# New Hedgehog owner



## OctoberBride17 (Feb 14, 2012)

Hello Everyone, I just got my first hedgehog Henry 3 days ago. He is a little over 6 weeks old. I did a ton of research on hedgies before I decide to get him, but I am reading every hedgehog is different. I need some help! I read where babies do sleep a lot, which my little guy is doing. He wakes up all through the night to run on his wheel, and then he is back to bed. I am having a little problem holding him. When I take him out of his cage he does the pop thing, and curls up into a ball. Every time I try to touch him he hisses at me, he will eventually start to walk on me, but he is so fast and seems to just want to get away from me and hide in a blanket  Is there anything I can do to try and make him more comfortable with me? He seems to love my husband. He goes right to him and crawls all over him. The breeder I bought him from says he is quilling, but I haven't seen Any quills anywhere.. Could this be the reason he doesn't seem to care for me? He was all over me and snuggling with me when I went to pick him up. Also he is getting ready to have to have his first bath, his little feet are covered in poop, and his toe nails need a good clipping. Any suggestions on how to cut his toenails??? I am familiar with cutting small animals nails, but I have No idea how on earth to hold him to cut them???? I have read on here a lot of people are using Aveno to wash them, but I am very allergic to aveno anything. Is Johnson's head to toe baby wash ok? I also saw some people saying not to use the silent spinner wheels, is there any reason not to use them? That is the kind of wheel I have in his cage now, and he seems fine in it. He loves it and will run for a good hour at a time. My last question, He will NOT touch a meal worm! I have been trying for 2 nights now, he will sniff them then turn and run away! Is there any other type of yummy treat I can feed him? I was thinking baby food?? Thank you so much for the help!!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Hey there, and welcome to HHC! 

His behavior is pretty normal, to be honest. Sometimes they might get a preference for one person over another, it just kind of depends. You can put a shirt that you've slept in a couple nights in his cage if you want, which will help him learn your smell. When you have him out, if he's just trying to burrow and sleep, let him. He sounds like he might be a cuddler, and prefer sleeping on you guys when you have him out. A lot of hedgies are like this, and even if they're sleeping on you, it still counts as bonding time! Just make sure you continue to get him out every night, and just be patient with him. With time, he may calm down more around you.

Even though you aren't seeing quills yet, he's still at the age for quilling (and will be for the next couple months), so his skin may still be sore and it might be affecting his mood. Oatmeal baths will help with quilling, just straight non-instant oatmeal. You can put it in a sock and squish it around in the water until it's cloudy. You can do that for his first few baths until he's out of the quilling stage, rather than using any kind of soap. Once you do need a soap...I wouldn't use any kind of baby wash - they're usually pretty drying for animal skin. You might be able to find some other kind of adult body wash that has oatmeal in it that isn't Aveeno, I found these two things - http://www.walmart.com/ip/Equate-Oatmea ... t/10320783 and http://www.walmart.com/ip/St-Ives-Oatme ... z/19856925

Silent Spinners aren't really safe. He may be doing fine with it right now, but honestly, I wouldn't risk it with the complaints that many people have heard and had about them. Some of the dangers - the yellow nut will unscrew, making the wheel fall off the stand (possibly with him on it), the wheel coming apart at the join of the colored part and white part, and the crack where they join and the slits for drainage can very easily catch nails and toes and injure him. Check out the picture at the bottom of this thread - viewtopic.php?f=43&t=14937 That hedgie caught his toes in the slits and that was the result. You could possibly tape up the bottom, but that doesn't solve all the problems, and it creats a new one - the wheel's shape holds in pee and poop and you'll have a VERY messy hedgie!

For a new wheel, if you want something from the pet store, the best wheel you're going to find is the Comfort Wheel. It's the only safe one, but it's also a bit noisy and can be difficult to clean. If you want the best wheel you're going to get for him, I'd highly recommend LarryT's Carolina Storm Wheels. viewtopic.php?f=61&t=4844 and viewtopic.php?f=61&t=9827 They're very easy to clean, they're completely safe, they're silent, and they'll last probably through Henry's lifetime. Also, the customer service is great! Larry's a member on the forums here and he's very quick about getting back to anyone that has questions or issues with the wheel or delivery.

