# Helping a hedgehog gain confidence



## rkbusy (Sep 17, 2014)

Hello. My little brother had been asking for a hedgehog for nearly a year. And unfortunately, my parents caved. About a month ago, they purchased a hedgehog for him. Now, they have asked me to take this hedgehog since my 12 year old brother is more than disappointed by the fact that the hedgehog wants nothing to do with him.

Everything I have read indicates this is totally normal behaviour and that some hedgehogs just prefer to do their own thing.

My concern is that this hedgehog in particular is unhappy and traumatized.
He never had a wheel, igloo, or space to move around in prior to my taking him in. He sleeps in a curled up ball either wedged behind the literbox or under the fleece cover I use for the bottom of the cage. Secondly, any time you walk by, or there is any sound, he starts hissing and making jerking movements.

I have stayed up till 2am on two occasions to see if he does anything at night, and I never see any movement. But at some point between 2am and 8am, he does seem to be eating food.

I have attempted to lift him out of the cage and onto the ground on two occasions so far. The first time worked fine. He curled up and hissed and jerked, but once on the ground for a few minutes, walked around and explored. The second time I did this, he bit me on the forearm, which surprised me and caused me to drop him.

Now, I cannot make any move towards him without massive amounts of hissing and even foaming at the mouth.

Someone at the SPCA recommended that I socialize him in warm water, since he will not be able to curl up. Others have recommended I feed him mealworms. But yet other sources say this can cause an association between food and hands and cause they to bite.

Just hoping to get some general tips here so he can lead a happier, less stressful life.

Thanks.


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

Aww. The poor little guy. Personally I don't feel kids need hedgehogs as pets. Way too much to go wrong there... 
I recommend fleece to start. Hold him in fleece. Bed him in fleece. Socialize with him with fleece. Mealworms. Yes. But not more than 2 a night. And canned or live are best imo. 
Don't fret much over dropping him. It happens. Remember, he can smell fear, so approach him with gentle loving confidence. And fleece. This is to protect you from his super Sharp little teeth. 
Read these forums. We have a boat ton on bonding and behavior. 
And... no on the socializing in water thing. But good hygiene is a must. And a wheel. And one of your smelly t shirts. And... go read!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Normal hedgie behavior! He's definitely unsocialized and very unsure of what's going on. So his behavior is all understandable, if a bit discouraging. He sounds very scared and nervous, so he may take quite a bit of time, patience, and understanding to win him over.

First off, I want to recommend this book - http://www.westcoasthedgehogs.com/files/hedgehogbook/download.html It's free to download and a great resource for new hedgehog owners. Try to read it soon, if you can, it'll give you more information on his general care and needs, in case there's anything you've missed or still have questions about. If the book doesn't answer your questions, the forum may have more information, or you can ask. 

A few questions about his environment and set up first:

- Do you have a heating set up for him? What temperature is his cage? And does he get 12-14 hours of light during the day?

- It sounds like you've provided him with a wheel and igloo now? What kind of wheel does he have? Are you finding any poop on it that would indicate he's running on it? Most hedgehogs are pretty private about their awake time & won't come out if they know someone's watching. So it's normal that you haven't seen him do anything, especially with how nervous he is right now.

- Do you have anything in the igloo? He might like it better if there's a blanket or cover over it to help make it darker inside, and some fleece strips, a blanket, or a hedgie bag inside that he can burrow into. It may make it seem more secure and private.

- How long have you had him?

Now for some bonding & socialization advice! You're going to want to have him out every night, for at least half an hour. The more you have him out, the better. Up to 2-3 hours is fine, if you have the time & patience. It's best to have him out in the evening, closer to when he'll be awake. But if you want and he doesn't seem too upset, you can have him out earlier in the day for short periods. You just want to let him sleep on you if you have him out during the day time, so you're not interrupting his sleep schedule.

When you have him out, try to keep the lights a bit dimmer. It can help to have some background noise going, such as the TV or a radio. It will help cover the little sounds you make that might startle him more in silence. Make sure you wash your hands and arms with a scent-free soap before you get him out. He probably bit you because something on your arm smelled interesting or tasty.

When you're cuddling with him, let him sit on you under a blanket. Being covered up will make him feel a bit more secure and he may be more willing to explore around on you under that. Don't try to pet him or interact a lot right away. Right now he just needs to get used to you and figure out that you're not going to eat or hurt him - especially after he was dropped (which was an honest mistake, so don't feel too bad). You can also put a used t-shirt (check for loose threads) in his igloo or in his cage for him to burrow in. Sleep with the shirt (or a fleece blanket, etc.) for a few nights, then put it in. It'll help him get used to your scent even more quickly.

