# biting and pulling on shirt in cage



## christine. (Jun 15, 2009)

is this playing, or a behaviour i should try to not reinforce?

i put a tshirt in my new hedgies cage, just draped it over her igloo so she can get my sent and get used to it, around 10pm she was pushing stuff around in her cage as usual when i noticed she was clamped on to the shirt and pulling it away, I realized i didnt want to get that shirt ruined so i went to take it out to put a different one in and she would not let go! i gently pulled on it and she just got all excited and pulled back which was adorable, but is that playing?


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## silvercat (Oct 24, 2008)

She was most likely trying to reorganize her cage to her preference. Lots of hedgies do it.


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## christine. (Jun 15, 2009)

ya thats what i figured, but what about when i went to take it and we had a little tug-of-war going? is that her playing?


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## silvercat (Oct 24, 2008)

I'd guess that was her telling you she wanted to keep it.


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## sopo (May 28, 2009)

LOL! Mizpah was sitting in my lap last night and I guess she smelled something good on my shirt. She licked it a few times and then started trying a tug of war with it. She was pulling and pulling trying to get it to go with her. I had this shirt on though so no chance of her winning. :lol: 

I think some hedgies can be playful. Different personalities on all. I've even had a Sulcata tortoise with a definite personality. She would come out to watch tv with us and come over to eat treats out of my hand.

I've heard hedgies will play tug of war with a smelly sock a lot of times.


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## SnufflePuff (Apr 16, 2009)

Mine once took a hold of my sock and attempted to pull it off my foot. She pretty much succeeded too. I don't think it's necessarily "tug of war" like you'd see with a dog, it's more a 'this tastes good I'm not giving it back" but it's still funny to watch either way :lol:


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## Bt6776 (Nov 15, 2008)

Hah.. mine likes to take all my socks that are laying on my bedroom floor and pile them into one corner of the room and sleep in them


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

sopo said:


> LOL! Mizpah was sitting in my lap last night and I guess she smelled something good on my shirt. She licked it a few times and then started trying a tug of war with it. She was pulling and pulling trying to get it to go with her. I had this shirt on though so no chance of her winning.


LOL Quigley did the same with my pants one night. I must have spilt something on them because he was so excited he started annointing and stamping his foot.

To the OP I would recommend putting an old shirt that can be wrecked into the cage with your hedgehog. That way she can pull at it and snuggle with and drag it around as she pleases.


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## Hope (Jul 21, 2009)

I just got a baby boy and he loves to latch onto almost anything cloth and tug on it with all his might. It is really funny to watch but I wonder if it is normal. He actually tries to eat the towel that I put him on for play time. Is this a normal behavior?


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Hope said:


> He actually tries to eat the towel that I put him on for play time. Is this a normal behavior?


You really shouldn't let him play with a towel at all. Hedgies like to dig and scratch at whatever fabric they are on, so they can find a comfy place to sleep. And their little nails can get caught in the loops of the towel and end up ripping their nails.

The only time I use a towel is bath time, but once I leave the bathroom and he's dryer, I move my boy into a bundle of fleece.

And, there's probably something tasty he likes on the towel, just be careful he doesn't actually eat any of it, or else it can cause an impaction.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Hope said:


> I just got a baby boy and he loves to latch onto almost anything cloth and tug on it with all his might. It is really funny to watch but I wonder if it is normal. He actually tries to eat the towel that I put him on for play time. Is this a normal behavior?


That's totally normal behaviour. They don't actually want to eat the fabric, just chew it and then annoint, chew, annoint. :lol:


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## Hope (Jul 21, 2009)

Oh, ok ^_^, thank you very much. I am so nerveous that I will do something wrong or mistake normal behavior for something that isn't.


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