# Already feel like I'm failing...



## ally159 (Dec 4, 2013)

Hi everyone,

I got my lovely little hedgie 3 weeks ago now and still am unable to handle him properly. The minute you go near him he huffs into a ball and won't come near you. I can pick him up in a towel and he huffs and jumps but he still won't let me hold him in my hands...
I've tried hand feeding him, which he is ok with, I've put tops with my scent on in with him, I get him out every night in his towel for a cuddle... 
I don't know what else to do!
Literally he'll uncurl from his ball and as soon as he sees me he curls, or hears a noise or I breathe too loudly (I find myself holding my breath trying not to startle him!) etc he just curls! 
I tried to give him a foot bath earlier tonight... BAD IDEA! He was desperate to get out the sink, I felt awful and cried.

I feel so guilty that I can't be a good mum to him...

Please help! 

Ally x


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

You're doing everything fine. It just takes time.

Keep giving him footbaths. Sure, he won't like it, but he might see you as his human-saviour afterwards. For some hedgehogs (like mine), the sink is too slippery, so putting him in the bathtub with a half-inch of water worked better. Other people have had luck by putting a non-slip surface (like a towel) under the water, or using a bucket or other flat-bottomed container.

If he's that jumpy about noise, sometimes having background noise (like music or tv) can help acclimatize him so he doesn't jump at every whisper in the silence.


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## Tongue_Flicker (Jun 11, 2013)

Oh don't feel bad. When i had my first pair of hedgies i wasn't able to touch let alone carry them up for almost a month. After watching some hedgie handling videos on youtube i finally got the courage to do it. Remember that trust in your pet and confidence is the key to your success


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## abbys (Oct 13, 2012)

Hang in there, you're on the right track! Some hedgies just take a long time to adjust.


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## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

> I got my lovely little hedgie 3 weeks ago now and still am unable to handle him properly. The minute you go near him he huffs into a ball and won't come near you. I can pick him up in a towel and he huffs and jumps but he still won't let me hold him in my hands...


It's only been three weeks (which is nothing at all, really). Some hedgies take longer than others to get used to their new home. Where they come from makes a big difference also. If this is a re-home, there can be issues coming from that situation. If it is a baby, maybe he is just taking his time to becoming friendly.

(This is where choice of breeders gets to be a big deal. If a lot of handling is introduced as early as is safely possible, that goes a long way to establishing the behavior of being friendly. If the hedgie didn't get handled much, then you are starting from zero and doing so many weeks behind the optimum schedule. You will have to be patient.)

(Sadly, choosing a breeder S.U.C.K.S. Despite all of the research and planning that I did, picking the breeder, the most important decision, was not much more than a guess. (But I digress.))

..........................................................

Annie&Tibbers has it right. If the hedgie is super shy about sound, add a bit to the environment. Don't tip-toe around or you'll be undoing (or living with) the effects of that for a long time.

Sophie has never been much bothered by sounds, so it isn't something that I've had to adjust for. She remains, friendly as she is, super-quick to pop up her quills at the slightest movement near her, though, especially around her head. This will probably never change, so it is something that I try to avoid causing. It's tricky to sort out behaviors that should be fully accommodated and worked around, from the ones that we can or should adjust over time.

Sophie hate, hate, hated her mini-baths at first. But she got three a week starting from the first week home anyway. You'll have to experiment with the bath. We wound up using the bathroom sink. It is smaller than the kitchen sink, and height / all-around access are good; those are pluses. Water quick-changes can be made; a plus. The bathroom sink is very slick, which she doesn't like. I put one hand behind her back legs so they won't slide and that has worked well.

We started by using the minimum amount of water, because that is what is most often recommended. I found that increasing the amount of water (by quite a lot) helped tons. When she felt like she could 'walk out' of the water - she wouldn't give up trying. By increasing the water to several inches (just below her shoulders) she pretty quickly gave up trying to get out.

Quill brushing (small toothbrush) is not only important for cleaning, but Sophie kind of likes getting her quills brushed and that goes a long way to keeping her occupied in the water.

Mini-bath. (This video is about a year old. I haven't done a mini-bath video in a long time.)
(11:35)





Belly rub. (You can see how much better she has gotten with being on her back. Almost two years for this to happen. I never thought it would.)
(7:35)





.


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## raurora (Sep 6, 2013)

I PROMISE you, it gets better. I swear. Idgie was the same for me for a long time. Now, almost 3 months later, he is happy to sit in my hand and get pets or run around on my tummy. You are doing everything right, I promise. I agree with everything everyone else said too. The noise thing really helped me out


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## Brittany (Sep 15, 2013)

All hedgehogs have different personalities. He might just be a type that likes to ball up often. Don't worry though, he will warm up to you eventually, sometimes it just takes longer for some than others.


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## ally159 (Dec 4, 2013)

Thanks for all the replies! Feeling a bit better about it all now.
His breeder handled him from 2 weeks and when I went to see him I handled him but didn't pick him up (the breeder put him in my hands). 
Ill persevere with the foot baths and try using the bath rather than the sink. 

Thanks for all the help


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## ceopet (Sep 20, 2013)

I agree with everyone just keep on keeping on


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