You can also let him explore if he seems to like that, though it's a slower way to get him used to you. Make sure the area is hedgie-proofed first so you don't have to suddenly jerk him away from something. Just lay on the floor with him and let him check things out.

You can give him treats, though hand-feeding isn't great, like what you read. Mealworms are great treats, especially for bonding! You can give them to him with chopsticks, wooden or plastic tweezers, or a plastic spoon. He'll still learn to associate you getting him out for cuddles with tasty treats, and you won't risk him deciding your finger is a mealworm.

I wouldn't try the warm water thing. If he needs a bath, then go ahead & give him one. But most hedgehogs are very afraid of water and bathtime is not a fun experience for them. And while most won't ball up in the water...that doesn't mean they definitely won't. And if he does attempt to ball up or hide from you and snorts up water, that can cause a URI, which is no fun for him or your bank account (since it requires a vet visit & medication).

He'll just require a lot of time and patience, I think. Take things slowly and try not to take his huffiness personally. He's just scared! Hopefully with some dedication he'll come around for you.  And the forum is a great place to come when you're looking for someone to commiserate a bad night or a new milestone reached with bonding.


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## coffeebean (Aug 27, 2014)

pick him up in something nice and soft, fleece is awesome but a towel with no snaggy threads is good too. let him just rest in the safety of that every night. 

I have a pillowcase at the moment I am using for a snuggle bag. It has a smallish towel folded at the bottom to make it stay open a bit and a bunch of fleece pieces for her to burrow in. i folded the pillowcase down on itself so it isnt so high and voila, i have a little snuggly sack for her.


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## rkbusy (Sep 17, 2014)

Thanks for the quick responses.
I'm glad I asked before using the warm water method. It seems like a snuggle sack or blanket covering him on the lap is the best way to socialize. Regarding acclimatizing him to regular household sounds, I'm assuming this will just take time for him to get used to?

To answer some questions:
-temperature in my home is set to 73F due to the presence of other young or sick creatures. He has a heating pad installed on low heat suspended about 5" above his igloo on a shelf he cannot reach.

-I have a timed lamp set to turn on at 7am till 9am. Then again from 4pm until 6pm. I can certainly set it to go on one hour earlier at 6am. However either way... I am not seeing any movement.

-He has an igloo which he used for one night. As well as a 12" Comfort Wheel. I have not found any poops in the wheel.

-He is bedded on a fleece liner at the bottom and a mix of hay and timothy hay and fleece scraps. I can certainly cover his igloo and see if he uses it again.

-I have had him since Friday Sept. 13. As per many people's recommendation, I left him completely alone for 48h. Then began trying to let him out at night to explore.

Will try the leaving him on my lap and get a video if possible.

Thanks.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I would take the hay out. It's not a great bedding for hedgehogs since they can injure their eyes on it pretty easily. The fleece on its own is just fine for bedding! 

And sounds like you guys are in pretty good shape in general! The light thing is to prevent hibernation, especially around now as the light starts fading. Less than 12 hours can potentially cause a hibernation attempt since it triggers a "less light = incoming cold weather" response. With the wheel, it's possible that it's a bit wobbly and he's not too confident about using it. It can be unsteady sometimes due to how it's designed. You can try clipping it to his cage wall if you want, or stabilizing the base with something heavy over it. Check his nails as well, if you can. If they're very long, they can make it uncomfortable to try running on a wheel. If you can't get them clipped yourself, sometimes it helps to have the vet do it instead, then you have more time to work on bonding before you have to try clipping them again. It's also possible that since he hasn't had a wheel, he's just not sure what it's for yet!

Sounds like he's still pretty new to you and your house, so definitely hang in there. The fact that he is willing to show his face and explore around, even very cautiously, is a good thing. He'll come around for you, I'm sure! He's in a better home with you and he'll figure that out soon.


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## rkbusy (Sep 17, 2014)

This is my last bit of donated hay. I can stick to the fleece, though I feel like he seems to really enjoy burrowing in something. So I may switch to Boxo or something soft.

Also... he just sorta shimmied off my lap. So. Pick up and replace in lap? Or...?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Yeah, I would. Especially if you're sitting on a couch or anywhere up high where he could fall. 

And that sounds good!  A lot of people make dig boxes stuffed with fleece strips for digging & burrowing, but some people do prefer a soft loose bedding over fleece. Some of the loose beddings (like Carefresh, etc.) can be dusty & dry out skin, but are otherwise safe as long as hedgie doesn't try to eat them.


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