# Rant: Bah parents! >:(



## Tarynsgate (Sep 25, 2010)

My parents...are such an annoy sometimes. Even though I tell them to not vacuum the house when the hedgie's cage is in the living room they keep insisting that Roxie needs to learn how to deal with it. 

I've already explained to them that hedgehog's hearing is acute, so the vac probably sounded like there was a tornado in the living room. 

Today they made matters worse by vacuuming again while I was bathing Roxie, resulting in an extremely spooked hedgehog, my arms and hands covered with a couple of dozen deep quill pokes and a very squirmy hedgie who pooped in fright on me. 

*sigh*

How do I explain to these people that she's not an ordinary pet??


----------



## mtnwmn (Nov 25, 2010)

I can relate. I got my little shocktop on Tuesday, and explained to my parents how sensitive they were to temperature. The house was fine until two nights ago-- when my dad turned off the thermostat, forgot about it, and went to bed. We all woke up chilly, but not chilly enough to effect shocktop. My dad, feeling bad, asked me how she was doing in the morning (up to that point I hadn't noticed anything was wrong).

Well, tonight the thermostats were set for 64 degrees! Poor little shocktop had to go home with my boyfriend for a while until the temperature issue is resolved.


----------



## Needlenose (Sep 17, 2010)

I try to explain to Mom that she can't yank the covers off of Widget when he's in his out of cage sleepy box. She's not getting it, so I just try to keep him away from her. :roll: Can your parents get one of those push vacuum things they use in restaurants?


----------



## krbshappy71 (Jul 17, 2009)

I vacuum the hedgie room every week. Its noise, it wont hurt them.


----------



## SnufflePuff (Apr 16, 2009)

krbshappy71 said:


> I vacuum the hedgie room every week. Its noise, it wont hurt them.


I kind of agree.... I use a dustbuster inside all three of my hedgehog's cages to clean up food crumbs while they're in the cages... not only do they not huff and puff....they don't even wake up to the sound. Maybe my hedgehogs just have bad hearing??? but it honestly doesn't bother them.


----------



## Tarynsgate (Sep 25, 2010)

My common practice is when I need to vac, I move the hedgehog's bin to the room at the other end of the house. As it is she doesn't react very well to loud noises  

Oh well, just gotta wing it...I'll have my house back in a few days


----------



## FiaSpice (Jan 16, 2009)

Am I a bad mom? I vaccum the hedies' room when they are in it all the time and they never seem to be bottered. Maybe my hedgies are different


----------



## hercsmom (Jul 6, 2010)

I vacuum all the time, Herc doesn't wake up for it! :lol: 

But, he is a pet store boy so I think the vacuum is probably heaven compared to all the barking & noise where he came from.


----------



## Roni (Oct 27, 2010)

I also vacuum all the time and it doesn't seem to bother the little guys. In fact if I wake Dennis up he just comes over to the edge of the cage to see what I'm doing. I also drop things constantly (clumsy me) and crinkle bags around them (they like this noise now since it means a treat is coming!).... all kinds of very loud annoying noises.... doesn't bother them at all. 

I think... like every living thing.... it's what you're used to. If you hush everyone and tiptoe around, they will never get used to the normal loud household noises which will then make the noise very stressful for them. I was also the same way with my human girls and the results were babies who would sleep through bathing and dogs barking (so not a bad thing in my books! LOL).


----------



## PJM (May 7, 2010)

I vacuum my hedgies room every week. And will also sometimes use the dustbuster in Cholla's cage (little bugger must have a hole in his mouth, with how many crumbs he leaves everywhere!) But it doesn't take long. I don't know if it bothers them - if I go to check, they are upset with me - but they're always upset with me whenever I check on them. :roll: 

I can understand how a bathing hedgie would get upset even more if the vacuum is on. Thank goodness they don't need baths too often. Other than that, I don't think you'll win the battle of the vacuum. Just be glad they aren't making YOU do it!


----------



## Tarynsgate (Sep 25, 2010)

Yeah, I'm glad they didn't pass me the hoover 

I suppose most hedgies are indifferent to the noise haha.


----------

