# Feeling like the worst parent



## ShadyImaging (Aug 23, 2014)

This is Tech and while I love him I'm starting to get worried about his hissing (all the time) and his running away. He has bitten a few times and I have read they normally dont. Please help with any advice. what can i do or change to help him and keep him happy. also i put an old shirt of mine in his cage one night and he squeaked? should i be worried? I feel like the worst parent alive............


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## phoenix1964 (Jan 23, 2014)

did he catch a toe on a loose thread or anything like that? You have to be very careful with things you put into their cage. Make sure you examine it very carefully for loose threads or even anything that could come loose. Don't forget that they are prey animals and are naturally frightened of a lot of things. The running away is just an attempt to get to safety, not that he doesn't like you! Pick him up in a fleece or blanket and keep your hands away! Sometimes when Penny is trying to re arrange her fleece she will bite it and tug it around, she is not really biting, she just can't move it with her arms!
If your hedgie is truly biting you then you can blow very gently on her face when she does this. She will begin to associate the two. This worked with Penny. Don't put him back in the cage as they will learn this is how to get the human to leave them alone.
Lastly, have A LOT of patience, this can take time. Some hegies are warm and snuggly and others like to run or play. Some just don't want to do anything!


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## Melanie G. (May 29, 2014)

My hedgehog Lucy makes some weird noises. Squeaking can be normal- I know my do it. Hedgies can also make little grunting sounds, they can snore, make a purring noise, and Lucy likes to every now and then let out a loud squeal like she is in pain- apparently she does this in her sleep. It scares me half to death when she does it but when I run over to her cage she is always sleeping.
Check him over to make sure nothing is caught on his foot or leg.


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

I feel like whoever said hedgehogs don't bite has never actually taken care of one. Only one of hedgehogs hasn't bitten me but she has bitten my fiance. It's not as uncommon as people make it seem to be. 

With the biting, sometimes younger hedgehogs still use their mouths to explore their world. He may be biting out of curiosity more than fear. I've also gotten bit by having something sweet on my hands, I think I was eating a fruit snack or something, while bonding and I put my hand in to pet Penny and she thought I was giving her a sugar filled treat. :lol: He may also be biting because you are blocking the way he wants to go. This happens when we use our hands to keep our little ones from falling off of things. I think the best thing to do is to figure out why he is biting and go from there. 

Also with the hissing, one of my hogs (my male) is the most vocal thing. He hisses, pops and growls (thanks to my new hog teaching him) and he does it a lot! He doesn't even raise his quills while he's doing it. It really is ridiculous. Some are just more vocal than others.


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## ShadyImaging (Aug 23, 2014)

Thank you everyone and you do be happy took know that he is in no way hurt. And I'm hoping by reading up on some techniques that have worked for others and play the trial and error game with him.


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

I recommend "fleece training" for the biting until he settles down. I really should make a posting about this and ask someone to sticky it so it's easily referred to, lol. Just get fleece and cut it into hedgehog sized blankets. Keep the fleece between his mouth and you at all times. If he goes for you, he gets the fleece. Use the fleece like you would use a rag bone with a dog if he persists in biting and he will learn it's ok to bite the fleece and not you. I do this with my Gabriel and for the most part, with few exceptions, he now bites the fleece and has a grand time playing with his fleece "kill"


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

gracefulchaos01 said:


> I recommend "fleece training" for the biting until he settles down. I really should make a posting about this and ask someone to sticky it so it's easily referred to, lol.


There is a sticky on biting or at least there used to be. It used to be in Behaviour but I notice it is no longer there. We seem to have lost numerous stickies when we changed over. I should have it copied somewhere so when I find it, I'll put it back. :lol:


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

Nancy said:


> There is a sticky on biting or at least there used to be. It used to be in Behaviour but I notice it is no longer there. We seem to have lost numerous stickies when we changed over. I should have it copied somewhere so when I find it, I'll put it back. :lol:


But but... Will you call it fleece training? :grin:


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## rsg1998 (Aug 31, 2014)

My hedgehog Matilda bites me every time she can see or smell skin! And jt is only me, none of my other family members. I always make sure to wash my hands and to be free of any scents. Although she always bites me for some reason she still lets me pick her up without rolling up in a ball. It is just the excessive biting that is a problem. At first it was just little nibbles but now this last time she broke skin and my finger bled a little. 

If someone knows what is going on with her and could give me any solutions that would be helpful I would really appreciate it!

Oh and she is about 4 months old and I have had hedgehogs before her and they never once bit me.


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

please see above posting on fleece training. seriously, it's the only way that I have found to help with biting. I have 6 hogs, all of them have bitten me, but only Gabriel has made a habit of it. The fleece training has been a saving grace for both of us.


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