# So heart broken and upset....



## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

So Olive and I were doing our normal bonding time today and I went to put her back in her cage and went OOPS I forgot to check her broken nail and went to get her and she crawled in her tube, so I got her new snuggle pouch out and went to gently slide her into it so it would be easy to hold her, well it terrified her and so I set her down in her cage and went to bare hand pick her up and she freaked out, she went to tunnel under her wheel (never have I seen her do that) then I left her alone came back and she was ANOINTING!!! BAD... I tried to put her fleece down but she wanted nothing to do with it, so I put her 2 regular fleeces in AND her igloo, she WILL NOT go under even her regular fleece and is acting so scared, I have been crying because I upset her so much and now I am afraid she will be scared of me forever. I didn't mean to scare her so bad. Ugh I am a terrible mother. a TERRIBLE mom. I am like having a panic attack that she's gonna be scared of me forever now.


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## Amandarrella (Jun 13, 2014)

I would not worry about it. Hedgehogs tunneling under their wheel is not unusual and she will probably get over it if you scared her. Coral is annoyed by me one day and in love with me and everyone else the next. They have personalities and that is what I love best about them. Every day is a new day. Just keep working with her and there will be less grumpy days.


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

Okay, take a deep breath and calm down. Everything will be okay! Hedgies are just very timid by nature, so you didn't do anything wrong. You're a good hedgehog mom to be acting this worried about her  

You probably just started her, is all. Especially if she was cozy and comfy in her tube. My girl gets grumpy with me if I try to move her when she's comfortable too, they all do! Also, as Amandarella said, tunneling under the wheel is normal. Especially if she was a little scared, she was probably just looking for somewhere sneaky to hide. And anointing isn't a bad or negative behavior, it just means she found a scent she liked (perhaps under her wheel). 

Definitely keep her regular routine when you have her out for bonding tonight, so she is used to it. I would just be extra gentle, though she probably doesn't remember anything about last night's ordeal. She won't be scared of you forever, especially if you just keep up the bonding routine and be gentle with her. Good luck


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## phoenix1964 (Jan 23, 2014)

our hedgehog used to really freak out when I thorougly cleaned her cage. I learned to leave at leat one fleece scrap with her smell on it so she wouldn't be so scared. Penny still likes to burrow under her wheel and will often knock it over to sleep under the fleece there. They are strange little things with their own personality and just when you think you have them figured they change everything on you! Annointing usually means that they REALLY liked something! Stop beating yourself up! Follow Lilsurfergrlsp"s suggestions and relax!


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## Melanie G. (May 29, 2014)

Annointing isn't a bad thing- although I don't think anyone had ever determined why they do this, but from what I read it usually happens when they taste something new, or really like something as mentioned above, or it can be part of bonding. It's their normal behaviour.
Burrowing under the wheel is also normal. Mine still occasionally do that and while I can't figure out how it is in any way comfortable, they don't seem to mind. And by the next morning I usually find them back in their igloo.
She's going to be okay. Try to relax around her as animals can pick up on your stress.


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## Teddi4211 (Apr 30, 2014)

Yes, just take a breath! I'm sure we've all done something to frighten our hedgie. They're scared by nature. Honestly, I think I've mistakenly startled my hedgehogs numerous times, mostly when they're sleeping. In fact, one night I had Adella in a bonding bag with me on my bed. I dozed off since it was late. When I woke up I nearly had a heart attack. She wasn't on my bed, in her cage, or anywhere on my floor. I was hysteric, but she was just hiding under some blankets and was perfectly okay. I hope my bad mother story helped you feel better.


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

Thanks and I feel a little better now, but she has had 2 bad days in a row! She went to the vet today =[ At least she was under for the whole thing so she wouldn't be so stressed by the whole thing. I also made her go to target with me since the vet is RIGHT next to it and she told me to pick some things up... I am gonna take her out tonight and spoil her.


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## Teddi4211 (Apr 30, 2014)

I would spoil Adella to get her less grumpy, but she's the pickiest hedgehog. No baby food, no outside human foods, not much interest with wet cat food. Although, she likes live mealworms. I wish she's like other foods since I hate touching the mealworms. I'm not even a person who's not good around bugs! I just can't handle them. 

Glad you're feeling better. Pet scares are the worst. When I cut the quick on my rabbit's nail I was nearly having a heart attack while she ate some lettuce and stared at me like a crazy person.


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

I HATE MEAL WORMS TOO!!!!! I use chopsticks to pick them up and feed them to her lol So you could do that if you don't like touching them. It actually works pretty well lol. I also spoil her I think I gave her like 4 extra mealies last night.... Have you tried hard boiled eggs? Olive loves those almost more than meal worms. I haven't tried wet cat food because it is VERY VERY bad for their teeth. It can make them rot or get infected so that will never be an option for baby Olive. She will not eat apple or anything like that so...Not really an option either. And yeah pet scares are the worse. I told the guy who gave me her what the vet said and about her nails being so long they were almost growing back into her skin and he was like "OMG really I cut them a week before I gave you her!" No no you didn't you big fat liar.


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## Teddi4211 (Apr 30, 2014)

I figured out chopsticks last night since mealworms are the only thing she'll eat right now. I hate having t put wet cat food in there as well. I'm just hoping she'll eat something. She didn't touch it...sigh, but she ate all her mealworms!


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

Have you tried to make a "Sticky" for her?


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## Teddi4211 (Apr 30, 2014)

I've made a thread about the vet's advice, which turned out to be useless. A hedgehog "specialist" apparently was googling her symptoms. I could have done that for a lot cheaper. Plus, she gave bad conclusion. Calcium deficiency, and she isn't showing half the symptoms.


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

No like a syringe with wet food in it to feed her


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## Teddi4211 (Apr 30, 2014)

Oh. Yeah, but she refused to open her mouth. I tried every trick and she wouldn't have any of it.


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

poor baby


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