# Rescued Hedgie puffing and scared - how can I warm her up?



## apino215 (Jul 31, 2011)

I rescued an 11 month old girl and am having a hard time warming her up. She was kept in a very small hamster cage, and I was shocked to see that she had been in such neglect for so long. She's healthy, but I can only carry her with gloves, as she puffs up every time a human touches or goes near. What can I do for Tonks? Any suggestions? 
I am currently keeping her in a plastic bin, which I plan on making into her cage, and I intend on getting her a wheel and all the necessities.


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## Guest (Jul 31, 2011)

Get a fleece blanker and piece of fleece and sleep with it, use the fleece as the liner and use the scrap piece to pickup your hedgehog  This will help your rescue associate scents, the usual routine of 1 hour handling just let her get comfy on your lap (Have a place or blanket she can burrow/hide in and feel safe). The process with a rescue can take time and sometimes the damage done is irreparable, but normally there are steps of progress over time 

However some hedgehogs just won't ever warm up much to humans and will always be defensive, its all about time and patience


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## apino215 (Jul 31, 2011)

Of her history I know that she was a fad purchase and that the owner was too busy to play with her. I haven't found her perfect treat yet, but I want to try mealworms. Thanks for the fleece idea; I will surely try it. Now, she's really active, so it's hard to keep her in one place, and she puffs as I try to keep her close. What should I do about that? What times are best for socializing? Active night or during the day when she's sleepy?


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## apino215 (Jul 31, 2011)

Oh! And when and how often should I try bathing?


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## Guest (Jul 31, 2011)

apino215 said:


> Of her history I know that she was a fad purchase and that the owner was too busy to play with her. I haven't found her perfect treat yet, but I want to try mealworms. Thanks for the fleece idea; I will surely try it. Now, she's really active, so it's hard to keep her in one place, and she puffs as I try to keep her close. What should I do about that? What times are best for socializing? Active night or during the day when she's sleepy?


Thats going to vary on her personality as you get to know her.

My Celeste is sort of a rescue saved her from a life of just eat and sleep at a pet shop. She moves like lightning and her legs fully extended but huffs and puffs usually when I am around I let her sit on my lap on my chair and her main objective is escape and will be too distracted to usually mind a petting of the quills however some hedgehogs dislike their quills being pet but they may have a sweet spot.

That too varies with time some are more grumpy that you woke them up, just let her settle to sleep when you pick her out in the day and feel comfortable, the fact she can sleep on/near you in safety is a good thing.

Meal worms and crickets are great for bonding give them to her for progress and when out with you only to start so she can associate good things with being taken out. Its going to take a lot of time and effort since she wasn't socialized for so many months.

Once she has a wheel you may need to do foot baths daily depending on how much she runs as she poops.

This is just filling warm water about an inch and letting them run in it and a light soft bristle toothbrush scrub to get it off.

Full baths are usually at most a monthly thing with most people preferring the avenno oatmeal bath around her to help prevent the bath from drying out their skin. Too many baths can easily dry their skin out and make them miserable and most hedgehogs dislike water.

If by chance your hedgehog likes the water swimming can be an outlet but still sparingly due to the dry skin. You can tell if they like it by actively swimming and not trying to escape like their life depended upon it. (All baths and water interactions must be closely supervised)


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## apino215 (Jul 31, 2011)

had her out on my bed for about 45 minutes and she started to climb on me, but would spike upon upon my movement. THe spines are starting to hurt me all over, and I'm getting a rash. I need a better strategy.


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## Guest (Jul 31, 2011)

apino215 said:


> had her out on my bed for about 45 minutes and she started to climb on me, but would spike upon upon my movement. THe spines are starting to hurt me all over, and I'm getting a rash. I need a better strategy.


They are prey animals and will react to any movement this is normal and slight skin reaction is typical in people, unless you have very fair and thin skin their quills won't break skin easily. There isn't much other strategy you can do but try to remain as still as possible if they are near skin. The interaction is the key to socializing your hedgehog.

I know their puffing and quills can hurt and be scary but you get used to it over time, its part of owning a hedgehog.

Your hedgehog is going to pop and quill up so that's something as an owner you'll need to be prepared to get used to and I know it can be difficult, but the only suggestion I can make is cover your body in clothes as much as possible, but realize that they will react better to getting your scent by skin exposure. Now that doesn't mean putting your hand in front of them, your hedgehog is just curious and exploring a new home everything has changed for your hedgehog and she probably had little to no exploration in her life so far so she is bound to be curious and intrigued by new smells and sights. She is much more afraid of you then you are of her and she has had no human interaction or next to none anything even the slightest movement to her could be hostile in her mind and her instincts are going to kick in.

