# Bitting HOG



## kkw16 (Oct 22, 2010)

have you guys ever get bitten by your hog?
today was my second time i got bitten by him. it was okay didn't bleed at all.But is only my 4 day having him. my friend came over today and he also get bitten.

is it because this hog is a adopted hog? he is 1 year old now. 
i was just having my hand out ready for him to talk on to but he choice to bite me.


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## Julie Stuhr (Mar 21, 2010)

Do you put him down in his cage or in your lap when he bites?


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Did you wash your hands before playing with him? When we first got our hedgie, he would try to bite my husband's fingers. We realized it was because he had been eating chips & his fingers smelled yummy. 
Also, sometimes, they will lick & nibble on something new & then annoint. My girl Zoey did that when we first got her. She didn't bite really hard, just nibbled. But now that she's used to us, she doesn't do it anymore.


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## Kenzi (Aug 29, 2010)

I've had Mila for two weeks (she is 8 weeks old now) and for the first time last night she tried to nibble me, but it was 100% my fault. I have been adding flax oil to Mila's food because she is quilling like crazy and her skin is also a bit dry. Yesterday I was putting some flax oil on her ears (as they are looking a bit dry) and had some of it still on my fingers, and Mila decided that my fingers smelled yummy so she decided to nip me. But like I said, it was my fault for not washing my hands right away after having the oil on my fingers.

Mila hasn't tried to bite me any other time. Though my sister claims she was bitten, i think it was Mila's quills by her face that poked her.. because Mila is very sensitive and quick to pull her visor down when she feels threatened.


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## silvercat (Oct 24, 2008)

Annabell is a biter. She doesn't latch on and it doesn't hurt. But she definately likes to bite fingers. My hands (and friends) are always clean. It's generally if your hands are near her face, particularly if you're trying to wake her up or get her to do something she doesn't want. The force is about the same as a dogs when they play bite (for none dog owners, it's basically a dog gumming). In Annabell's case, I think it's her way of telling us to go away. I don't let her do it however and when she tries to bit me I keep her where ever she is and rest my hand on her head/back with gentle pressure so she knows biting me won't make me go away. It does seem to be slowly working. Now I just need to train my friends to stop putting their hands in her hidey hut


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## hercsmom (Jul 6, 2010)

kkw16 said:


> But is only my 4 day having him.


Maybe 4 days is too soon to take him out and try to play with him. Changing homes can be stressful. Give him a little time to settle in to his new home.


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## Sheryl (Sep 9, 2010)

I've been bitten twice by Wilson and my husband was bitten for the first time last night. I'm not sure what's up with that. It hurts like heck. The first bite was on the inside of my arm near my elbow area. He was burrowed back there and then, chomp! A couple weeks later I had him in my lap petting him and he bit the outside of my thumb, near the base. Both broke the skin and bled. My poor husband, though! Last night he was holding him and Wilson latched on to the end of his finger and wouldn't let go. He wasn't a happy camper. I haven't found much information on what to do about biting. I'm glad he hadn't bitten my daugher or any of her friends yet, but it's probably just a matter of time.


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## Kiwi-Man (May 4, 2010)

seriously, when Higgins does this is 1 of 2 things: salt on your hands from sweating or WHICH HAPPENS MORE FREQUENTLY lately - he's hungry. Higs gives a slight nip-tug. Not hard at all. He's kinda' learned that. Happens usually an hour after he's been up and lounges about after his "wake-up call."


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## Judi (Jul 9, 2009)

I have a biter. For her, there's a difference between a yummy-fingers bite and a mean bite. The yummy-fingers bite is usually preceeded by a lot of licking. The mean bite is a snap that happens whenever my fingers happen to cross her field of vision, or if I'm walking while holding her and have left a bitable part within reach. That bite usually goes along with huffing and popping and she doesn't let go until I grab her nose.

Bites that break the skin get infected easily. Your hedgehog's teeth can also get stuck in your hand and come out if you try to pull your hand away while the teeth are sunk in...ask me how I know that...it was horrifying when it happened.

The best luck I have with my biter is to only handle her when it's calm and quiet in the house (kids asleep, tv off).


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

Its also possible he's cranky over not having a wheel, if you removed it (ala "bloody wheel bloody feet" thread). Like I said over there, they tend to trash up their cage because of all the stored up energy, so he's probably cranky from last night.


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## kkw16 (Oct 22, 2010)

he bite me before he lost his wheel. I think it might be because of i just grab him some food with my hands. But my friend also got bitten too. I am wondering if i got bitten and my hog wont let go what should i do??


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## Sheryl (Sep 9, 2010)

Yes, you should probably reconsider feeding him by hand so he doesn't associate your fingers with food. I use a pair of chopsticks or else tweezers.


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## silvercat (Oct 24, 2008)

kkw16 said:


> he bite me before he lost his wheel. I think it might be because of i just grab him some food with my hands. But my friend also got bitten too. I am wondering if i got bitten and my hog wont let go what should i do??


You can encourage your hog to let go by gentley pressing on or blowing on their nose. Like any animal, if they've latched on, pulling away will actually encourage them to tighten their hold.


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