# He bit me



## SamN'Cuz (Jun 24, 2019)

I was holding my hedgie in my lap and he was starting to sniff around when out of nowhere he just but my hand. He bit me so hard that he split my finger open in two places and I had to pull him off of me. Can anyone help me figure out why he bit me


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

Did you have any kind of food scent on your hands?


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## SamN'Cuz (Jun 24, 2019)

No and he wasnt even really sniffing my hand before he bit it, he just sunk his teeth in. He bit me so hard I bled and I had to pull him off of my hand


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## Brooke Lancelot (Jan 30, 2019)

Lol my boy does that too. Usually its just when they're mad, or they have pain. Or, like mine, just likes to bite because he can.


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

Did you move your hand fast?? Maybe he thought it was a threat?? 

Or had you been like poking in/touching him in a way he didn't like?? 

I also know that some bite because they are fed up of you and are telling you that they want to go back/be left alone.


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## SamN'Cuz (Jun 24, 2019)

No I was just holding my hand near him waiting for him to poke his head out (he was hiding under an old shirt of mine I let him play with when I bond with him) and he just poked his head out amd immediately bit me. He tried to do it again just now when I opened his cage and let him walk over to my hand to smell me. (Its the middle of the night here and he was being active so I thought I'd try bonding again since last time was cut short)


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

I don't know are you sure your hands have no scent on? They are like dogs when it comes to smelling things.


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## SamN'Cuz (Jun 24, 2019)

I would've have thought that too but he always licks me first is he likes my smell or taste but this time no warning. He had his quills up amd his head down and then chomp!! Same thing just now, he just cuddles across his cage to my hand and he snapped at me again


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

Have you changed anything that you use? Like maybe he thinks its not you?


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## SamN'Cuz (Jun 24, 2019)

I use various tshirts, but only ones that smell like me.. he usually calms down very quickly with me, not even five minutes usually, and today he was very huffy amd kept popping at me for about 15 minutes so I let him just stay burrowed in 'his' shirt and then he bit me


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

How old is he?


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## SamN'Cuz (Jun 24, 2019)

5 months old so still a baby


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

Could he be quilling?
This can cause bites out of no where and extra huffy behaviour.


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## Mecki (Nov 4, 2017)

Have you changed the soap you use to wash your hands? That could make him think you are someone unfamiliar.


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## Brooke Lancelot (Jan 30, 2019)

My boy likes to bite me unexpectedly too. I'm still not sure for the reason behind him doing it. Just his temper. If everything rules out, and you didn't do anything to cause this behavior, then its probably just his habit. 

I'm currently sitting with a wound from my boy too. He thought I was something to eat. Licked my finger, then bit me to try and get my skin.. They are omnivores so 😂


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

As already mentioned, if he is 5 months old, quilling could be the cause. Discomfort can cause hedgehogs to suddenly bite and be overly jumpy. If he's quilling, the good news it will end, if he isn't, take a look to see if you can find a cause of discomfort. Quills poking sensitive areas, etc. 

The best thing you can do though, is to keep your fingers away from his teeth until either he settles back down, or until you figure out what is causing his discomfort. Also, when you get bitten, be careful in how you react to it. Continue to interact with him, don't put him in his cage immediately. Don't blow in his face or try to 'punish' him. These actions will actually reinforce the biting and you can end up with a longer term behavioral problem to deal with.


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## Lady_Alec (Jan 2, 2018)

My hedgehog went through a time of biting just like this. It came out of nowhere and she was suddenly violent towards me for no reason I could find. I was heartbroken that my sweet cuddly girl was suddenly mean. I spent a lot of time asking for advice and didn’t find any answers. I did all of the still taking her out and not putting her away right away and none of it helped. I ended up only taking her out a couple times a week and giving her space for a few months. It was really hard but after a while she grew out of it as best I can tell. She’s now super relaxed and chill again. See what works for you but in my case the only thing I found that helped was time and space. I hope your boy gets out of his funk sooner then mine did!


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## tracey7me (May 4, 2019)

How old is he? They get grumpier if they are quilling. Cosmo has bittenme a couple times but you can't stop trying with him. If he gets away with biting making you leave him alone he will resort to that. Cosmo typically does it if I have disturbed him to early or if he's frustrated. Also the licking is generally a precursor to biting. At least it is with Cosmo.


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