Being she is a rescue I want to let you know as I have before this will more then likely be a long process in getting her more comfortable and doing what you are right now will help her feel more comfortable. This doesn't mean she will ever 100% relax, some hedgehogs are naturally cautious and defensive, others will get more laid back and allow for cuddle time and so much more but they all are unique and lovable creatures 

Don't give up or let these little set backs get you down you did right to provide this hedgie a new home and now its going to take time and patience to get her comfy 

The rash is likely red with maybe some bumps my hands did this with my rescue hedgie for awhile and now they do not and she is still a huffy and sometimes clicky balls of quills. The rash that I got didn't cause any medical distress or skin damage 

In addition in her current setup does she have a home like an igloo or other house she can hide/snuggle into to sleep?


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

I just wanted to add that you shouldn't use gloves to handle your new hedgie. She needs to learn your scent, as hedgies rely heavily on their sense of smell. Try to wash your hands with the same soap before each time you handle her. Using a double layered piece of fleece will protect your hands from the stabbing :lol: 

Hedgehogs aren't like dogs or cats, where they get used to you in a day or two and want to be your best friend. Having a hedgehog is like having a neighbor that tries to ignore you and all your racket. Kind of. Just realize that the bonding process with a hedgehog is almost never a quick one. Not only has she been mistreated, but she is also older. Patience, low lights, slow movements, and treats will help a lot.  

I'm so happy to hear that you rescued her from a cruddy home. Also, you should do some searches on this website about bonding with hedgehogs, and things about rescue hedgehogs. There are lots of posts about these topics.

Good luck! Post pictures of your little girl?  

(Edited to finish post after I hit submit too early!)


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## sdenney (Jul 13, 2011)

Hanhan basically pointed out one of the most important things. Never use gloves! Although they rarely puncture skin, their quills can definitely hurt. I definitely advise you to explore the forums more and read other threads regarding hedgehog socialization. Hedgehogs are not for everyone. They are not like most pets. Some might be what you expect in a pet, but most probably are not what you expect. There's a chance your hedgehog may always ball up, puff, and hiss at you. She's not doing it because she doesn't like you. That's their nature. That's just how hedgehogs are. There is a possibility that because of her previous environment and lack of handling has increased her naturally shy and defensive demeanor, but even if you started from scratch, this is normal hedgehog behavior.

I just picked up my three month old male eight days ago. He is not going to get used to me overnight. Although I would like a hedgie that grows affectionate to me and doesn't ball up when I try to pick him up, I am prepared to deal with this behavior for as long as he lives. There hasn't been much change in his behavior since the first night he was home. I have a routine. I get home at 10PM, by 10:30PM I've managed to scoop him up with a fleece blanket (folded for extra cushion from the quills) and I put him in a fleece snuggle sack I bought from Petsmart in the ferret section. It's a large snuggle sack so I fold the bottom under and leave only the top portion for him to sleep in, with few wrinkles for him to hide under while he sleeps.

I either sit here at my computer desk, or in the living room. I put his snuggle sack (with him inside) on my lap, wrap myself in a blanket, and let him sleep while I browse the forums or watch television. If I disturb him, he puffs his quills up. If I continue to disturb him, he will puff up more. Sometimes he relaxes and allows me to pet him. Sometimes I pet him using the blanket that is wrapped around me, so if he pops, I don't get pricked by his quills. I don't let him crawl on me unless I have a t-shirt or hoodie on to protect myself from being pricked because I'm a sissy when it comes to even minor pains. Usually I will lay the blanket down on the couch when he is ready to explore, and let him run around on the couch. If he tries to go too far away from me, or go where I don't want him to, I just block the way with my hand. Sometimes he will ball up at the sight of my hand, but he relaxes soon after and will try to climb over my hand. That's when I scoop him up and bring him closer. I just keep doing them whenever he wants to go further from me.

You can also get a small animal play pen and hang out inside the play pen while your hedgie runs around. This might also help her get used to you. You definitely want to allow interaction with your hands because that is how she will get to know your scent and possibly grow more comfortable with you. Wear a t-shirt all day and then put it in her cage so she can smell you even more, and learn that your scent is a comfortable place. 

But as I said in the start of my post, be prepared to always deal with this behavior. 

I work at a pet supply store and a couple of months ago a girl came in asking questions about hedgehogs. I told her about this website, because at the time I had been researching since November. A few weeks later, she came into the store with her little pinto male hedgehog. Then just two weeks ago she came into my store again with her hedgehog looking to sell him for $215. She knew I had been wanting one and was hoping I would take him. She said she didn't really have as much time as she thought to take care of him. Maybe the truth is she was expecting something a little different, like a bunny or a guinea pig.

Hedgehogs are a fad. People see a hedgehog and "OMG I WANT ONE, THEY ARE SOOO CUTE!!!" But many of these people aren't prepared for this type of unique pet. They really are not for everyone. If you decide that you aren't going to be able to accept your hedgehog's natural behavior, you may have to find someone who can.


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