# Wake up bites.



## MeowHype (Jan 29, 2014)

So I've had Skullmageddon for about three weeks.
He came from a home where he was I am told, "handled daily by twin three year old boys." The woman who met me to do the exchange didnt seem to know too much about him, she always had to go ask her husband. He wasnt even the one doing the CL ad, she was, but she didnt really know anything.

Anyway, the point is, she never mentioned biting. I figured biting would be part of the process of comming to a new home, I expected it and I can handle it. 

I've noticed he only bites me once in a while though. I can handle him on my bare arms and skin and he does not immediatly bite me. Last night he has an opportunity to chomp on my thumb but he isn't interested in biting per say. he just wanted to find a sleeping spot.

When he is out of his pen, he pretty much gets right down to arm pit snuggle mode. I wake him up take him out of his pen, give him his foot bath and he is fine. If he falls back asleep and like he's on my hand so my fingers are there, if something wakes him up he will bite my bare flesh. He tends to go after fingers first.

I think this bite is more communicative and grumpy than an oral fixation. Like I said last night he could have bit my thumb while he was still looking for snuggle spots, but wasn't overly interested in it. I really don't think he wants to bite, or likes to bite me.

Could this be a territorial thing? or a "Don't let the world exist because I am sleeping" thing? I know some Hedgies can be more aggressive in their cages, than out. the last three weeks the biting has toned down tremendously. Last night I did wake him up and he grabbed my sleeve and pulled and tugged and pulled, like a lot, it was really really cute. At first I thought it was a bite attempt, but he then tried to shove his face under the piece he had just pulled. So maybe he just doesn't like feeling exposed while sleeping. There have been a couple of times where he grabbed a fabric and tried to drag it along backwards. 

The very last time he bit me(as of writing this) was a couple of days ago and it was...rather mild. He didn't bite as hard or for as long. I've also started pushing back towards his moth, rather than immediacy jump and pull away. Also when he bites me, he immediately gets lifted and snuggled and petted. I rub his little head quills. He gets mad but I think he's getting the message.

Blowing on his face made him bite down harder.
I am refraining from rubbing alcohol on his nose because he has improved, and I don't consider this a problem when he's still adjusting to me.
I have read that hedgehog book no need for a link. Just looking for similar experiences, personal ones, or advice from people. Thanks ^_^


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

He has likely learned that biting will get him what he wants. 

I don't recommend using any type of "punishment" methods to curb biting in hedgehogs. I see so many people recommend them. But in my experience it doesn't help the situation. It can cause the hedgehog to not trust you. And can make the situation worse. As you have already noted blowing in his face made him bite harder. Punishment like blowing in their face, alcohol, pushing your finger into their mouth, etc just causes them to fear you. It is more likely to make them madder and make them bite harder or more often. 

The best method of curbing the behavior is to try to figure out why they have it and avoid it. Keep fingers away from their mouth, and don't reward the behavior. 

Don't encourage the behavior. If he bites when you wake him, wake him slowly. Tap on his cage, talk to him, wake him and give him a moment to stand up and prepare himself for removal. Then carefully sweep him off his feet. 

Also, don't immediately put him back in his cage after biting. Continue to handle him (as you noted you are) for a bit longer. To do otherwise, just teaches him that "If I bite the human, it tells them to put me in my cage." 

Watch for signs that he may bite. It can be difficult, but sometimes you you will see a facial expression or some other behavior. 

For one that I had, his body would have a faint vibration to show he was getting mad. He wouldn't snuffle or have an audible huff, just a little faint buzzing feeling. He was getting mad. When I would feel that vibration I knew I either needs to stop what I was doing, or prepare to avoid teeth.

Another would get a certain facial expression that showed me she was getting mad and going to bite soon. Either I need to back off, let her settle down, or deal with a bite.

Another would bite when I would wake her up. I'd wake her, put my hand under her tummy and she would latch on. To deal with that I started using a soft fleece blanket to help scoop her up. The extra layer of blanket gave my hand some protection and helped me not react to her bite. She was one that would bite, if I didn't react, look up at me, bite again or grind her teeth. After getting no reaction a few times, she stopped.

Reacting to the bite, can also encourage them to bite harder, or more often. Its hard to sit and let a hedgehog just bite you, but try to tolerate it and not react. For some the reaction may scare them, or as in the example above, she just learned it didn't get what she expected.

This post has become longer than I intended, and there is so much more I could say, but I think the above covers some basics and things to think about and consider. I hope it answered your question as I may have gone off on a tangent.


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## MeowHype (Jan 29, 2014)

Tangents about hedgehogs are welcomed and encouraged ^_^

I dont really push back hard. Im really afraid of damaging my little guy. Its a slight push towards his mouth. Its also a rather slow push. He seems to let go and move on. to be honest, I don't think i actually move. I think i tell myself I do so that I don't jump and pull. the bites dot hurt, sometimes they just startle me. Like I said he is getting much better. He does do the lick thing right before he bites sometimes, so I can listen or watch for that. 

Hes such a sweet little guy. I know he's not trying to be mean, and he's still adjusting. I used to have a gerbil that I had to work with for two years before he finally wouldn't bite me. Gerbils have incisors that sink in too. So I just have to bring back those skills of sitting and letting the bite go away. Compared to the gerbil, hedgehog bites are rather tame.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Its hard to not react, and I have the same concern you do for any movement. I fear if I move I'm going to break a tooth or cause them harm. I used to give out a little yelp so that they understood they were hurting me. For some it worked, and only after one or two bite/yelps, they stopped biting for good. But then I ran into one that just bit down harder, so now I'm not a fan of that method either.

With the girl that I mentioned above, I hope it didn't sound like she was mean. She isn't, she is actually extremely sweet. But when mad she expected a reaction as I'm sure her old owner used to react to her biting. She's my gal who when in a play pen will run to me when I say her name, she'll climb into my hands. Most of that is her just wanting out of the playpen and into her snuggle bag, but she's definitely not afraid of me or mean. However, if I wake her and she isn't ready, she will bite. If I touch her feet, she bites. If I make her mad, she will threaten to bite, before she would just chomp down. She has a fairly short fuse when it comes to getting mad if you do something she doesn't like or she doesn't get her way.

Work with him, get to know his behaviors, and you'll likely figure out those signs and can avoid the chompy teeth.


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