# New Baby



## mtnwmn (Nov 25, 2010)

Tuesday (23rd), my baby Shocktop finally came home! She's an algerian cinnimon pinto (but from what I've seen, she only has one very small white spot on her bum). She is gorgeous, with a cute little upturned nose and a pretty dark facial mask for a cinnimon. 
I decided I wanted a hedgehog Summer of 2009, but knew I was studying abroad in Russia, and didn't want to have to leave a poor baby at home alone for weeks, so I told the breeder to put me on the bottom of the waiting list until I knew I was in America for good. In the meantime, I spent all of my time reading everything I could about hedgehogs, including following the happenings on hedgehogcentral. When I got back from Russia, my boyfriend of 3 years picked up the sale as a birthday/christmas/graduation present (all of which are happening in December). She was born 10/12, and I have been counting down the days until I got her.
Unfortunately, on Monday (22), I had a minor surgery, preventing me from sitting comfortably. As a result, my boyfriend went to get her from the breeder without me. He got to hold Shocktop for a while, and while she seemed more comfortable with the breeder, she was okay with him holding her. The car ride home (3 hours, plus stops) distressed her, and she was happy to finally be home! I have been on pain medicine for the past few days, which means time has flown by, but also that I'm awake at random hours. 
Late at night, I'm able to devote a few hours to watching her (she's done a fabulous job getting the cage just how she wants it-- she runs on her wheel for hours at night, and has a healthy appetite.) In the morning, I can see that her poops are normal.
I do have a few questions, though.
First, last night when she came out "to play" for the night, she scratched a few times. She hasn't done this before. She seemed to have itchy sides. I'm hoping this is just her "wakeup" scratch-- she has fleece bedding and nothing wooden in her cage, so I don't think it's mites, and she's only about 7 weeks old, so I don't think she could be quilling. Should I be concerned about this?
She also sneezes occasionally (and it's not her huffing/clicking/popping sound, it's when she's burrowing down to sleep!)
She seems to be pretty tolerant of my behavior. I have been taking her out for about five minutes in the morning (between 6 and 7), and then about 25 minutes at night (9:30). When I pick her up, she is all clicks and burrows down in the blanket I use to pick her up. It's a baby blanket I bought for her, and I would like for her to get used to my smell on it (I slept with it for a few days). After she stops clicking, if I leave her alone, she gets restless and tries to go anywhere except for where she is. If I try to touch her, she's all clicks and pops again. This morning, things were going well, and she even was crawling onto my arms from the blanket, when she bit me! It wasn't a hard bite, it didn't break the skin, and she let go of me as soon as she realized what she'd done (or that I wasn't edible). Honestly she nipped me and let go so quickly I didn't have time to react. I'm not upset with her for this, just a little confused.
I guess reading about how it takes a while for hedgehogs to warm up to you is different than experiencing it. I just want to be the best hedgehog mommy I can be, and want to make sure I'm dong everything right. 
I shouldn't be more concerned about her itches and her occasional sneezes, should I?
She's dong a great job warming up to me, considering all she's been through, right? I couldn't ask anything more of my little princess? (It's just hard to compare the experience the boyfriend had at the breeder's and what I'm working for here).

Also, I'm glad to finally have someone to post about


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

Welcome! Shocktop seems to be a cutie and we would love to see pictures of her. 

I don't have a lot of experience with babies because when I got my Col. Mustard, she was already one year old (we adopted her from the evil hands of a 8-year-old) but I do know that it takes time and patience for your new hedgie to warm up to you. It sounds like you're on the right track though. 

You said sometimes she gets restless while out with you, my Mustard gets like that when she needs to pee. Try to give her a few minutes after waking her up before getting her out of the cage, so she can relieve herself if she wants to.

Regarding the scratching, watch her closely, but a lot of hedgies will scratch when they first wake up... Kinda like they're combing their bed head. 

It's recommended that you take your new hedgie to a vet visit when you first get them, to make sure they are healthy. Do you have a vet in your area who sees hedgehogs? 

Hope that helped!


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## Quinnie Pooh (Nov 25, 2010)

Hi Mtnwmn,

Like you, I have wanted a hedgehog for ages, and I spent a lot of time looking at hedgie-porn! You know, those adorable videos posted on Youtube? I also spent a lot of time reading about my hedgie baby while I waited for her to be ready to come home from the breeders.

