# Bonding



## OddDarkMatter91 (Dec 28, 2018)

How do I know that me and my hedghog has formed a bond? 
I've been having bonding sessions with him since I got him, each day, 30 minutes +, but he doesn't seem to really open up to me. 
I'm use to his biting and huffing, but, oh I don't know, he just doesn't seem to give off a vibe of trust. 
How long did it take for everyone else's hedghogs to warm up to their owners?


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

Holly didnt take that long only like 2-3 months. But others can take ages, and some don't fully open up, but they will love you in a differnt way


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## OddDarkMatter91 (Dec 28, 2018)

Oh, ok, thank you. I guess I'll just have to keep trying with my boy. I just hope he's happy with me.


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

I'm sure he is happy. Have u tried having your scent in the cage and chaning it weekly. I turned two socks into balls and rotate them weekly sleepimg with them for a few nights before putting them in


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## I Love Hedgy (Jan 3, 2019)

Mine bonded with me the 3rd day I got him. I must be lucky. I also took a few photos with him, tell me if you like them😉


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## OddDarkMatter91 (Dec 28, 2018)

@Ria 

Hmm, I'll try the sock thing. But, I don't know if its gonna he effective since I take Igor out every day and put him with me in the bed. So he sleeps next to me through the day, but who knows, maybe the sock thing will do wonders, I'll definitely try it. 

@I Love Hedgy 

Omg, he's so cute! Igor looks almost exactly like yours! I'll attach some pictures of mine too! They could be brothers


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

Holly was open with me in a day shes never really been that balled up and huffy with me, it took her a month to stop being as huffy, and two months to not ball up every time someone else made a noise 3 months to get a really strong bond.

Shes totally differnt to both of yours. These are some from the first few days of having her. Shes so much bigger now haha. 
My mum said that Holly probably thinks I'm her mum !!

I've made Holly fleece toys and slept with those, so they have my scent on when they first go in, but they get changed less often.


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## OddDarkMatter91 (Dec 28, 2018)

Omg, look at that gorgeous face! She's so cute! And she looks completely at ease with your presence, I'm sort of jealous.


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## Cherrymik (Jan 8, 2019)

Firstly I might say bonding is a journey with lots of ups and downs. A different smell, sound, degree etc. might effect the little friend's behaviour a lot.

I feel almost same about my hedgie. I got her almost one month ago. It is like she doesn't hate me or afraid of me but doesn't like neither ^^ One day she is laying next to me I give her belly massage the second day she just doesn't want to be with me, huff and hiss to me. I am trying not to force her if she is not in the mood. I am talking or singing to her, giving food from my hand in the cage and leave her alone. 

Since her quilling is started, everything is more unbalanced and going worse  

But still, since the first day she improved a lot, also me. So we both are getting to know eachother.

Your hedgie looks so cute and calm. I think he is a happy hedgie and by time you will bond more and more ^^


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## OddDarkMatter91 (Dec 28, 2018)

@Cherrymilk 

Did the quilling effect your hedgie's behavior? Does it do that? Igor's in his quilling state now aswell. 

I'm never planning to give up on my boy, and I'm aiming to give him the best possible life. 
Thank you for your help and sharing your similar experience with me. 

I'm happy you think he's happy, I always worry about him being depressed, anxious or in pain for some reason I'm not aware of.


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## Cherrymik (Jan 8, 2019)

I believe yes. We took her vet and so far she doesn't have any other issues than quilling and I was reading it is similar to baby teeth growing on human babies. It is a hard period for them. 

She is so nervous since then. Running like crazy until find a place to hide. Doesn't want to come out if there is no food when we are around. I am hardly finding a balance between leave her alone and having play time. Still she is nice sometimes and sleep next to me during day.. I must add my hedgie is quilling too much. As I understand some hedgies have better quilling time. Mine have not..

So I believe some hedgies are having better quilling time or just nicer to people  
And I guess our hedgies have similar personalities. Mine is not scared mostly. Just being aggressive ^^ I am making her calm at the beginning always. Then taking her out from her cage.


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

Quilling can make them VERY huffy because its so uncomfortable for them !! They dont like being handled as much through it. Although I got really lucky with Holly as she didnt become like that and she stayed very much chilled out and calm !! Some just react worse to it.

