# Clicking sounds and a wheel question



## DefyingGravity (Mar 4, 2013)

Hello,
My baby hedgehog is 7 weeks old and I brought her home yesterday. Basically, expect lots of questions from me :lol:
I waited a year to get her to research and prepare, but of course now that I have her I have questions!

Anyways, she seems to be adjusting really well. She will be getting a check up some time in the next week or so. Besides a bit of dry skin she is a healthy hedgie. Last night after she woke up I sat and watched her in her cage for a bit. As she was exploring she was making an almost constant sound that I would describe as clicking (or, for experienced rat people like myself it sounded a bit like a rat bruxing). Now, in my research I learned that clicking is normal behavior when a hedgehog is upset. However, she was clicking while exploring and playing with her toys. Her quills were down, she was very calm and curious. When she was stopping to play with toys or running through her tunnel the clicking stopped. It was mostly while she was walking around and before/after eating. What does this mean? Do happy or excited hedgehogs click? She doesn't do it in her sleep and she didn't do it at all yesterday with the breeder.

My second question is about her wheel. I have a giant Comfort Wheel, which is what the breeder uses. Last night she hopped inside it, attempted to push it, then never got back on it. Is it normal for a hedgehog to ignore the wheel while they settle into a new home? I am worried that my wheel is a but too stiff and she may have trouble getting it going since she's still little. Although this is probably just me being an overprotective worrier :roll:

Lastly, if anyone has any extra tips for bonding I would love to hear them! She's pretty friendly already, but I want to make sure I do everything I can for her to trust me. I have already added an item with my scent on it to her cage.

Thanks!


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## Melanie G. (May 29, 2014)

Hedgies can make kind of a grunting sound when they are exploring. Was it that type of noise or was it more of a hissing sound? The only usually do the hissing and popping noises when they are mad. If her quills were down that means she is relaxed.
The wheel may be too stiff or too big for her. Or she may just be into exploring her new place to be bothered with running. Is the wheel that you have the same size as the breeder? If it's the same size and she was using it fine at the breeders, is there some way you can loosen it up? 
For bonding you can wear an old t-shirt and then put in in her cage so she can get used to your scent. Hold her daily (either let her sleep on you or explore around you). You can give her treats when you take her out of her cage, like mealworms (just don't feel them to her with your fingers).
Do you have a name for your hedgie?


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## TikkiLink (Dec 4, 2013)

I have heard the happy clicking noises called "putt putt" sounds, as they sound like a quiet little happy motorboat puttering around. 

My hedgie had the giant comfort wheel for a long time. I kept it out of her cage for the first week to make sure she ate and drank and adjusted fine, but when I first put it in she had trouble moving it. I had to put her in it, block her in with one hand, and gently push the wheel to make it move with the other. It took a little bit but she learned how to push it on her own, so if you haven't tried guiding her on it, you might want to try again.


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## DefyingGravity (Mar 4, 2013)

Thanks for the info, guys!
The more I watch her the more it seems that she's licking (or "smacking") her lips. Is this a common hedgie thing? I've never heard of it before. She does it very rarely now, but her first night it was almost constant.

She did start wheeling away last night! I had to turn the wheel a whole bunch to loosen it up first. It spins pretty well now.

Thanks for the bonding tips! I was prepared to take it slow with her, but she just walked right onto my arm. I've been feeding her some waxworms and she seems to enjoy them. Interacting with her has been taking some getting used to on my part, though. Having a hedgehog is a very new experience to me and I'm still learning her personality. I've not yet picked her up as she's just started quilling. She's still friendly and will gladly come up to me, but she seems itchy and uncomfortable when touched. I wanted to give her an oatmeal bath, but am concerned it would upset her.

No name yet! Trying to decide between Quileesi (a play on Khaleesi) or Soleil. She's a charcoal pinto!


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## Melanie G. (May 29, 2014)

Glad everything is going well!


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## TikkiLink (Dec 4, 2013)

Just watch out with those waxworms-- they're super high in fat so it's like feeding her candy and junk food and can make her quickly gain weight if given more than once in a great while!


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## DefyingGravity (Mar 4, 2013)

She's been great with bonding- I hold her and we sit in a playpen, which has been great. I made her a hedgie bag so she can sleep in it with me. Her name is Poppy 

But, I am concerned about her health. She has stopped running on her wheel. She lost lots of quills so I assumed she was quilling since she's at that age. I didn't see any quills in her cage tonight. However, her skin looks awful. In between her quills is very dry and flaky. She has also taken on a really bad odor the last few days that is getting worse. It's hard to hold her because of it. I tried giving her a warm oat/vitamin e bath which she enjoyed. This particular smell is pretty distinct. I think it could be her poop since she's on a new food (Purina One Beyond chicken and oats), but it's her who smells the most. Even when I leave the animal room it still seems to be in my nose. I have been dilligent about cleaning her cage. She seems to sleep a lot, too which I expected as she's little, but if she's not even running on her wheel...

Anyways, I work at a vet clinic, but unfortunately the clinic is closed for the weekend in observance of Independence Day. Monday she'll be going in to get checked. She's still eating, drinking, curious, and bright eyed so no emergency vet yet, but I'm watching her like a hawk. It's very upsetting that I can't hardly stand to be near her because of the smell


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

The smell could be from changing to the new food. Is she eating anything with fish in it? Fish can sometimes make stinky poops.

Has she anointed with anything? When my Nara anoints with dead crickets, she gets really stinky for a bit. 

I'm not sure I'd use the vitamin E either, sometimes that can smell fishy. I'd go with either flaxseed oil or a little olive oil. Remember a little bit goes a long way.

I remember some people a LONG time ago used to have something to sprinkle on the food to make the poops not smell so strong. Can't remember what it was or if it was safe. Since you work at a vet clinic, maybe you could ask?


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## DefyingGravity (Mar 4, 2013)

She hasn't had anything with fish in it since I've had her, although her last food did have salmon in it (but not as a main ingredient). Although I don't think it would be in her system after all that time (since Sunday)?
I don't believe she's anointed since bringing her home, but maybe during the middle of the night she did?

I'll hold off on the vitamin e, then. Anything else I can do in the meantime for the dry, flakey skin? I have Aveeno unscented bath wash with oats, but I don't want to make things worse :/

I'm always a bit wary of additives for food for odor control, but I'll ask the vets when they see her.

Thank you!


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## Ashley.dear (Mar 31, 2014)

As for her skin, I've given my girl a bath with a couple drops of olive oil in the water as a moisturizer, you can also put a couple drops of flaxseed oil on her food. 
For the smell - hedgie urine has it's own unique aroma, and when I first got my girl her poop was a little extra stinky for about a week. And again when I started changing her food. 
And I second whoever said be careful with the treats, especially waxworms. They can plump up your hedgie like you wouldn't believe!


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