No matter how much I thought I had prepared, It _is_ different when you actually get your little one home.

I had to drive over 300 miles each way to pick up my hedgehog, so I didn't get a chance to see what she was like until the day I picked her up, and I could understand that she was going to be a little stressed out.

I thought _I'd_ be the perfect hedgehog owner. I would be patient and understanding and she would just know that I meant her no harm and she would happily cuddle up to me and play tug of war with a piece of cilantro. NOT!!!

I have had Quinn the Eskimo for just over two weeks. I love her to death, but it is a rare thing for me to see her cute little face. All I usually see is a huffing, popping clicking ball! And no one told me that when she was popping and clicking that she would purposely aim those razor sharp quills at my hand!

If I enter her room and she's hiding in her fleece pile, our conversation goes like this: Me: "Quinny" Her: "Hiss", Me: Quinny? Her: "HISS!" Rinse, lather, repeat! LOL!

One might think that she hates me, but I know its really nothing personal. I know she is quilling, so that must make her feel miserable. I know that no matter how nice I am to her, I am still a great big stranger.

I know I am making progress. She actually unrolls after a while of having her cuddled in fleece on my lap. I have actually held her once, maybe twice, when I could feel her soft furry belly on my palm, instead of her needle-sharp baby quills. And when I hold her in a fleece embrace and make a sound like I'm smacking my lips and eating a juicy mealworm, she immediately quiets down, and I know I'm on the right track to figuring out her unique likes and dislikes.

If she never gets any friendlier, I can live with it. But the most reassuring thing I have read on this website, is the responses that assure me that it could take, not weeks, or months, but up to a year for her finally to get used to me. I think if more first time owners kept that in mind, there would be a lot less hedgies needing to find a new home.

Wow, I didn't mean to go on so, for my first post! I hope Shocktop (great name) and Quinnie Pooh can share lots of happy stories and photos for years to come. Maybe I'll even some day get a photo of something other than a quivering ball of quills! LOL!


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

Sounds like you guys are off to a great start, indeed like everyone else has said, it can take time for her to bond with you, days, weeks, months and even years. If she came from a good breeder and was well socialized, its more just the fact you're new to her, she has to come to know that you're someone she can trust and feel safe with. Even if she has settled into her new home, I'm sure she's still somewhat unsure which will make her on edge. My first hedgehog Vera was a very, very social girl who never balled or even raised her quills at me, but she would huff when touched. After a month, she stopped huffing, so even the most social hogs will be huffy at first. But from what you've described, she'll come around and be a friendly little thing.

Like Quinn the Eskimo & Quinnie Pooh, I also have my own 'deva' as I like to call her. She did not come from a breeder, but some crazy animal lady with a ton of exotics. She belong to this woman's daughter who never handled her as a hoglet, she was still young and somewhat small when I got her, but despite the time I've put into her for almost 6 months now, she has changed very little. She doesn't like human contact, will huff, click, hiss and pop at me when handling her, balls up when picked up (though comes out within a minute), and even gives me an ear full if I get near the cage (which is fun, its next to my bed). Despite this, I do love her, and her 'in your face' personality. But indeed despite all the videos you see on Youtube, its not always that experience, and most of those hedgehogs have been with their own for a good amount of time. My personal favorite was a few nights ago when I was going to bed and walking by the cage. I can't see her due to their cage curtain but knew she was probably out (she comes out, wheels for a couple of hours and then naps outside her house). As I walked by I said "goodnight Hester" which instantly made her hiss and click at me. I just chuckled and thought it was cute, heh.

Patience is a virtue when it comes to hedgehogs.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

*Dang it Puffers! It took me so stinking long to type up my post that you beat me to it!* :lol: 

Welcome to HHC Mtnwmn & Quinnie Pooh! And congrats on your hedgies!!

First, mntwmn - what do you use for the cage. Liners or wood chips? I ask, because if you use wood, that could be part of the itching & sneezing.

