it in front of the wheel for him to use as a step - must have worked for I heard running this morning. Maybe one or two brand new pot holders would also work if she is having trouble getting up in her wheel. Hey, why not put a worm in there and let her go for it?
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Stuber75
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/08/02 11:39
You know, Im not quite sure if it is too high off the ground. It is a bigger wheel, and it has a large base that I put under the liner. I have seen Chloe physically get on the wheel, I've just never seen her run and I've never heard it at night either.
Like I said, could just be a coincidence that I never see her use it. But like I said there is no evidence that she would actually be using it, and I am certain that she can get up to it.
hehe she loves those mealworms now, i really should find a way to use that to my advantage!....
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clutterbuster
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/08/02 15:29
some nights I swear they haven't been on their wheels, but the tell a tale poop the next morning says otherwise. Pippi would only wheel an hour a night and that was as dawn approached. P-k is on there five hours straight from midnight until 5am. And Max, he's not settled into a schedule - I don't see any sign of his running at night but he'll get up a couple of times during the day and do a few jaunts, go sleep a bit and then wheel some more. I've been fortunate to observe that Max hates to poop or pee on his wheel and so maybe he is on the wheel and not leaving a trail.
That could be the case with your hedgie, most hedgies are very private about their wheeling. I think your sweet hedgie will come around. If they like worms, I would periodically put one on the wheel and let them climb up after it... maybe that will get them used to the wheel. Kind of like the horse going after the carrot...
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CThogs
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/08/03 07:52
she let us feed her a mealworm from a bottle cap.A small plate or dish is better. Caps can have sharp plastic or metal edges.
Ann
Connecticut Hedgehogs
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clutterbuster
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/08/03 08:33
My hedgies really do well with shallow food dishes rather than big deep food bowls. I have some kidney shaped ones that I think were meant for little lizards. I also use ceramic coasters meant for candles, this spreads the food out and is easy for them to pick and get at it (and ceramic is heavy so it does not get flipped easily). I do use small ceramic food cups from pet stores when i am giving them one type of food, they eat down as far as they can reach.
my suggestion to use a (plastic) juice cap was only to give them a treat, not as a regular food dish. And we hold the treat cup with one hand and the hedgie in another, this gets them used to being handled. Depending on the hedgie you may eventually be able to feed them barehanded - Pippi always took the mealie from our bare hands but P-k being a biter will continue out of the cap.
Post edited by: clutterbuster, at: 2007/08/03 09:05
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Stasi
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/08/03 12:16
Another idea for treats are little condiment cups - I've found them at different supply stores - the easiest one is Walmart. They're little shallow, plastic cups that are similar in size to a bottle cap, but no sharp edges.
Stasi
Terrapin Hedgehogs
Joppa, MD
www.terrapinhedgehogs.com
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zorra578
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/08/04 04:36
If she is small and the wheel is big, she might be too light to move the wheel properly, or even know it moves! Especially if she is a young girl hog, she would be smaller than mine was.
When I first got Quentin he initially explored his cage and hopped on his wheel, only to topple out of it being the young and clumsy hog he was. I don't really remember him wheeling his first week with us, we might have taken it out for a few days just so he can slowly adjust to all of his other surroundings. It didn't take long after that though for him to start keeping us awake till all hours running and running all night long. 
If anything I'd say to place her in the wheel and move it for her so she knows what she can do with it, maybe even get her a smaller wheel for her if she is still very young.
Jessica
Des Plaines, IL
My critter list: Dilbert (welsh terrier), Bowser R.I.P. (betta fish), Quentin (hedgehog). |
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Stuber75
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/08/04 22:17
-UPDATE-
Wow! excellent advice everyone and I really appreciate the replies.
Some great news, last night we were unable to sleep due to our hedgie FINALLY using her wheel! She was using it for what seemed like all night, and I couldnt be more excited/tired. We would hear her using the wheel, and then attempt to watch her by using our cell phone light just to get a glimpse, and then she would stop! just like has been stated, she seems to be very private about her night time activities. When we were able to interact with her during this time, she was an absolute sweetheart, and was much more nice to us than she normally is in the daytime, and would even let us pet her without flinching at all! 
We have made great progress no doubt to the excellent advice! =)
She absolutely loves mealworms now, and we have been giving them to her as treats to connect interacting with us, as a good thing. We use a plastic gatorade cap and certainly make sure that there are no sharp edges to hurt our little Chloe.
We've also noticed that she really enjoys long paper towel tubes, but tends to get stuck in them and we have to assist her in getting out of them.
thanks for the advice it has been extremely helpful, dunno what we would do without it!
=)
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Julie Pierce
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/08/05 08:26
It is funny how private they are about their wheeling. My guys will be going great guns, running like maniacs and when I open the door to their room they freeze and you can hear a pin drop. LOL Glad Chloe is doing so well!
Julie Pierce
Pierce's Pogs
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Hufflepuff
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/08/08 21:07
We snuck downstairs around 1am and caught Hufflepuff wheeling away! We sat there in the dark (just the moonlight through the window) and watched him run. It was so incredible - made cleaning the poop off in the morning worth it!
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clutterbuster
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/08/09 20:20
when I had Pippi I would lay on the couch in the dark and be very quiet and listen to her little nails as she would run on her wheel - music to my ears!
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Hufflepuff
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Re:new hedgehog - 2007/08/09 23:50
Hufflepuff is not so shy anymore! The last 2 nights we've gone down around midnight and turned the light on. He stops & looks at us & then keeps on running. A few minutes in one direction, then the other, with the frequent stops to look over the edge. Today we waited until he was awake before we took him out for handling- such a better experience (not that the others were bad, but he didn't pop a single time tonight!). Dan was worried because we had to pry him off the wheel, but he came out and didn't get grumpy. Then we put him back in and away he ran. He even let me take him out a 2nd time a minute later to clean some droppings off the wheel.
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