# New parent with a few questions!



## brookeleigh (Nov 25, 2012)

Hi all!

I just adopted a new 6-month-old hedgie a couple days ago, and I've a few questions. I adopted her from Craigslist from someone who did not have enough time to spend with her.

I did a ton of research here and around the web before adopting Lily. It would appear that her previous owner, while very nice, did several things that seem not quite correct. She included supplies, which was very nice. However, the wheel, which she told me the hedgehog loved, was a very small wire wheel, which I understand is dangerous for hedgie feet. The cage is not large - I don't have size measurements, but it looks exactly like this: http://www.exoticnutrition.com/hedgehogcage.html. So I'm assuming similar if not identical measurements. There was no heating mechanism to speak of; previous owner told me she keeps her house ~70 and just throws a blanket over the cage. I don't think her nails have been cut, as they look long and gnarly.

Thus far, I've bought a new wheel - a comfort wheel for now, though I'm looking into a Carolina Storm Wheel - and I've replaced the litter-like stuff that was used for bedding and caught up in her spikes and everywhere with soft fleece (Jo-Ann's was having a three-day sale, so I scored an amazing deal on fleece), which she loves. I also purchased a 100watt CHE and a thermostat setup, and have been keeping her cage at around 76deg.

My worry is that Lily hasn't been running. At all. I have a tin tray under her wheel, and there's no poop in it or in the wheel in the mornings at all. I don't know if she's just unfamiliar with the wheel or what, but it worries me. She sleeps all day and all night, except when I bring her out, and then she'll explore me and her surroundings with curiosity. She's quite shy - the previous owner did not socialize her much - and she warms up to me after a few moments, but she still won't let me touch her feet, and she huffs and balls up quite a lot. I'm concerned about her toenails, but there's no way in the world she'll let me cut them at this point. Lastly, she does this sort of vibrating, noise thing a lot when she's out of the cage - usually, it's when i have her wrapped up and sleeping with me, so I assumed from these forums that it was purring. However today she was quite agitated with me, and was still making the noise - so I'm assuming it's not a noise of pleasure. What is it?

I'm planning to get her a new cage soon. I'm looking into a large sterilite bin, due to funds as well as portability. However, at this point, I still have her in the small cage. I'd be less worried if she were exercising, but there's not room for her to run in her cage, and she won't run on her wheel, so I'm concerned about her activity level.

Anyway, thanks so much! This forum has been indispensable


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## tigereyes319 (Nov 10, 2012)

What type of food is she on? If it is a hedgehog food those are pretty much crap foods. I know I havent been a member long but have learned so much from the people on here. Does she have a water bottle or a dish and have you seen her drink? Her nails might be an issue and out of curiousity where are you located I have seen quite a few hedgies listed on CL (thats where I got mine from also not knowing she was pregnant until a week later) in the Texas area. So was wondering if you were anywhere near me. I live in Killeen Tx. It might take a little bit for someone more knowledgeable than me to answer but they will. There is a list of cat foods in the forum that are good for hedgies. You may need to switch her food. Have you tried meal worms or crickets with her? Also she is still getting settled in so it may take a few days to warm up to you and the food. Since she was used to colder temps it may be to warm for her. 6 degrees may not seem like much to us but to them it is a lot. Might want to try lowering it a bit to see what happens but I am not an expert on hedgies and I am still learning. From reading on here I know a light schedule is important also.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Sounds like you're doing a great job with her so far!  The wheel and bedding change are both great. The heat setup sounds just right too! A sterlite bin would likely be about the same floor space as the cage, but if you did two bins connected, that would give her some extra space and still be pretty easily portable.

The lack of exercise could be due either to the new wheel or if her nails are long, sometimes that discourages them from running. Have you tried putting her on the wheel to see what she does? I know with Comfort Wheels, they tend to not be extremely steady when put on fleece instead of buried in bedding. It could be that the wheel doesn't feel steady to her, or tips a little when she goes to step onto it. You can try ziptieing it to the wall or using a latch (like the metal latches on dog leashes) to clip it to the wall and keep it more steady and see if that encourages her.

Also, in addition to the heating setup, do you have a light schedule for her? That could cause lack of activity as well, if she's not getting enough light. A lot of people put a lamp on near the cage, hooked up to a timer to make sure the light turns on/off regularly and doesn't get forgotten. 

