# My hedgie has done a 180



## 3strawsandajuicebox (Oct 15, 2008)

I've had my hedgehog for a couple of months and he has done a complete 180 on me. He used to be very shy and curl up in a ball if you even blinked. After a while he started to get used to me, but was still pretty shy. All of a sudden, about 3 days ago, he is completely different, he doesn't curl up at all no matter what I do and his sleeping pattern has changed. He no longer sleeps in the day, he is up all day long and sleeps at night. He has also started biting. Does anyone know what might have caused this and what I can do about it?


----------



## Luck (Sep 4, 2008)

Someone has a topic on biting already


----------



## numothehedgehog (Aug 30, 2008)

Sounds like a hedgehog I have.
Im thinking about getting rid of him because we arent bonding very well.
Jumbie stays up all day and sleeps all night to and he is a crazy biter..
fun eh? :twisted:


----------



## Gnarly (Aug 29, 2008)

numothehedgehog said:


> Im thinking about getting rid of him because we arent bonding very well.


I hope you aren't serious. That's really unfair. 
Some hedgehogs never really come around, and yes it's frustrating, but its still up to you to give him a great life. You took that responsibility when you brought him into your home.


----------



## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Yes she is serious..she has him listed to give away on here...under rescue



> by numothehedgehog on Fri Oct 17, 2008 5:17 pm
> 
> Hello im from winnipeg manitoba and I have a very cute albino boy named Jumbie.
> Hes very social and once he unballs he loves to run around.
> ...


----------



## Gnarly (Aug 29, 2008)

nikki said:


> Yes she is serious..she has him listed to give away on here...under rescue
> 
> 
> 
> ...


...oh. I missed that. :evil: 
Poor hedgie. Hopefully whoever gets him won't feel the same way...


----------



## PixiesExoticHedgies (Sep 4, 2008)

Unfortunately, he'll probably live his life being transferred from owner to owner. People like the idea of adopting a hedgehog, even when they are told it's a biter (especially when it's FREE). But until someone gets their hands on it and is committed to taking care of it with lots of patience, time, and bitten hands....it will never get resocialized.

My very first hedgie was a biter. I adopted him off craigslist from a negleted home. He had been put into a 10 gallon tank and the family didn't handle him because he was a biter. I knew this up front and was ready for the challenge. It took me nearly a year to completely resocialize and hand tame him. I accepted him as a biter and would never consider putting him off on someone else. YES, it takes patience and tolerance for the bites....but you can rehab them.

I eventually rehomed him, but only when I knew he was safe and would no longer bite. I also asked a resonable adoption fee for him. Which immediately weeds out the, "I want that FREE hedgie" attitude. If someone has to pay for their new pet, the chances are greater that they will take care of it, rather than passing him on to the next person. :arrow: _NOTE: I didn't just pass him on, without careful consideration. I've done many pet rehabiliations, with successful endings._

Bless his little hedgie heart.  Don't blame the hedgehog for not bonding with you. 
If you don't put forth the time and effort, HOW can he bond with you?

Pixie


----------



## Gnarly (Aug 29, 2008)

I too feel this hedgehog is now doomed to a life of being shuffled from home to home. 




One of my own hedgehogs, Zeek, is not particularly fond of being handled. Actually, he hates it. He will only unroll from a ball to bite (and yes, he's been to the vet several times and and pain from an injury has been ruled out).
He had been moved from home to home before he came to us, and I feel this would have continued, if we had not taken him in. 
But, he loves being out, and being able to explore so we allow him to do this every night. He just doesn't want to be handled. My husband and I respect this as his personality, and we would never give him away despite the fact he is less than affectionate.


----------



## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

one of my girls, Pita, is a biter too, i can't count how many time she's taken a chunk out of my hands, but i would never consider rehoming her, it just wouldn't be fair to her or the people that took her. I know she will always bite, will never like to be held, but I love her anyways.


----------



## PixiesExoticHedgies (Sep 4, 2008)

numothehedgehog said:


> Jumbie stays up all day and sleeps all night to...


That's because it's what HEDGEHOGS do!


----------



## lilhoglet (Aug 28, 2008)

PixiesExoticHedgies said:


> numothehedgehog said:
> 
> 
> > Jumbie stays up all day and sleeps all night to...
> ...


... hedgehogs SLEEP all day and stay AWAKE all night, so either she wrote that wrong, or Jumbie is pretty diurnal...