For both of you, it does just take time. And patience. And being consistent. And learning about the personality of your hedgie. What one likes, another may not. We've had great success with our girl Zoey, who came to us at about 1 1/2 years old. She would pop & huff at any movement or touch. But every night I keep her in my lap for about 1 hour. I have something for her to hide/burrow in like a towel or blanket. I would rest my hand on her back gently & just leave it there until she stopped popping & huffing. Every night. And, of course, bribery works well.  Mealies or her favorite kibble. Eventually she would let us pet her & will only occasionally huff at us now. But that won't work on every hedgie. There are explorers that will never want to sit & cuddle. 

That's one thing I love about this site. You find out what works ( & doesn't work) for other hedgie owners & it provides a bit of insight into your own hedgie. Don't get discouraged. These things take time. In the meantime, try to enjoy your hedgie the way they are now. I'm sure you will find little quirks that amuse you.


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

Hehe, I'm a quick draw keyboardist, but then again I've ran a text based game for 13 years, you end up typing like it was second nature.

I forgot about the sneezing and scratching. Mtnwmn mentioned that Shocktop is on fleece liners, so its possible if you washed them in detergent, that this might be the cause of the sneezing, you did say she seems to do it when she is settling down to snooze. Most hedgehogs seem to curl their face under themselves, which would put her nose near the fleece. You might try washing a liner with no detergent, and see if she stops. Main thing to look for is if she is sneezing all the time, then you need to watch for color mucus coming out of the nose or any kind of discharge, that would be a possible upper respitory infection.

As for the scratching, unless she is doing it all the time, I think its somewhat normal for them to scratch a little when waking up. I've read somewhere its kind of like them fixing their hair and kills due to 'bed head'. If she's scratching all the time, then it could be ticks or dry skin, which can be countered with flaxseed oil, found in the health section of most stores. The capsules can be poked open and put on their food and used in bath water.


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## mtnwmn (Nov 25, 2010)

It's so nice to finally interact with you all! Thank you all for the warm welcome!

Shocktop and I had a good night. She went relatively undisturbed during the day today, so she got a lot of good sleep. I got her out at about 9:30 pm. I tried the bathroom trick...


susanaproenca said:


> You said sometimes she gets restless while out with you, my Mustard gets like that when she needs to pee. Try to give her a few minutes after waking her up before getting her out of the cage, so she can relieve herself if she wants to.


...but she didn't want to use the bathroom. Instead she ate for about 3 minutes (that's just creating more of a problem) then I picked her up, and she was just as cranky as always, but just let her burrow down in her blanket and sleep. She stopped hissing, curled up, woke up, ran around, pooped, and then decided she liked me and started crawling up all over my hands and arms. Every day I seem to be making slow progress, and I'm happy with that. Even giving her a few minutes to wake up seemed to do a lot for getting her grump out faster. I understand she will take a while to calm down, and I'm ready to wait. 

Quinnie Pooh- I'm so glad I'm not alone! We can do this together- PM me and we can swap stories!! I can especially relate to your conversation. I want Shocktop to get used to my voice, so I was reading hedgehogcentral to her today. My occasional "What do you think of that?" was usually followed by "hiss, click". How can an aggressive sound be so cute!

I really appreciate all the advice. It's nice to learn from other peoples' mistakes. Since Shocktop is so young and I don't think she's been given treats before, I had to pick one and see how she reacted to it. Today I tried a small (dime sized) piece of cooked Turkey (Thanksgiving isn't just for peoples), but she wasn't interested. I put it in her food bowl, so hopefully when I sleep she will explore it. I guess I'll know in the morning if she loves it. If so, I will have found my currency for snuggle bribes.

I'll keep you updated, and will soon post pictures


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## mtnwmn (Nov 25, 2010)

I finally figured out how to attach pictures of my baby Shocktop! This first one was posted on her breeder's page, 10 days after she was born. When I saw the picture I cried she was so beautiful![attachment=2:2gwgd7yg]shocktop.jpg[/attachment:2gwgd7yg]... But now that I have seen her with fur, honestly it seems like a face only a mother could love.

After another week, [attachment=1:2gwgd7yg]shocktop2.JPG[/attachment:2gwgd7yg] was added to the website. She's so much cuter here! This is all I knew her as until Tuesday, when she came home to me.

Tuesday, I got this phone photo: [attachment=0:2gwgd7yg]hhc1.jpg[/attachment:2gwgd7yg]... I'm working on getting better ones! But I think these are good teasers.