They like finding places to hid as it makes them feel safe as they are prey animals. Maybe try sitting with him next you, and then let him push his head behind you a little so he can hide his head.

Also some hedgehogs arent as cuddly as others, heave you tried having him run around a hedgehog safe room with you sitting there places to hide but would say do it latter so its dark when you do this and see how he acts.

As your in a warmer country it
Might be that he doesnt like beinn on you because of your body heat. I know that during the summer Holly prefered laying next to me and hiding her head behind me than laying on me and cuddling because of the extra body temp.


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## OddDarkMatter91 (Dec 28, 2018)

I did not know quilling can affect them. Thanks for the shout out. Igor's going through quilling, but he doesn't seem much more huffy than he usually is. So I guess, his personality and the quiling thing clashes, lol or maybe I'm just not noticing since he does sometimes seem bipolar. 

The hedgehog saferoom sounds like a great idea, and it made me curious as to how he'd act. I definitely have to try that. He's super active at night. 

And the body temperature part seems to make a lot of sense. My mom does say I'm alot hotter than I'm suppose to be. My temperature, of course. 

And my cousin has a hedgehog too. That's how I fell in love with the creatures. 
Now her hedgie has a completely different personality than mine. 
She's a cuddler, and slept on my body no matter the heat. She bonded with me the first time I held her. 

I wanted to have a hedgehog like my cousin's, but I got my boy, and I wouldn't trade him for anything. Even if he hates - loves me.


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

Haha he may just not tolerate warmth as much !! All hedgehogs are differnt much like us and prefer differnt temps. He may not like the heat as much.

Also they dont like being handled and touched as much when killing and they espciellay hate being on their back (some do quilling or not)

Warmer months Holly prefes to be next to me rather than on me. 

Oh and I know its a differnt thread and everything but your keeping them cool in summer, cant you ask your cousin or does she live in another country or cooler place ?? Because if she lives in the same area she may know or have some ideas ?? Or are you both new to it ??


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## OddDarkMatter91 (Dec 28, 2018)

Daw, Holly sounds like a sweetheart! 

She lives in another state, and she's new to this too. Plus, they are alot more financially fortunate and have AC's their whole house through.


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

Holly can very much be a sweetheart. Unless its my brothers or my gran, shes an angle. Or nail cutting time she turns into a little ninja !!

Alright so shes a little bit luckier and didnt have to find a way for cooling down


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## OddDarkMatter91 (Dec 28, 2018)

Lol adorable. 

Yeah she's luckier. But for someone with the money, she doesn't really look after her hedgehog to the fullest. 
But I guess I can't smacktalk family.


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## felonius (Dec 5, 2018)

I Love Hedgy said:


> Mine bonded with me the 3rd day I got him. I must be lucky. I also took a few photos with him, tell me if you like them&#128521;


Hi, actually how do owners make their hedgie curl like the first picture?
I'd love to take a pic of mine like that but don't know how.


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

Tickle its tummy, works with Holly haha.


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## OddDarkMatter91 (Dec 28, 2018)

Haha Igor just bites me if I try to do that. So I've given up trying to make him ball up.


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## felonius (Dec 5, 2018)

Ria said:


> Tickle its tummy, works with Holly haha.


Umm, u mean lay it belly up on ground first and tickle?


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

Yea so they are on their back and then tickle their tummy. You can hold them to start with then put them down and just tickle their tummy.


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## HedgehogHarvey (May 31, 2017)

Pretty much immediately. However, Harvey's never been that affectionate. If anything, I'd describe him as "tolerable". One huff when we pick him up and then he'll sleep in our hands -- or really, whatever dark place he can find on your, i.e., your armpit or under a shirt. Definitely a noticeable difference when new people are around. Whenever we bring him out to show to people at our house, he's very shy in an obviously different way. He definitely knows who we are. Smart little things.

Just keep holding and being around each other!


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## felonius (Dec 5, 2018)

Ria said:


> Yea so they are on their back and then tickle their tummy. You can hold them to start with then put them down and just tickle their tummy.


haha, but mine only want to keep wriggling out of my hands and find someplace to hide.