Pixie, I thought the same thing at first upon reading that - and I reread it and got all confused lol.


----------



## PixiesExoticHedgies (Sep 4, 2008)

lilhoglet said:


> PixiesExoticHedgies said:
> 
> 
> > numothehedgehog said:
> ...


DUH! :? You're right.....I did read it wrong. :roll: Guess it's b/c most people complain about their hedgies being nocturnal.


----------



## numothehedgehog (Aug 30, 2008)

Ihave a good reason that im giving him away can you guysplease not skip to conclusions?
Thanks..
You dont know how I live my life so please dont judge.


----------



## numothehedgehog (Aug 30, 2008)

Gnarly said:


> numothehedgehog said:
> 
> 
> > Im thinking about getting rid of him because we arent bonding very well.
> ...


Thankyou I know that I have owned other hedgehogs.
He isnt having the socilzation time either.
It just isnt working out.


----------



## PixiesExoticHedgies (Sep 4, 2008)

If you have no other choice than to rehome Jumbie, then I'm glad you chose to post on the HHC. At least you'll have a better chance at finding him a good (educated) home.....than if you had posted on craigslist or other 'non-hedgie' related places. 

Just be sure that whomever adopts him, is fully aware of his biting problems and TRY to find someone that has experience with other hedgehogs. Good luck finding him a new home. 

Pixie


----------



## 3strawsandajuicebox (Oct 15, 2008)

I wasn't planing on re homing my hedgie or anything like that at all. I was just wondering if anyone had ever had the same problem and if they new any tricks on how to help fix it.


----------



## PixiesExoticHedgies (Sep 4, 2008)

3strawsandajuicebox said:


> I wasn't planing on re homing my hedgie or anything like that at all.


Sorry 3straws, we interrupted your thread by replying to a previous statement and another posting by: numothehedgehog


----------



## numothehedgehog (Aug 30, 2008)

PixiesExoticHedgies said:


> If you have no other choice than to rehome Jumbie, then I'm glad you chose to post on the HHC. At least you'll have a better chance at finding him a good (educated) home.....than if you had posted on craigslist or other 'non-hedgie' related places.
> 
> Just be sure that whomever adopts him, is fully aware of his biting problems and TRY to find someone that has experience with other hedgehogs. Good luck finding him a new home.
> 
> Pixie


Yah I hear you.
HHC are the only 'true' hedgehog owners out there.
I will only give him to a good well educated owner.


----------



## Mikolaj (Oct 23, 2008)

While I may not be very educated in regards to hedgehogs persay, I assure you that this cutie has a forever home. I am a small animal fanatic, mostly hamsters most of my life and am very aware at how wild and vicious any animal can be before proper handling. I think horses teach you that more then anything - I can pretty much guarantee anything my horses have dished out hurt a lot worse then what this little guy can! Hamster bites suck to, never stop bleeding!

Anyway, we suit each other well. We both have a serious attitude problem and want the world to just back off and leave us be, so I think we'll get along swimmingly!


----------



## padawanslacker (Oct 24, 2008)

3straws, how old is your hedgehog? Is he still a baby, or did you get him as an adult? 

Either way, have you checked his weight to see if he's losing, gaining, or maintaining?

A baby hedgehog might have had quilling/new-home adjustment problems that happened to resolve themselves at the same time, leaving him a much happier animal. Babies also sometimes bite people they're intensely curious about--it's kind of an over-enthusiastic extension of sniffing. Still, that doesn't explain the changes in his sleeping patterns, particularly since they're the opposite of what you'd expect from a hedgehog.

Even though his personality (mostly) seems friendlier, I'm concerned he might be ill. It's not typical for hedgehogs to allow people to do absolutely anything with them. Even the friendliest will ball up over something sooner or later. Add that to the facts that his sleeping pattern is also abnormal and he's suddenly become a biter, and you have a picture that suggests you have a hedgehog that's suffering in some way.

Personally, I'd take him to the vet ASAP whether he showed other signs and symptoms or not, but you might want to check to see if:

1) He's lost weight
2) He appears restless during the day, as if he's trying to find somewhere to lie down and feel comfortable, but can't
3) His poop has turned green, tarry black, or gone through some other notable change

Generally speaking, it's a good idea to get a hedgehog checked out if their behavior suddenly changes in any way, even a "good" way. Hedgehogs hide symptoms of illness, and you sometimes have to look for very subtle things to discover they're sick.


----------