Glad you took this little girl in, sounds like she's in great hands now!  I have a soft spot for little Lilys. <3


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## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

You know, that cage does not look all that tiny. I can't tell the exact measurements from the picture but I have a SuperPets cage that looks very similar. We have an additional level with a ramp leading up to it. We have that above a little wooden hiding box in the corner of her cage, so she sleeps underneath. The ramp is not up too high, so it is easy for her to get up and down and Daisy loves it. As for her nails, you could attempt to give her a bath and then clip the nails afterwards...It might be easier if you try to put her in a towel to dry off and then let her burrow in. You can then take her back feet out one by one and clip the toenails. Another method would be to hold her around the waist pressed up against your chest firmly while someone else clips the nails. It is not easy though. If neither of those methods work you could take her in to the vet and have them give her a full exam. They can knock her out with gas and clip her toenails then really well. It might be a good idea anyway to find a vet from the start.
In any case, hopefully others will chime in, but that would be my guess as to why she isn't running, if they are really bad.
Good luck,
Susan H.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

It's likely she still getting used to the new wheel, as LilysMommy said it could be a little tippy so attaching it to the side of the cage would be a good first step, sometimes it seems like they are not going to use it for a few days and then, all of a sudden, you wake up to a poop covered wheel, so hang in there. 

You might be able to trim her nails while she is in the bath if the other methods suggested don't work for you, hedgehogs won't usually ball up while they are in water so it is a good way to get her to uncurl long enough to grab a foot and clip the nails. It's really tricky and even harder with a shy hedgehog the vet is a good idea, even if you manage to get her nails clipped, it's good to have a check up once a year and good to visit a vet before an emergency. 

The noise you described could be a growl. Sometimes when hedgehogs are in a huffy ball they will growl if their spiky ball doesn't make you go away. Don't worry too much about it, they make all kinds of weird sounds and it really is just a natural reaction. It's not your fault and the only way to stop her from being afraid of you is to handle her. As you get to know her and vice-versa you'll figure out what frightens her the most and she'll figure out that you're not scary. It's totally normal for shy hedgehogs to be easily startled though, her automatic reaction could always be to ball up and huff if sometimes startles her or scares her.


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## JulieAnne (Sep 3, 2012)

It seems like your questions have been answered but I just wanted to give you props for rescuing her . All the changes you made must have made her much happier and I'm sure she'll warm up to you and the wheel in no time! Hedgie nails can be a total pain to clip! I still have issues with Prim's. I have to wait for her to be in just the right mood to be able to get her nails done.


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## momIImany (Oct 14, 2012)

I just wanted to add my 2 cents. I read somewhere (I don't remember where) that someone had problems clipping their hedgie's nails. They used 2 people, one to hold the hedgie and the other to clip the nails. She took a tube sock and wrapped it around the belly of the hog and held her against her own belly with feet out. Her partner was then able to hold a foot and clip away. I haven't personally tried this but it sounds good.


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## brookeleigh (Nov 25, 2012)

Thanks so much everyone! 

Lily's been moved into a large sterilite container, and she seems much happier there, and I got her nails clipped, so things are looking up! I didn't do it myself - on my vet's recommendation, since I'm new to her, he said it might be better to have someone else do it, so she doesn't associate a bad experience with me right at the beginning of our relationship. So I took her to a guy around here who used to breed hedgehogs, and he clipped them for me. Oh! And he said the back ones had gotten so long that her feet looked sort of deformed. He didn't think they'd ever been clipped. 

Yeah, so I took her to the vet - she's perfectly healthy! - and he also offered a bit of potential insight into her odd behavior. She still isn't running. He said it's possible that, since she had a wire wheel before, she injured herself or slipped through or had some traumatic experience with the wheel, and that's why she refuses to run. Just speculation, of course, but it does seem possible to me. Anyway, what I've been doing is, in the evenings - when she seems most active - I take her out and block off our hallway, and I sit there and let her run around and climb on me. If she's not interested in running around, usually she just curls up in my lap and goes to sleep. But most of the time, she runs around, so I feel better about her getting at least some exercise. 

I don't have a super strict light schedule, but I turn it on when I wake up (around 6am) and turn it off between 7pm and 8pm. Still, she seems to be more active in the day time. If I take her out, for instance, she's curious and running around. But if I take her out at night, she's lazy and sleepy. Weird, but the vet said sometimes they're just weird like that. 

Oh! The other thing that happened - and I'm irritated at her former owner about this. When she gave Lily to me, she gave me some - what she called - mealworms. I later found out that they were in fact superworms, which I'd read about here! I immediately stopped feeding them to her, and panicked for a couple days, but she's fine. I feel so bad that I was feeding them to her, but now she's eating REAL mealworms, and we're both the happier for it. 

She's still grumpy. But I'd say less scared of me and more attitude. Which I take as a good sign!


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