# Quilling, anointing, different scents... ??



## Ash88 (Nov 2, 2008)

My boyfriend and I have been parents to a gorgeous African Pygmy for about 3 weeks now {she is pushing on 2months old} and there are just a few things I was wondering if someone can help us gain some insight please.... : 


1) Quilling - she is currently quilling at the moment, so do they only do it once? Getting rid of the baby quills and replacing them and that is it? Or is it a process that they do a couple of times throughout their lives? 
I was also told that Aveeno Oatmeal is best to use during this stage, but I am in Portugal and I can't seem to find it. We have used olive oil in the meantime with her baths (which seems to calm her down a bit.... and even lets us stroke her quills! :lol: ) - is there anything else we can use? And what is the best recommended shampoo to use?

2) Last night, she was running around on our bed and she started biting on the duvet and for dear life she wouldn't let go! We picked her up, we tried everything but no success {it was incredibly cute to watch!  ) ... but when she finally let go, there was white foam on the bed - I take it that she was anointing? What could be the reason for this? And why do they do it?

3) And lastly, also we have been taking her out of her home roughly the same time each night for a while.... she first hisses and spikes, but she then relaxes in a shirt on my lap, and comes out and explores, relaxes, etc. But last night, she seemed a bit more frightened than usual..... I ran this past my boyfriend, but we were unsure; 
We have been using the same bath cream since we got her, and she might be getting use to the scent (cause she sleeps with a shirt of ours comfortably) - but last night before we took her out I used a different soap in the bath....... could the different scent have made her uneasy? 



Sorry for the game of 20 questions :lol: But will appreciate any and all advice!

Thanks!


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

*Re: Uncertain about these topics.... some help please*

1) I think Aveeno is the general consensus on shampoo. You could probably order it offline if you need to, but I'll let someone else advise you on other shampoo brands since I don't have much experience when it comes to that. 

2) She was definitely anointing. She probably liked the smell of something on it, or even just the texture. My hedgie anoints with any new fabric texture he comes into contact with. No one's really sure why hedgie's anoint, but the theory is that they're trying to mask their scent with the scent of something else.

3) It could've been the different scent, or maybe you had something different in the area. Like did you have more lights on than usual, or have the TV up a little louder? That could do it too. And since she's quilling, it could just have been an off-day also. I doubt it's anything to worry about.


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## smhufflepuff (Aug 28, 2008)

*Re: Uncertain about these topics.... some help please*

1. Don't worry about name brands. If you can find packets of the collodial oatmeal bath powder, that will work fine. Even more simple is putting oatmeal (food grade) in a sock (or other thing that will let water through, but not let oatmeal flecks float around and make a mess) and swooshing that around the water.

2. Yep, sounds like anointing to me too. No one knows for certain why they do it, but it sure is cute 

3. Oh yes, a "surprise" scent can set them off. My little one goes on the attack if her humans have been in a swimming pool, for example.


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