# Really hard bite. Broke skin!



## MandyA (Aug 28, 2014)

Shiloh has been biting at my fingers and I lightly blow in her face to make her stop because it doesn't feel to great but tonight she was laying in my hand up against me, she moved up my arm and latched down on my wrist I blew in her face but it didn't help finally she let go.She left three teeth marks, it bleed a speck, stung, welted up, and is now bruised. 

My little demon hedgie. :twisted:

Anyways is there any other ways to break her from biting?


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## Erizo (Jul 25, 2012)

This is very possibly 'owner error'. Wash your hands; always use the same soap; and rinse well. You are very likely putting scents or tastes right in front of her nose and she is doing what hedgehogs do in that situation - biting.

Even clean fingers are tempting targets. Keep them away from her face. Removing temptation is usually the key. Certainly, you must not allow the habit of biting to set in because it will be very hard to break if it becomes a habit.

I'm not a fan of face blowing. I don't know that it is effective short-term or long-term. Removing temptation and opportunity are the big things. Biting is almost always owner error, IMO. I've been bitten. I've bled. My fault entirely 90%+ of the time.


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

Erizo isn't wrong and making sure your hands are clean, changing soaps, not hand feeding treats are all great ways to minimize biting. Also keep a fleece between you and her mouth during snuggle time. It tends to help. I have an aggressive hedgie and this is what I do with him.


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## MandyA (Aug 28, 2014)

I wash with a scent free soap from elbows down before I get her out, like im going in to surgery or something hehe. The finger nibbling/biting doesn't hurt but golly gee my wrist did.lol


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Depending on the reason they are biting, blowing in the face can have the opposite effect and only make hedgie madder.

The key is to try and figure out why hedgie is biting. 

Usually they nibble because they like the smell or are interested in the smell. It used to be warned, lick, lick, bite. What we thing smells good and what they think smells good are two totally different things. Even washing with scent free, might be scent free to us but not to them. 

Some are very oral and allowing hedgie to chew on a piece of hedgie safe cloth will end the biting. 

Sometimes when they get up they are hungry and offering some of their kibble or a treat will help.

Often they bite because we are doing something, or not doing something they want. For example, perhaps hedgie has to go potty and if hedgie is one that prefers their cage to potty, we don't clue in and a bite gets hedgie put back in cage. 

Never give hedgie treats by holding the treat in your fingers. They can mistake fingers as always having treats. It's best to set the treat in front of hedgie. 

Until she gets over this, keep exposed skin out of reach. If she does get you, try not to react in case the reaction is what she wants. Try to hold still until she lets go. Yep, hard to do and it hurts. 

How old is she?


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## MandyA (Aug 28, 2014)

Yea I didnt jerk or anything so I wouldnt hurt her. I know she diesnt understand but my mom shook her f I nger at b her and in a soft baby voice said Nono Shiloh and she hid her face in my hand it was so funny.

She just turned 2 months old.


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

Gabriel looks at me when he is done biting... ya, so what, he says with his crazy expressive eyes. He doesn't care. He just wanted to bite. Little demon spawn. 
I'm a big fan of fleece. At least I'm starting to recognize his different expressions.


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## MandyA (Aug 28, 2014)

She usually lays in her sleeping/snuggle bag and she had crawled out into my hand.


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

Gabriel has this other expression. It's the I love you and I miss you and I want to snuggle. He pulls me in with that one and after a few minutes of back pettings and close holding he starts to get a tiny bit twitchy. Then he brings his visor up and down. That's the warning sign. That is the, I'm feeling full of myself and need to attack something sign. If I catch it we have a grand game of fleece tug and both have a lot of fun. If I miss it, about 1/3 of the time he bypasses the fleece and I end up bleeding badly. I'm still healing from one about a week and a half ago.

Yes, I have an overblown caregiver/codependent personality.


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## MandyA (Aug 28, 2014)

Shiloh gets jumpy and hissy when she is ready to eat and be left alone. She gets so jumpy I can barely hold her to get her back in her cage. Haha. But she likes to fit and bite her nap sack. Haha


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

Encourage her biting on the sack. Does she bite down and shake her head and body like a dog? Gabriel does. It's so funny.


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## MandyA (Aug 28, 2014)

YES! haha. She rolls around in it. When she is in her playpen and gets in it you can see it roll around.


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

Lulz! Gabe takes his blankie and drags it with his teeth between his legs around the pen like a teeny lion. After he has killed it, of course.


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## MandyA (Aug 28, 2014)

Haha. She is in her nap sack laying on me right now. She is making a clicking noise. I took her outside in the grass for the first time she ate a blade of grass and started anointing then, haha. She hasn't tried to bite me, yet.


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## MandyA (Aug 28, 2014)

She's snug as a bug in a rug.


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