# We have a ferocious beast. Seriously. Our hedgehog actually attacks us.



## PPCR (Jan 22, 2015)

Again, my boyfriend and I are new hedgie owners and we have a 10 month old male named Paddington.

Backstory: I recently got Paddington from a pet shop in Las Vegas, where not only was he the largest in size (all the other hedgehogs there were around 8 weeks old) but seemed to have the worst rep. 

Turns out Paddington was returned to the pet shop by the family who purchased him from there a few months ago. The shop keeper said that their reason was that be kept biting and that he was mean.

When I first held him, he was nice but he did bite me. It didn't hurt, just startled me.

We've had him for exactly a week today and he's bitten both of us, multiple times, and drew blood from us at least twice...each.

He actually goes after our fingers through the bars and last night he tried to bite me but slipped and snagged my sweater sleeve and wouldn't let go. I lifted my hand slowly hoping he would release but he bit down harder. 

He never use to be so aggressive towards us, it's almost impossible to play with him. He bites us every time we take him out, and none of the bites are remotely close to the first time he bit me, they all hurt really bad and sometimes he won't let go. It wouldn't be too much of a concern if it was just our clothes 

...he's going after and biting our skin. Even after washing our hands, even when we haven't handled food, he still bites us.

How do we make him stop? What can we do? I've read all over that hedgehogs aren't really ones to bite, let alone actively go after people to bite them...help, please


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## ravynnm (Jan 12, 2015)

I know that biting like that can mean they have some sort of pain going on. Perhaps taking him to an exotic vet for an examination could tell you something?


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

Do a search on here for "Fleece training". There is a detailed post about how a few people have used fleece to prevent bites.


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## shinydistraction (Jul 6, 2014)

Do you smoke? Do you wear nail polish? What type of soap do you use? Is it scented? Do you use any scented items like candles in your home? Does there happen to be one of those things you plug into the wall to make a very high pitch noise that's meant keep rodents away in your home? Are there other animals in the home (predators in particular like dogs and cats)? Children in the home that makes lots of noise? Anything in the home that makes lots of noise?

It sounds to me like this guy above anything else just needs extra love and patience. Biters aren't fun. It hurts you, it can hurt them, just not a good situation all around. But if you're willing to put in the time, more than likely he can be brought around to the idea of biting things that aren't you.

You've only had him for a week, so it's going to be rough for a while. Bonding is going to be tough, but worth it if you will stick it out with him. One of the major things to remember is that hedgehogs are prey animals. That means they're very in tune with the fight or flight reflex. A prey animal will almost always choose flight in a scary situation. But it's just not an option for pets. So this little guy has chosen to stand his ground. It's not because he's mean, it's because he's that SCARED. He's terrified. Odds are he's had this behavior reinforced in his previous home. He'd bite whoever held him and got put back in his cage and left alone. So he keeps biting. He knows that if he bites, the big scary giant will go away. Your job is to teach him biting won't get him left alone. So rule number 1: Never put him back after a bite. He needs to stay out at least for 10 minutes (longer is better) after biting.

Next, you need to break the cycle of biting. The easiest thing is simply not to give him the opportunity to bite. How? Fleece. Fleece is your friend. Pick him up with a piece of fleece and don't let him get to skin. Keep fingers and skin in general away from his face. Whenever you hold him, have him in the fleece.

The next thing is to make being out a not so scary experience. Dim the lights in the room, have the tv or radio going softly to cover up sudden noises. Get a fleece blanket, put him in your lap and cover him with it. Then leave him alone there. The blanket will give him a spot to hide where he can feel safe. Now he doesn't feel threatened. He may sleep at this point, or he may feel brave enough to start exploring. Either way, he's getting used to you being around. Eventually, he'll figure out that you probably won't eat him.

Next and maybe most important step; be consistent! He needs to be handled every single day. 30 minutes at the barest minimum. Longer is better. Try to keep him on a schedule. That way he'll know what's coming and be less frightened by it. 

Don't be discouraged if it takes a while for him to get used to you. This process can easily take months or even a year. But it's very rewarding. It's exciting to see your progress in making this poor frightened creature trust you.


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## rodanthi (Feb 7, 2014)

Taking him to a vet is definitely a good idea to make sure he isn't biting because he is in pain.
Like the others said, if its fear, routine and calm go a long way. Hector doesn't bite but he is very jumpy, even for a hedgehog. I always held him in a fleece that smelled like me because it was secure. Got him out same time, every night, dim lights, securely wrapped up. If he won't come out of the blanket to bite you then under your shirt or something can work really well. Sit and read and book, watch a film. Give him time to settle in your presence and maybe go to sleep each time. Eventually we stopped with the blanket but he still gets inside with my onesie with me and that works well.


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## PPCR (Jan 22, 2015)

Thank you hedgie community, we wouldn't know what to do without you! We've been working with him and he's getting better. 

Going to take him in for a check up just to be safe, but going to invest in some fleece too


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