LORI611
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Schedules - 2008/02/28 13:14
Okay everyone, I hate to bring this up again, but I really feel like I'm at wits end. I seem to have a very gumpy hedgie! I wrote to Kelly and got some great advice from her (the scent thing) but I was reading old posts and I feel like I need some advice.
It seems that Hazel is very touchy and grouchy, sometimes she will loosen up but it seems like if I move or say something(like speaking to my hubby) she huffs and huffs!!
She's a little better if I have the lights REALLY low, but if I put her in her play area all she does is freeze and put her visor over her eyes or hides under something.
I think what I really want to know is what are the 'steps' people take when they take their hedgies out. Like what time do you take them out ,do they hold them for a while ,do they put them right into a play area, for how long etc. etc. etc.
I do realize that they are all different, and she is still kind of young, about three months old.I also think she is pretty much done quilling ,althoughI did find about 6 of them the other night when I had her out.
I just want to be a good mommy and I just love her to pieces, but sometimes when I read how much fun everybody has with their hedgies it can make me feel kind of weepy because I don't know if I'm doing something wrong!!!
Is it okay if all she does is sleep (which I know is part of being a baby). I meanwill she still bond with me if she's just sleeping or am I doing the right thing by trying to get her to play a bit???
LORI, SOUTHINGTON, CT
Mom of:
Chloe(dog), Mr.Toad(frog) and Hazel the hedgie!! |
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LORI611
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Re:Schedules - 2008/02/28 13:28
Sorry for the double post!!!!My computer had a brain fart or something!!
LORI, SOUTHINGTON, CT
Mom of:
Chloe(dog), Mr.Toad(frog) and Hazel the hedgie!! |
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omelette
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Re:Schedules - 2008/02/28 14:07
your story sounds just like mine.  i had such a hard time with omelette. it seemed like she was never going to open up to me. but it does take patience. a lot of patience. some hedgies are more willing than others. i tried the t-shirt thing. which is you get an old shirt and wear it when you go to bed. then put it in where she sleeps. so that way she can get used to your scent. also when you take her out (try taking her out when she's already awake), just put her on your lap. sit there with her while your watching tv or reading a book. try and make sure there aren't any distractions. it might take a few minutes but she'll eventually unroll. another great way to get her to loosen up is to offer her treats. most hedgies can't resist the temptation of mealworms. you can also try rubbing her back in a circular motion, that usually works too. usually when i take omelette out it's during the evening or early morning. sometimes i take her out around midnight. but there's nothing wrong with taking your hedgie out during the day. although she might tend to be a little grumpy. a lot of times when i take her out to play i give her a toilet paper tube which always gets her in the mood! i'll also put her in her critter ball so she can run around. try taking your hedgie out for at least an hour a day, then when she gets used to you have her out longer. it took about a month for her to be completely comfortable. although she still does huff from time to time.
Lisa
My Heart Belongs to:
Teddy, Sugar, Sapphie, Fudge, Archie, Chuckie - The Yorkies
Emery (Black), Wendy (Siamese Mix), Echo (Tabby) - Cats
Omelette - Hedgehog
Jack - Guinea Pig
Artex - Hamster
Lesley - Hermit Crab
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LORI611
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Re:Schedules - 2008/02/28 16:15
Thanks Omelette! (or Omelette's person!) I really appreciate the time you took to answer. Right now I'm sitting here with on of Hazel's hedgie bags under my shirt. the crazy stuff we do for 'Hedgie Love'
LORI, SOUTHINGTON, CT
Mom of:
Chloe(dog), Mr.Toad(frog) and Hazel the hedgie!! |
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omelette
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Re:Schedules - 2008/03/01 13:41
ha ha ha yeah i know! but it's definitely worth the love! and in retrospect i guess i should have come up with a different user name, but omelette was sitting with me at the time. i think it might get somewhat confusing. well anyway good luck!
Lisa
My Heart Belongs to:
Teddy, Sugar, Sapphie, Fudge, Archie, Chuckie - The Yorkies
Emery (Black), Wendy (Siamese Mix), Echo (Tabby) - Cats
Omelette - Hedgehog
Jack - Guinea Pig
Artex - Hamster
Lesley - Hermit Crab
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thistle
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Re:Schedules - 2008/03/01 17:42
Hi Lori!
Hope you are well.
I know that it must be really frustrating, but it sounds like you are doing everything right, it's just going to take time. Unfortunately some hedgies seem to take longer than others to come around, and if she is still quilling, it makes it all the more difficult.
Both Hector and Harriet still huff and puff if I wake them up. But as soon as I pick them up they are fine. During the day I like to take them out for about half an hour each, seperately of course. Sometimes they go for a wander around my bed, but mostly they just cuddle up in their hedgie bags, or under my covers and go back to sleep. Even if Hazel is just sleeping while she is out, it is still getting her used to you. It's a great idea to try and get her to play, but if she doesn't, don't beat yourself up about it. Neither of my 2 show any interest in TP tubes (oh, how I wish at least one of them would start tubing!)or cat toys, every hedgehog is different.
In the evening they are more active so, I usually let them out for a wander around the floor first and then lift them up on to my bed for a cuddle (at this point, mealworm bribes are usually in order  ). Then it's back into their cage for dinner and some wheeling!
Sorry I couldn't be of that much help. I have my fingers crossed for you that Hazel becomes a little more social.