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## mtnwmn (Nov 25, 2010)

Her mask also seems to be a lot darker than I expected, which makes me happy. I absolutely love the little masks. She also has the upturned, less-ratlike nose, which is GREAT, because my mom is NOT a fan of rodents.[attachment=2:22rerj5t]155692_10150332774255035_704315034_16104335_45358_n.jpg[/attachment:22rerj5t]This picture was taken right after I got her, and she was a little squirmy and stressed from her car ride.

She got her name from my first legal drink- Shocktop (a belgian-style wheat ale) because of its logo: [attachment=1:22rerj5t]4287511867_ecbe290a78.jpg[/attachment:22rerj5t] but the name wasn't concrete until my boyfriend sent me a picture of the Shocktop beetle driving around. The Mohawk is suspiciously quill-like! What do you guys think?[attachment=0:22rerj5t]4287508547_855aff40ab.jpg[/attachment:22rerj5t]

*Disclaimer: I am aware that alcohol and hedgehogs do not mix. I do not intend for Schocktop to ever meet her namesake.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

I love the name, its different and creative  That mohawk does look very quill like :lol: Shocktop is adorable.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Love the name! And she is adorable.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

She is adorable!! 

Most hedgies will poop after eat, as you probably know by now...  you can try to give her some more time after waking up, so she can eat, walk around the cage and poop is she wants to.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

I'm so jealous that you have baby pictures!! She is such a cutie! And I like her namesake. Going to have to try & track it down.


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

I really like your detailed stories and someone who is willing to invest the time and effort to establish a relationship with their baby hedgie.


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## Quinnie Pooh (Nov 25, 2010)

Omygoodness, thank you all for your kind words and welcome! And thank you Mtnwmn for posting a topic that I could piggyback on!

I absolutely cracked up seeing those excellent baby photos of Shocktop! It takes a special kind of person to look at those and say, omg - how cute! I totally agree, but don't hate me for saying, that is the homeliest baby I have ever seen! And I mean that in a good way. LOL

I have a few more questions, but I'm only on my lunch break and my dog is waiting patiently for my attention.

One question that I haven't seen answered. Is it okay to handle a hedgehog during the day? Or should they be left alone until they naturally wake up?

Thanks!


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

There's nothing wrong with waking them up for a bit in the afternoon. I'll wake mine up for some cuddles if I've had a bad day, am sad, or have heard about some kind of animal neglect or abuse. Or sometimes if I just have a picture idea I can't wait to do. I wouldn't keep them up for long. Maybe 1/2 an hour at the most, but that's just me. And I don't do it too often.

The main thing is not to try to make them change their nature, by keeping them up all day. Other than that, you have some flexibility.


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## poetic (Nov 30, 2010)

I was browsing the forums and immediately noticed the distinctive "Riddle's Hedgehogs" photo-style. I'm on their waitlist and should get a hedgie before Christmas! It's so nice to read a real-life example of someone bringing home a baby from where I will be getting mine. This was especially nice to read because it makes the whole process seem more realistic. (ie: Well-socialized babies won't necessarily be perfect cuddly angels.)

Shocktop is beautiful  Congrats.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

your baby is adorable!

i'm Russian, btw.


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## mtnwmn (Nov 25, 2010)

You're observant! I did adopt my little grump through Riddle's Hedgehogs, and it was an excellent experience. I could go on for days with how happy I was with the transaction.

I am shocked at how quickly Shocktop has returned to (what I have been told) is her "normal self". I was bunkering down for a long while of relationship building, and she seems to have just taken a week to settle and get into the groove. She still gets upset when she decides playtime is over or disturb her cage during the day, but yesterday I showed her off to 8 strangers and she was a dream! She even let me stroke her on her quills, face, and paws. No hissing, popping, or clicking! She even chirped once (something she only does with my boyfriend). 

I know the breeder socializes each of her babies well, and I think it really shows in how quickly she has come to be so social with me. It helps, though, that I have learned what bothers her, and when she's ready for playtime and snuggles. 

I'm not going to lie, I'm relieved.

Also, I need to find a Russian community! I have lived in a Russian community in college for the past three years, and am graduating in December. I have no idea how I will live without speaking Russian, and eating Russian food, and listening to Russian music! It's such a great culture. And I don't want my language ability to fade...


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