# Concern of a new parent



## vintage_xx (Jun 9, 2011)

So I've only had my new baby hedgie, Peanut, for a couple of days, and I know how important it is to hold him everyday but he's starting to seriously dislike my presence. When I picked him up at the breeder he was crawling all over me and he on the first day, even though he was a little shy at first, he eventually popped his head out to play with me for a few minutes after being rolled up into his ball. But today when I went to go get him he curled up into the tightest ball and would not unroll no matter what I did (or didn't do) and now every time I even come near the cage he hisses and curls up. I sat next to the cage and just talked to him for a while but I'm nervous that if I don't get to hold him consistently that he'll never warm up to me. What should I do?


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## elise5211 (Jun 2, 2011)

Keep doing what you're doing. He was okay with you the first time because he was in the environment he was used to. Now he's in a new home with new smells, and it's scaring him. 

Sit by him in a dark or very dim rooom. Just get over the fear and just go ahead and pick him up. Use a towel if you're scared. Hold him in your lap until he unballs.


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## KathyTNY (Jan 21, 2011)

You are doing all the right things.... the noises that hedgehogs make are kind of scarey aren't they? They sound like angry noises, but I try to look past the defenses they put up and just keep reaching out. I sing whenever I am in the room, I talk to them...they huff and puff back and I just ignore them and keep talking and singing. Then at least once a day, mostly after 9pm I go and get them out. My one pog Tiggy is a sweet heart......she coes and comes to me..... but Pippin grumbles, pops, puffs and huffs at me. And for the first week or so I scooped him up with a large piece of fleece. Then one day I took a deep breath and stealed myself up and scooped him up with my bare hands. Let me tell you it hurts the first time but don't drop him!!!!!! I hold him for a few minutes in a ball then I take him downstairs to spend some time around the family. I have had him 4 weeks and I have seen GREAT progress but it is still pretty much a patient slow "battle". I can now pick him up with my bare hands and he doesn't ball up unless he is startled. He still grumbles when I come singing into his room...... and he loves to crawl into a fleece kids hat and sit next to me all night until it is time to go upstairs and he can play all night just how he wants .

Have fun!

KathyTNY


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## Skullpion (May 9, 2011)

Despite what you may experience the first few days, all of the advice given to you in the 2 posts above are real. Don't feel threatened by them putting up their defenses, and try not to think "he/she's mad at me" and then not wanting to pick them up and spend time with because you're scared it'll upset them. Honestly, picking them up probably does upset them LOL, but try not to think about that.

My brother got my Oreo from a pet store so when he came home I felt like he would'ave wanted to shoot quills at me for trying to interact with him if he wanted to. I used my shirt to carry him and hold him a bit the first few days since I was too afraid he'd maim my hand ahahhaha. The times when he DID allow me to hold him he'd be trying his best to run away anyway. (he still does -_-)

But try to keep at it, I've only had Oreo for a month and these days I can pick him up with just my bare hand because he doesn't quill/ball up. I just let him smell me a bit when I try to. I think he still hates being picked up but rather, tolerates me lolololol. He even doesn't mind being held by other people as long as he can smell me I think? Cos my brother tried to without me around and he tried to put holes in his hand lol.


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## JLF1995 (Jun 22, 2011)

When I got my hedgehog 'Hedgie' or at the time he was called 'Spike', I got him free because the people could not take care of him anymore. The pet owner relaized that he was negleting him and gave him to me. He was almost one year old and was always grumpy at first. he never started to warm up to me untill I gave him his first bath. Thats when I discovered he had a tremendous ammount of fleas living on him :!: I was so angry and upset that I just wanted to call them and yell at them and just tell them how irresposible they were to not notice that he was suffering. I gave him a tramendous ammount of baths and he loved every second of it. I found out he as been snacks to the fleas almost a year, as his age. :evil: :x Once I got rid of the fleas he was finally bonded with me and was very happy. Hedgehogs know that you can help them, but it is up to the owner to help them or to guide them. :mrgreen:


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## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

I barely saw Regina's face at all the first week I had her. She huffed and hissed and curled/quilled up all the time. I would put her on a blanket in my lap while I was doing stuff and just talk to her and let her know that even though she was grumpy, I wasn't going to be deterred. I was afraid she'd never like me, but a week later she suddenly became friendly and sweet and stopped balling up (ironically, it was after her first trip to the vet--I think she realized that I wasn't such a big scary monster after all the poking and prodding when the vet examined her :lol: :lol: :lol: ). Now she rarely sticks her quills out or huffs. Sometimes, I miss it... *sigh* (not really) :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## JLF1995 (Jun 22, 2011)

Actually I can relate to that. When I was traveling with my hedgehogs to the vet, normally he freakes out and tries to push the top off the cage, not he lays down and sleeps the whole way their! I am kinda happy that he won't act histerical ever again but I miss holding him to calm him down and put him back in his cage, so he can come back out and be held again. But I like the idea of not handeling him when he is scared! He normaly balls up and gives me scratches on my arms every time, not I can have thoese scratches heal! :mrgreen:


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## msviolet (Jun 15, 2011)

Just what everyone has said do not give up! i have had Violet for about 3 weeks now and she still gets huffy and puffy and hissy with me at first but she then calms down. I have learned that washing your hands and rinsing them real good before handling is a very good thing. It will remove any odors or chemicals you may have on your hands. This protects her as much as it does me. I am a diabetic so I have to be careful of any type of injury I may get. My Children came home yesterday from visiting thier father and they are working on bonding with her too. she seems to think my son is tastey! LOL she will lick him them try to eat him! It is realy funny to watch them. I have taken Violet outside a few times and she seems to be enjoying it for the most part as long as I am near by. 

when I first got Violet I had to use garden gloves to protect my hands but got to where after I picked her up I was able to remove the gloves and hold her. Now I don't need the gloves at all! 
She is such a joy to have around!

Best of luck and dont give up!


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## JLF1995 (Jun 22, 2011)

I tried handeling my hedgie with gloves buthe keep on running away from them! I washed them because I thought they might have a wierd smell to it but he keep on running away! I just had to deal with the pain with the quills for a few days but I got use to it! My friends still can't beilive that I don't fell it anymore! :mrgreen:


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## PrincessZebra (Jul 2, 2011)

Definetly keep trying! She has to get used to you, and eventually, she will. My baby Quillow was taken home on Friday and yesterday morning, she let me pet her from head to butt and pick her up with no blanket. But that yesterday afternoon, she would only let me pet her butt. Slowly, she's getting it. But mine was definetly more friendly to begin with.


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## sammyjh45 (Jun 26, 2011)

my heggie is new to my home as well. He is pretty good once out of his cage but deff still scared of me. Sometimes when he is playing in his cage I will just lay down next to it and talk to him. At first he doesnt move but then he goes back to normal and I think they has really helped him get used to me because I talk to him so much.


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## vintage_xx (Jun 9, 2011)

Thank you guys for sharing your experiences with me! Peanut is about two months now and he's getting a lot better. He still gets grumpy when he sees me sometimes and I'm still not able to pick him up without a shirt because he goes nuts whenever its time to come out but now he relaxes pretty much as soon as he comes out. He's getting a bigger home today because he's so big now....he's a real pig. I'm hoping that someday he'll WANT to come out and play, but we'll see for now.


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