Barbara with Hector & Harriet Hog
Glasgow, Scotland |
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HamorHollow
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Re:Schedules - 2008/03/01 20:06
LORI611 wrote:
I also think she is pretty much done quilling ,althoughI did find about 6 of them the other night when I had her out.
If she's still losing quills, she isn't done quilling. Try giving her an Aveeno bath every day for a week and see if that makes a difference.
-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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LORI611
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Re:Schedules - 2008/03/03 08:47
strange little buggers, for a few nights I didn't see any quills.Last night I found five!!Does that mean shes getting toward the end of quilling? You know the fact that some days there are none and then there are five or six??
So by the by, I was cuddling with my little darling the other night and she started annointing herself with my hair.(I have long hair)So then I can hear her biting it.(you know how you can hear things going on with your hair when it's close to your ears?? )Well anyway here I am thinking it's all cute and everything chomp, chomp, chomp, lick, lick, lick,chomp,chomp,lick, lick, chomp, lick.
So I put her back in her cage brush my teeth, brush my hair and go to bed. I wake up the next morning and I look at my hairbrush and theres this big lock of hair laying by my brush!! I guess Hazel bit my hair off! Theres a moral in there somewhere.
LORI, SOUTHINGTON, CT
Mom of:
Chloe(dog), Mr.Toad(frog) and Hazel the hedgie!! |
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omelette
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Re:Schedules - 2008/03/03 18:08
glad to hear you're finally able to cuddle with your hedgie!  there's something with hedgies and hair. they seem to have a strange fascination with it. omelette always goes straight for my boyfriend's hair whenever he's cuddling with her. she starts biting and licking it. maybe it's the way it smells? 
Lisa
My Heart Belongs to:
Teddy, Sugar, Sapphie, Fudge, Archie, Chuckie - The Yorkies
Emery (Black), Wendy (Siamese Mix), Echo (Tabby) - Cats
Omelette - Hedgehog
Jack - Guinea Pig
Artex - Hamster
Lesley - Hermit Crab
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Hedgehogmadhatter
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Re:Schedules - 2008/03/05 14:54
She CHOMPED your hair? Wow, I am so not letting Harley sit on my shoulder anymore.
Lori don't feel bad about Hazel, just don't stop trying. Eventually one of two things will happen. She'll warm up to you or give in. Either way you are still a good Hedge mom!
~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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LORI611
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Re:Schedules - 2008/03/06 09:28
Hey everbody, Thanks for all of your help! It's been really useful, and I really appreciate it. Anyway, I wanted to update you all.
I took a little of this advice and a little of that advice,and basically came to the conclusion that Sara wrote, she'll either love me or not and either way I'm going to love her whether she's huffy and puffy or not!! I think once I came to that conclusion, it got a little easier ,I don't take her crankiness so personally.
Actually, I really think she likes me but she doesn't really want me to know. Every now and then she forgets and she lets her guard down, and then she does stuff like....oh I don't know, bites my hair off or something like that!
So thanks to everyone who took the time to write in some suggestions, they were really helpful!! You guys are the best!!
LORI, SOUTHINGTON, CT
Mom of:
Chloe(dog), Mr.Toad(frog) and Hazel the hedgie!! |
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Hedgehogmadhatter
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Re:Schedules - 2008/03/06 14:52
LORI611 wrote:
Hey everbody, Thanks for all of your help! It's been really useful, and I really appreciate it. Anyway, I wanted to update you all.
I took a little of this advice and a little of that advice,and basically came to the conclusion that Sara wrote, she'll either love me or not and either way I'm going to love her whether she's huffy and puffy or not!! I think once I came to that conclusion, it got a little easier ,I don't take her crankiness so personally.
Actually, I really think she likes me but she doesn't really want me to know. Every now and then she forgets and she lets her guard down, and then she does stuff like....oh I don't know, bites my hair off or something like that!
So thanks to everyone who took the time to write in some suggestions, they were really helpful!! You guys are the best!!
AWWWWWW I'm glad to help! I was surprised she bit off a lock of hair. wow. u must have some tasty shampoo. When I got my 1st hedgie Bartleby, he loved me instantly and wanted to spend every waking moment with me. Isabel (my 3rd) didn't like me at first but after a while (6 months) we were buds. Harley (my current hedge) doesn't mind me but he isn't very affectionate. Honestly he came from a busy home with kids and animals all sorts of fun to my quiet house, with just me and my fish. So I think he is bored and misses his first family. So I am working at winning him over. But the trick is to keep trying. But yes you are a great hedgemom and your patience will be rewarded! 
~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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mschwindt
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Re:Schedules - 2008/03/06 15:26
Sometimes I feel bad for Kiki because I think she's just the greatest thing since sliced bread. She'll be all sleepy and wanting to find a dark soft spot to nap and i pull her out and hold her. I don't care if she huffs or not. She doesn't really ball, but she pops at times and NOTHING is going to get her out of "quality" time.
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mschwindt
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Re:Schedules - 2008/03/06 15:27
I call her hufflebutt when she's being grumpy.
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pricklesnquills
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Re:Schedules - 2008/03/06 16:30
mschwindt wrote:
I call her hufflebutt when she's being grumpy.
lol
Emily
Prickles N' Quills Hedgehogs
Breeding for Excellent Health, Personality & Color
Charlotte, NC
www.pricklesnquills.webs.com |
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