Sorry for the long answer! :lol: Hope you stick around and share some pictures of Henry, we all love baby hedgie pics! 

Edit: Forgot about the nail trimming question. Nancy has some good tips in this thread - viewtopic.php?f=33&t=75 If you do a search in the health section for "nail trimming" and "nail clipping", you'll get tons of results as well.


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## OctoberBride17 (Feb 14, 2012)

Thank you for all of your help! He does seem to just want to sleep on me, I'm glad to hear that it still counts as bonding time! I sure hope he calms down with me, I had him out tonight when he woke up and he kept hissing at me  I think I'm going to give the st Ives wash a try, I love their lotion lol. Oh yes I will be getting rid of the silent spinner as soon as I can! I do NOT want anything to happen to my baby! I will be looking into the Carolina Storm Wheel. I would love to have something that is quiet. Henry sleeps in my bedroom, I am a night owl but tonight he decided to get back up at 5 am and go for a run in the not quiet at all silent wheel. Thank you again for all of you help! I will get a picture of Henry up as soon as it lets me! I have been trying to get it on here, but my internet wants to act up!


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

(This is what I get for slow typing on my phone - lilysmommy replied before me, haha. So apologies for whatever of this is a repeat of what she said! :] )

Hedgehog babies will often be more friendly when they're first picked up from the breeder because they're still in a familiar environment. Since you've only had him three days, it's really just a matter of time. Keep handling him every day. Also remember that not all hedgehogs have cuddly personalities - he might be more of an explorer type, if he's more interested in crawling around on you than staying in your hands. For picking him up, the initial huffy/prickly reaction is common. Try to use a confident, quick motion (even if it hurts, haha) - of you're nervous or fumbling to get ahold of him, he won't be as comfortable. At this point he's still not very familiar with you, and he's reacting defensively. It will help if you pay attention to his moods and whether there's any difference depending on what time it is that you take him out, as some are more prone to grumpiness at certain times; also taking him out at about the same time each day will help him sort of come to expect it and not see it as such an intrusion.

If he's not quilling at 6 weeks, he soon will be. Going by my experience with Archimedes, the baby quills are kind of sparse compared to the adult quills, and especially in the earlier part of quilling, it's more apparent when you see new quills coming in rather than how many fall out. (Ares actually is losing three times as many quills now, toward the end of his quilling, than he ever did the rest of the time it wa going on.) Look closely at his skin and see whether any new quills are visible; they're just tiny points at first when they're just breaking through the skin. If you don't see any of that, like I said, you will soon - and yes, quilling can make even the friendliest baby into a hateful lump of spikes. This could be contributing, but it sounds like mostly he just hasn't bonded with you yet.

For clipping the toenails, I prefer a cuticle clipper because it gives a better angle and better view than normal nail clippers. It helps to do it after a foot bath because the nails soften from the water. Some hedgehogs are much less cooperative than others, and you'll have to sort of experiment to figure out a method that you and he are both comfortable with. With Ares, it's a lot of repositioning and going for whatever foot happens to be available. Don't b afraid to get a grip on the foot to do it, an it might help to have treats or some kibble on hand to get him to cooperate.

The silent spinner wheel has several problems for hedgehogs, and it's considered a dangerous wheel for them. There was a photo posted recently of a silent spinner splattered with blood from a hedgehog getting injured by running on it. The main problem is that the running surface has a "seam" down the middle where the two parts meet, and this can easily catch the toes or nails. Nails can be (and have been) ripped off. That alone is plenty of reason to stay away from them. The shape of the running surface, with the raised outer edge, also keeps feces and urine from being able to run off of it; poopy wheels are a normal hedgehog thing, but urine trapped inside the wheel with them makes a slippery surface, gets it coated on their undersides, and keeps in the smell. They're also hard to clean, and occasionally have been known to fall apart, which can hurt the hedgehog or trap them. (Not important for the hedgehog, but they're also not very silent; they start out quiet and get progressively louder.) I would highly suggest a bucket wheel or cake topper wheel - they're the most popular for hedgehogs, completely safe and completely silent. You can either buy one or make it yourself; I did the latter. (It was about $15 in supplies and an hour or so of work, and Ares adores it.)

