# Napping with my Hedgie



## QuillyButt (Oct 6, 2013)

So, I fell asleep with my new 3 month old hedgehog, Ezra, and had him laying on my belly underneath my shirt and he seemed fine. We were actually both asleep, I think he was okay with my snoring. I also fell asleep with him a few hours later laying next to me on the bed underneath my snuggie. When I woke up, he was sprawled out on my sheets underneath the snuggie, asleep. It was the cutest thing. When I moved the snuggie he woke up and grumpily toddled back underneath it, layed on his side and went back to sleep near my thigh.

I was just wondering if napping WITH your hedgehog for an hour or two is safe and okay. Is that too much time away from his cage? Or is it a good, safe bonding method? He likes to sleep and I like to sleep, so I thought, why not just sleep together?


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## AngelaH (Jul 24, 2012)

That sounds adorable. I have to admit I've had a few naps with Thistle. The thing you have to worry about is accidentally moving in your sleep and crushing him. It could happen, and would be tragic. I just saw something in the news recently that every year human babies die because moms take naps with them and accidentally crush or suffocate by moving around unconsciously in their sleep. Keep it to very short naps if you are willing to take the risk.


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## QuillyButt (Oct 6, 2013)

*Oh no!*



AngelaH said:


> That sounds adorable. I have to admit I've had a few naps with Thistle. The thing you have to worry about is accidentally moving in your sleep and crushing him. It could happen, and would be tragic. I just saw something in the news recently that every year human babies die because moms take naps with them and accidentally crush or suffocate by moving around unconsciously in their sleep. Keep it to very short naps if you are willing to take the risk.


That is really sad! I don't think I'm that heavy of a sleeper. I was laying on my back with him and I only go into deep sleeps when I'm very tired or laying on my side or stomach. I wouldn't sleep with him at night. Just day naps mostly. I think it might be an okay bonding method. It was so cute looking down my shirt and his little feet resting against my stomach. Also, is it just him or do all hedgehogs have a tendency to keep their butts poking out of their hiding areas?


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## abbys (Oct 13, 2012)

Pig is the best napping companion ever! To minimize the risk of squishing I usually nap with him on top of me and he ends up nestled on my chest or in the crook between my arm and body.


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## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

Nap time is the best time for both of us. Sophie has been napping with me since she was a baby. We nap four days a week, for about an hour. I wear a large t-shirt so that there is extra space if she wants it. I lie down and put her in the bottom of my shirt. She noses her way up and usually sleeps under my shoulder. She prefers a very tight space.

I never had a problem with her wanting to investigate my armpit and biting or anointing, but she was already fully comfortable with my scent and deodorant. I have had a couple of nipple bites that drew blood, but not in a very long time.

I don't move around in my sleep, but even if I did, Sophie is quick as a blink with the quills. For us, I'm not really concerned about safety.

Here is an extremely rare picture where she pushed her way all the up, came out the top of my shirt through the arm hole, and then came over and snuggled into my neck to sleep.

http://serenebreezes.com/Sophies-pictures/Sophie-53.jpg


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## lilythehedgie (Sep 20, 2012)

I just wanted to bring up something to consider that no one else has mentioned: Sometimes when people lose their hedgies in their house, it's because they were holding their hedgie and fell asleep and the hedgehog decided it was time to explore. Since no one was awake to get the escapee, they get lost. Napping is a great bonding method, but just make sure wherever you are (couch, bed, ect.) that the room is closed off so if Ezra decides to go on an adventure you can make sure that he hasn't gotten too far and it's easy to find him.


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Missing hedgehog while napping would be a terrible way to wake up! 

Related: I know my hedgehog is a suicidal maniac when it comes to heights, strolling right off anything tall if I let him. If yours is similar, make sure they can't walk off whatever you're sleeping on, or that the height is low enough that if they did, it wouldn't be a problem. (Pillow-ramp? Napping on the floor?)


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

All of the concerns & ideas listed so far are great and covered all of the negatives I could think of. :lol: I napped with Lily a few times, but she was a pretty snuggly/lazy girl and usually just wanted to sleep on me anyway. Any time I did nap with her, I didn't sleep very deeply either, and there was usually other people in the room (that would notice if she started trying to get away, etc.) Our method for naps was usually I'd have on a t-shirt, then a hooded sweatshirt over that, and she burrowed between the two shirts. One of our last naps, she stayed in her blanket to sleep, but was willing to sleep with my hand resting on her in the blanket. I was only dozing, and kept opening my eyes again to look at her and smile because I was so happy she trusted me enough for that.


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## zamxonk (Mar 6, 2013)

AngelaH said:


> That sounds adorable. I have to admit I've had a few naps with Thistle. The thing you have to worry about is accidentally moving in your sleep and crushing him. It could happen, and would be tragic. I just saw something in the news recently that every year human babies die because moms take naps with them and accidentally crush or suffocate by moving around unconsciously in their sleep. Keep it to very short naps if you are willing to take the risk.


On a non-hedgie note, I just want to say that moms crushing babies is rare, usually happens due to substance abuse. More often, the bed is unsafe for cosleeping and babies die from blanket suffocation or getting stuck between a bed and the wall, etc. It's extremely rare (nearly unheard of) for a normal-sleeping mother to accidentally harm her infant in her sleep. Just wanted to throw that out there.

Who knows if the parent-infant bond holds for animals! I'd say if the hedgie is against your skin, there's probably a decreased risk of rolling on them due to complicated brain stuff involving other living beings. Other than that, hard to say. I had recurring nightmares, my first few months of hedgie ownership, that I had accidentally fallen asleep with Ambrose in my bed and had crushed him. Sometimes I had to literally go downstairs and check that he was in his cage to convince myself that he was not lost in my bed/bedroom somewhere.


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## QuillyButt (Oct 6, 2013)

zamxonk said:


> On a non-hedgie note, I just want to say that moms crushing babies is rare, usually happens due to substance abuse. More often, the bed is unsafe for cosleeping and babies die from blanket suffocation or getting stuck between a bed and the wall, etc. It's extremely rare (nearly unheard of) for a normal-sleeping mother to accidentally harm her infant in her sleep. Just wanted to throw that out there.
> 
> Who knows if the parent-infant bond holds for animals! I'd say if the hedgie is against your skin, there's probably a decreased risk of rolling on them due to complicated brain stuff involving other living beings. Other than that, hard to say. I had recurring nightmares, my first few months of hedgie ownership, that I had accidentally fallen asleep with Ambrose in my bed and had crushed him. Sometimes I had to literally go downstairs and check that he was in his cage to convince myself that he was not lost in my bed/bedroom somewhere.


Aaah! I already lack much sleep, I don't want those kind of nightmares D:  You're going to make me have 24/7 surveillance on the little critter!


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