# He was acting kind of aggressive..



## Lady (Dec 30, 2013)

I've been bitten before, but it was followed by licking so I assumed I just smelled like something he could eat. This time though, it hurt, though it didn't break skin, and he kept trying. I didn't put him back, because I know you're not supposed to, and I kept trying to do things like normal but, he wouldn't even look at the mealworm I was trying to give him.

After letting him roam around a bit I did put him back, and he went to the corner of his cage and fell asleep, rather than underneath my sweater like usual. It can't be too hot in here, his cage thermometer says 76 degrees like always, and until now he's acted completely normal.

Do they act this way BEFORE they start quilling? Does his tummy maybe hurt?

Should I go to the vet?


----------



## Lady (Dec 30, 2013)

Update; he's still trying to bite me. Right now he's burrowing into the sweater on my lap but he just does not seem happy about something and it's really worrying me.


----------



## Lady (Dec 30, 2013)

Update again he is FREAKING OUT please help!! He is grabbing a hold of my sleeves and pulling at them and like, running in place on the couch as he's trying to pull them away and not letting go. I put him down on the floor and he's pulling at the carpet and charging at my hands I don't know what's up I'm so scared I'm going to cry

Please tell me this is normal behavior for quilling...but i havent seen any quills yet.


----------



## Lady (Dec 30, 2013)

I'm sorry I'm the only one talking here, things keep happening. After a while I just let him pull at my clothes with his teeth then I realized he wasn't just going after me but everything. Pillowcases, my socks, my jeans but that didn't last long I think that was too thick for him, and the carpet. He seems very restless at times and at others he's wandering around as usual.


----------



## zoetheshort (Dec 8, 2013)

It might just be crazy hedgie time.


----------



## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

Isn't he just trying to anoint? Is he licking/biting the things and anointing with it? (Their saliva gets all foamy and they smear it onto their quills, it looks very strange)


----------



## Lady (Dec 30, 2013)

No, I've seen him anoint before, of course. I mean he is charging at my fingers. So I put them in my sleeves, so he would latch onto my sleeve with his teeth and try to pull it around. After a while I just kinda let him do his thing until I put him back.


----------



## The_Senator (Dec 31, 2013)

Quilling can certainly bring out the unhappy in them. It might be that, if you don't see anything unusual, like a string caught around his foot or something that would make him really uncomfortable.


----------



## xxkrysta (Dec 26, 2013)

Have you taken out or added anything to his cage recently? Sometimes a sudden change in furniture can make a hedgehog restless and grumpy.


----------



## Lady (Dec 30, 2013)

I put him in his playpen and sat with him and he had a favor in attacking my socks. He'd grab them with his nails and pull at them with his teeth, like a dog playing tug-o-war. He'd do this for a few minutes before moving to another part of my sock. He wandered around and played with his other toys with no problem so I'm starting to wonder if that's just maybe how he is? When he's like this, all his quills are down, so he doesn't seem freaked out. I don't know, maybe it'll stop after a while. I'm not as scared as I was when I was first writing because I've just gotten used to it now. I just let him do his thing now.


----------



## Lady (Dec 30, 2013)

Okay I'm gonna lay it all out straight up because I don't feel I'm expressing it clearly and I need a straight up answer on whether or not this needs to be looked at.

He is CHARGING at my fingers.
He deliberately goes up my sleeve for my hands
He latches on to my sleeves
He pulls on it, not letting go, with his teeth, like a dog holding onto a rope, and does this running in place motion, as if he's trying to pull my sleeve somewhere
I DO NOT smell like food. I haven't eaten or touched anything but my computer since this morning
He does the same thing, trying to go up my pant leg, and just grabs hold of my sock instead.
He is doing this to EVERYBODY. He bit my mom so hard it drew blood (just a little though)

I know they're burrowers. He always used to go up my sleeves and pant legs and cuddle and lay there nicely, but never in an attempt to bite at me.

My room is in the basement. Does he need any natural sunlight? My mom thinks this could partially be the problem.

Is he maybe bored? He has lots of toys that he seems to like to play with.

Is he hungry? We gave him some wet cat food but all he did was lick at it, and didn't actually eat any of the chunks.

And again, maybe he's just quilling, if so, I can deal with it. But of all the forums I've read and behaviors I prepared myself for, I've never heard of this one, so if this is normal PLEASE tell me.


----------



## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

I've never heard of them charging at hands/fingers... but maybe others have. Do you have a light on a timer for him in the basement?

My hedgehog does it with lots of things like clothing, he really likes socks and he tries to steal all my stuff. But he usually anoints with it after he has dragged it around my whole room so I'm not sure it's the same. 
He really goes for it, we play tug of war sometimes.


----------



## Lady (Dec 30, 2013)

Your hedgie is adorable. I wish that's all mine was doing right now.

As for the light, no, until now I've just kept my bedroom light on from about 8 in the morning to about 8 at night. However, I'm going to get one today.


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Check him over completely. Look for anything that might be bothering him or that seems off, such as a quill poking into them. I'd keep a close eye on him if this continues...sometimes sudden behavior changes can be a sign that something's wrong.

Have you tried giving him an oatmeal bath before? Perhaps you could try that and see if it calms him down. If it is quilling pain, it might relax him a bit.


----------



## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

(I've been staying silent because my little guy has never exhibited behaviours like what you're describing. You've got a huge challenge; I hope you can figure something out!)


----------



## Lady (Dec 30, 2013)

Draenog's video is exactly what he's doing, only he's charging at pieces of my skin and nothing else.


----------



## Lady (Dec 30, 2013)

I can barely even hold him. All he wants to do is bite me, no matter how little of a reaction I give. I can't look at him because he keeps going for my fingers, limiting just how much I can do. Sometimes he acts like he did before(crawling between my fingers, burrowing in my lap), but then he just goes right back to running after my fingers. I'm going to give him an oatmeal bath and see if it calms him down at all. If not, I'm gonna make a trip to check for mites or any other problems.


----------



## Lady (Dec 30, 2013)

Okay so that bath was like a flick of a magic wand. He let me clean him off and hold him again. He even let me take a look at his feet and belly (which are looking red I think, I'm going to look into that as well). He even let me softly pet his quills, which he never did before. Even afterwards when we were back in my room he just laid on my chest underneath the towel and fell asleep like that.

Then when I felt it was time to put him back after we had been laying together for an hour, he didn't ball or spike up at all when I sat up or when I held him to put him back in.

And most of all there was no biting whatsoever. I wish I could do this everyday


----------



## Lady (Dec 30, 2013)

And thank you everybody for all your help! Colin is my first hedgie and I'm so worried about doing something wrong. I appreciate all the support and advice!


----------



## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

Maybe it really was the quilling which caused him pain. I would still keep an eye on him to be sure, but I hope he stays this way!


----------



## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Dear Colin,

If you want a bath so badly, you can have one. You don't need to charge your human's fleshy-bits and engage in a reign of terror. Seriously, you don't.

Fingers are for petting, not eating,
The Internet Humans


----------