Some hedgehogs don't like bugs, or it can jus take a while for them to figure out that it's food. Other good options for treats/additions are baby food, fruits/vegetables (no citrus), crickets, or unseasoned cooked meat like chicken. Keep in mind that hedgehogs can be insanely picky and some will never want anything other than kibble. Ares refused numerous different things, and after weeks finally was willing to try watermelon. Make sure you only try one new thing at a time.


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## OctoberBride17 (Feb 14, 2012)

Moxieberry Thank you for your help also! I think he might not be comfortable with me because I am a little nervous trying to pick him up. Tonight after he got done hissing at me, he finally let me hold him, but he kept running away. The breeder said he was a cuddle butt, that was one of the reasons I chose him, but I'm starting to think he may be an explorer. Either way I'm happy I have him. I am prob. just scaring him because of my being nervous. Its going to take me some time but I will master picking him up with no problems lol. My husband can just grab him with no problems, but wow he hurts my hands lol.. I might invest in some gloves  I saw the picture of the blood on the spinner, I am 100 % getting rid of it asap! Its just horrible! I wish the breeder I bought him from would have told me about the wheel, she asked me what kind I got him  Did you just make your wheel yourself or did you find a website that told you how to do it? I don't want to sound cheap but I would rather spend the $15 and make him a good one, than the $40 its going to cost me to buy one already made  How do you go about giving him crickets? lol prob a stupid question but I see them just jumping all over the place..He seems quite happy with his kibble, he goes to town on it!


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

http://www.mihog.org/products.phtml at the bottom of the page there are three links on making a wheel.


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## OctoberBride17 (Feb 14, 2012)

Thank you! After reading how to make one, its prob. much safer for Henry if I just come buy one! Thanks again!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

With handling and picking him up...It's definitely normal to be nervous with it for awhile, especially when he's hissing and huffing and popping at you. Just make sure you don't hesitate when you go to pick him up - then he feels your hesitation and that confirms for him that there's something to be nervous about. Gloves aren't really needed, even for picking him up - if your hands are really sensitive to his quills, try using a fleece blanket or a t-shirt to pick him up to help shield your hands. It'll still smell familiar and then you can continue to hold and cuddle him in the blanket. He may always stay huffy and hissy when you go to pick him up - a lot of hogs do, or get territorial over their cages. He may grow out of it, especially after quilling. If you guys set up a schedule for bonding time (say, always getting him out from 8-10 or something like that), he may also come to expect what time you come to get him, and may start waking up a bit, or react a bit better since he knows to expect it. 

If you think he might like exploring, see if you can set up a hedgie-safe room or a play pen that you can sit in with him along with some toys and his wheel. That way you can let him run around and he may become more comfortable with you being near, even if you're not handling him directly. This counts as bonding time too! It's a bit harder to feel like you're bonding with an explorer, since you're not as hands-on, but as long as you're around him and he's getting used to your voice, presence, touch, etc. then it still counts.


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## EinsteinsMama (Jan 18, 2012)

Every hedgehog owner has gotten poked... and it hurts... but you get used to it. :lol: Einstein still gets huffy with me, but i just scoop him up and let him unroll in my hands, or he unrolls immediately and does the 'let me down!' dance. The first couple days I had him, I put in a t-shirt I had previously worn the night before and let him snuggle with it and I would take the shirt and gently lift him up. Now he won't sleep in his igloo unless that stupid shirt is in there. :roll: :lol: 

I'm sorry if you've already said this, but do you have a snuggle bag for your hedgie? Einstein ALWAYS sleeps in his, and I will pick up the bag with him in it, put it on my bed and just let him come out. Don't be afraid to give him meal worms either! I bribed Einstein like crazy! You can get some at PetSmart for about $3 for 50 of them, just keep them in your fridge (I also have two box turtles, so I go through them fast). Einstein also loves honeydew melon, washed unspiced chicken, strawberries, and brussel sprouts. 