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

Holly will wiggle a bit until I tickle her tummy then she balls up you have to be ready with camera to get the picture !! Its a lot about timing it right to get the picture.


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## Hedgielover411 (Jan 5, 2019)

Bonding can take a while. I’ve had Theodore for a little over a month and I’m still in the process of bonding with him, though he seems to be getting better. It can take a really long time (up to a year) for a hedgehog to bond with you. You’ve just gotta keep at it and hopefully your little guy willl get used to you. Some tricks for bonding that I’ve used for bonding are, 
- Wear a shirt all day for a few days, then put it in their cage. (Theodore now usually sleeps in my shirt.) Make sure it’s a shirt you don’t want anymore. 
- Hold his food for a few minutes before you put it in his bowl. This seems to really help, I guess because then their food smells like you, and food is good so that means you’re good (hedgie logic.) Ever since I’ve done this Theodore has been SO much better with me. STRONGLY RECOMMEND!!!!!
- Let him crawl around on you. Theodore always climbs all over me when I hold him. You can just sit cross legged in bed or on the floor and let him climb around. Even putting him in your hoodie pocket while you do homework will help him get used to your scent.
- Be sure to talk to him while you hold him, or while you’re around him so he gets used to your voice. I’m not sure about all hedgehogs, but Theodore loves it when I sing to him, and it calms him down.
- If he rolls into a ball when you pick him and are scared to touch him, pick him up with a towel until he calms down.
Don’t get discouraged if he doesn’t seem to like you. When I first got Theodore, he wouldn’t even let me pick him up and would huff and puff like crazy when I went near him, and I thought things weren’t gonna end well. Now, even though he still huffs and puffs when I pick him up, he calms down a lot faster and seems to enjoy snuggle time, and will even take naps in my hands. The important thing is to just keep at it and never give up. Soon enough, you’ll be really close. 

Good luck!!!


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## OddDarkMatter91 (Dec 28, 2018)

Thanks for the tips. I'll definitely try them. 
And Theodore is so cute!


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

You dont have to sing you can just talk softly to them, and it will calm them. Obvioysly you can sing if you want. I tend to only sing to her when I'm cleaning her wheel and she gets huff just the sound of my voice relaxes her. You'll find that once they get used to your voice they will just calm from your voice singing or not.


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## Aj.t (Jan 29, 2019)

Hey there! The problem is simple; each hedgehog is different! I’ve had Christina Hedguilera for... gosh... almost a year and a half now... she still hasn’t opened up to me- at all. Some hedgehogs just aren’t that “friendly”. But don’t worry! Keep bonding with them throughout the day, keep an old t shirt in their house, stick them in your sweatshirt pocket while you’re watching tv, anything that will desensitize them and acclimate them to everything. And make sure you’re giving them the proper care; diet, heat, etc. this can absolutely affect their mood! Hope this helps!


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## OddDarkMatter91 (Dec 28, 2018)

Thank you, it definitely did help!


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## Askeptosaurus (Nov 10, 2015)

Let them sleep in your bed. It's warm, they're covered and it smells like you. All good feelings to make them think of you. Couple warnings though, put them on a loose sheet because if they try digging through the tight sheet they can eventually tear through it. Also make sure you get them to poop before you let them in. Rolling in hedgie excrement is an unpleasant surprise. Also REMEMBER WHEN YOU PUT THEM THERE. You'll totally ruin the bond if you accidentally keep sitting on them.


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## Aj.t (Jan 29, 2019)

Askeptosaurous made a good point about the bed; the reason everybody recommends worn t shirts in your hedgies house is because of your smell, and your bed definitey has your smell. It’s funny, I have a weighted blanket and Xtina LOVESSS it; I’ll put her under it and she chills out immidiatey, it’s too funny


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## Brooke Lancelot (Jan 30, 2019)

Lol that's precisely what I do. They sleep through the day, so I just place my boy in the bed and he'll sleep. I get in and out as the day passes, he just sleeps. When I have him in my bed and it isn't hot as fluff, he'll go into my shirt and sleep against my tummy or back. He loves laying against me. But if I wake him to kiss him, he'll paw at me and try to bite me 😂


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