# is there an age where hedgies get nippy?



## DaisyMae (Apr 18, 2013)

my hedgie is 10 almost 11 weeks old and tonight i had her wrapped in a towel to handle her and she started biting the towel, then i set her on my chest because i was laying down on my bed and she started biting my sweatshirt. this happened within 5 mins. shes been dropping baby quills quite a bit but otherwise when i set her back she just got a drink and went back into her igloo. shes been very sassy all day and i dont even know why. she was hissing and popping earlier until i literally let her be. this is the first time shes bit something so i was wondering if she was just cranky or if shes going to start doing this more often. also what times do you usually take her out?


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## DaisyMae (Apr 18, 2013)

update: we let her sleep all day today. and she finally woke up to eat and while she was taking a drink out of her water bottle she started biting the crap out of it! i dont know why shes been acting like this. does anyone have any advice?? shes been scratching a lot lately too. i just wish i could understand what is going on.


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## CinnasParents (Mar 7, 2013)

Has she quilled yet? If she hasn't that's why she's scratching more. You can try an oatmeal bath to sooth her skin. I know Shadow got really nippy around the time he was quilling. Do not worry, it should pass. Make sure you keep playing with her, socialization is key, no matter how grumpy. Some hedgehogs just have grumpy days along with good days.
Biting her water bottle is bad for her teeth. Have you tried getting her to drink water from a bowl? My hedgies won't drink from a bowl, so I just bought a bigger bottle with a larger opening for the water and that stopped them from biting at it.
The best time to try to play with them is during the evening to night since during the day time they are usually asleep. She's still a baby so she may just want to sleep a lot.


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## DaisyMae (Apr 18, 2013)

thank you for replying to my post, and yeah shes been quilling for a while. and oatmeal bath as in buy some oatmeal shampoo wash no tear? and yeah ive tried getting her to drink from a bowl but she just completely ignores it and she doesnt eat if she doesnt have a water source she likes/: shes picky. and alright, we left her all day today and just took her out to finally clip her nails, which she wasnt amused at that either. but a bigger water bottle will work? i just wanna make sure she doesnt make a habit of biting her water bottle for whatever reason shes been doing/:


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## CinnasParents (Mar 7, 2013)

I use oatmeal shampoo for baths, but that also dries the skin out if done too often. For this kind of bath, just add regular oatmeal to a sock and swirl it around the water. I place my hedgies in the water and then squeeze the sock filled with oatmeal water over their backs and it helps. You can also try a few drops of olive oil or flaxseed oil as you're taking her out of the bath. Plus, after bath time my hedgehogs love to cuddle up with me til they get warm and dry, which is great for bonding.  
My babies HATE having their nails clipped. They act like I'm torturing them or something. It makes me feel bad.
Yeah, I bought a bigger water bottle for mine and he stopped doing it instantly. It's like he wasn't getting the amount of water he wanted so he was biting at the bottle.


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## DaisyMae (Apr 18, 2013)

alright, ill try that tonight because she has been scratching ALL day. i feel so bad for her. do i have to wash the oatmeal water off after? and alright ill see where i can find a bigger one.


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