Welcome to the forums  Don't be afraid to ask for advice, the people here are wonderful and brutally honest. :mrgreen:


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## OctoberBride17 (Feb 14, 2012)

Well I took the advice about picking him up with his fleece blanket. That seemed to work!! I just scooped him right up and he only hissed at me for a second!  He seemed really into me tonight! My husband was holding him and I started to talk to him ( calling his name) and he came right to me! I also gave him a quick little bath with st ives oatmeal wash and he seemed to really enjoy it! That was a HUGE relief to me since I was reading giving them a bath could really stress them out! He let me brush through his quills, so I did get to see that he is getting new quills. I do have a question, there is a spot on the top of his head, it kind of almost looks like if we get an ingrown hair ( kind of skin bubbled up around it) and I noticed it had a drop of blood on it :| Should I take him to the vet? Or is that normal when they get quills?? That seems to be the only spot on him that looks that way. The other quills that are coming in seem to be ok. Oh EinsteinsMama I do have him a snuggle bag, he likes to sleep in it when my husband hold him. I tried the meal worms again tonight, he still does not seem to care about them. I put a few in with his food and they are still there..But I did give him some baby food, (it was chicken flavor) and he Loved it! I had it on a spoon and he kept coming right back to me for some more  I have a few more flavors I'm going to try. I also have some strawberries in the fridge that I will try. After his bath tonight he got into the hood of my coat and just slept there for a good hour. He wasn't very happy when I took him out of it :? Does anyone else cover 3 sides of their cage with a blanket? His breeder said because we are in winter still that I should do this. He is in my bedroom, so it keeps his cage dark, but He doesn't get much light at all because of the blanket? Thank you all for your help! I don't mind at all if people are brutally honest, I would rather them be that way so I know if I am doing something wrong! I just want whats best for my new little baby!


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## ShutUpAndSmile (Mar 7, 2011)

Remember to introduce new foods slowly. One new food a week otherwise he'll get an upset tummy. But yeah opal didn't try mealies for weeks. Just keep offering. I think what got her is she tried an alien and then I gave her the worm.

At night most hogs prefer complete darkness and it's good to cover their cage if you plan on having the light on. 
During the day though you should have a lamp or light that is on for 12-14 hours otherwise he may attempt hibernation. Most of us have them on a timer
Does he have a heat source?
congrats on your new baby )


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## OctoberBride17 (Feb 14, 2012)

Oh ok, ugh oh, is it ok to try the meal worm and the baby food? Or should I just skip the baby food for right now and keep trying with the worm?? What is an alien? During the night we only have 3 small lamps on which do not put off any light into his cage. No we do not have a heat source. I'm still not too sure what to use?? The room he is in is at about 75, and I keep checking to make sure he doesn't get cold at all. His little feet got cold once but that was when I had him downstairs. I put him in his little sleep sack and he warmed right back up. I am freaking out about him getting too cold. I Love to sleep when its cold in my room, but I have kept it pretty warm in here because of him. If you have any sugestions on a good heat source that would be Great  I would LOVE to be able to cut my fan back on high at night!


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## ShutUpAndSmile (Mar 7, 2011)

You should get a CHE set up. Having the temp go down by even a degree or two can sometimes cause a hibernation attempt. I'm on my phone. So I can't link you to the thread but there are threads in regards to heating and lighting. IMO keep with the baby food then next week try the mealies again. The whole idea is to see if it gives him loose stool or anything like that. An alien is the in between stage from mealworm to its beetle it kinda looks like a white kacuna from Pokemon lol 
Does he have a light during the day(not day light) ?


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## OctoberBride17 (Feb 14, 2012)

Ok thank you, I will check into the CHE set up. Yeah I really don't want him to attempt to hibernate! Ok I will keep with the baby food for the week  he really seemed to enjoy it and took right to it unlike the worm. Yes during the day I keep the fan light on. If for some reason I am not home, I keep the shades on the window open.


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## ShutUpAndSmile (Mar 7, 2011)

Daylight doesn't work. He really needs a constant light source during the day. As the days get shorter **** think it's winter and try and hibernate. You need to make sure he has a constant schedule of like 7am to 9pm or 7pm with a light on shining in his cage.


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## OctoberBride17 (Feb 14, 2012)

Ok no problem, I will move his cage to where I know for sure the light is getting in! Thank you so much for your help!


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