# Biting help please!



## Judi (Jul 9, 2009)

I've only had Lulu about a month. The first week and a half I had her, she was too scared to come out of her ball. Then we had about a week that I'm now thinking of as the honeymoon phase, when she was sweet and curious and fun. Ever since then, she's been biting holes in my hands. I've been saying "NO" loudly when she bites, hoping to get her to stop or at least to let go. This mostly causes her to roll up, without letting go. I've tried washing my hands with a variety of soaps in case it was the scent of the soap making her want to bite, but nothing seems to change. She's not sniffing and licking first, just sticking her snout out quickly and chomping me.

She's been drawing blood when she bites and the bites are swollen and painful for a day, then slowly start to heal. I've been on vacation but I'm a baker and I can't work with sores all over my hands. I had been having more luck holding her with her nose on the back of my hand or on my arm, but tonight she bit my wrist where the veins are.

I've also noticed that she's missing one of her front teeth...the long ones on top. (I noticed because she makes 3 holes in my hand at a time, not four) Will that cause her any problems?


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## Judi (Jul 9, 2009)

Well, no one had any advice for me, I guess.

I seem to have figured out some of the problem. When she gets near buttercream frosting, she bites first, without even a warning lick. She also loves hand soap, seemingly in all scents. She still bites when she's unhappy but now I know not to handle her for a couple of days after I do a cake, until my hands don't smell like frosting anymore.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

use only unscented soap to wash your hand with before handling her..anything that smells different can cause her to bite. Make sure you don't let her lick, and if she does move your hands, or whatever body part she is licking, away. Don't put her back in her cage when she bites or she may learn to bite to be put back. If you scrub good with unscented soap it shouldn't matter what you baked earlier..i do alot of baking etc at home and have never had that problem..even with a known biter that I took in as a rescue. You should be handling her everyday no matter what you do at work that day. 

I'm really sorry that no-one answered earlier..I would have but I didn't see the post...also if you do a search on "biting" you will get linked to may threads saying exactly what I just said.


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## Judi (Jul 9, 2009)

Usually she doesn't lick first, just chomps on me. The progress that we're making is that now when she bites me, I say no in a stern voice and instead of biting hard enough to break the skin she just wiggles her jaw a few times and then lets go.

Some of the oils and emulsions that I use really cling to the hands. I'll wash my hands 30 times in the day and that night I can still smell it on my hands. Most of what I do can't be done with gloves either, it's delicate stuff like the sugar flowers on wedding cakes. I'll be honest, I'm starting to think she may not be the best pet for me, or I might not be the best owner for her. No one else in my family will touch her, because she's already bitten them all at least once.


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## raisinsushi (Jun 13, 2009)

Don't give up so easily!


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## Hedgiepets (Aug 21, 2008)

Since smell is one their best senses, I would say that is why she is biting. You smell yummy. Try holding her with a blanket to prevent her from getting to your skin.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

Smell could be an issue and is commonly agreed to be the main reason for biting, however the fact that she is not sniffing or licking before biting and is biting hard enough to break the skin suggests a aggression to me. 

She is probably afraid and since balling up didn't work for the first week and a half she's trying to bite. It sounds like continuing to hold her despite the biting is helping as you stated that she doesn't break the skin anymore. All the suggestions above should help. Quigley is quite the biter and will sometimes bite because he thinks we smell interesting (evidenced with liking and sniffing before the bite) and sometimes just because he is annoyed (like if he's been out of his cage longer than he would like, or the other day when I made him leave the park before he was ready to go). Biting is not rewarded but there are always warning signs that he is getting annoyed. Warning signs include, squirming, hissing and balling up more than usual, and trying to jump out of my hands/off my lap. 

When he shows his warning signs I make sure not to have my fingers near his face and to combat squirming and nipping I usually hold him in a ball on his back and rock him forwards and backwards (slow steady motion seems to calm him). 

Good luck, I hope that you and your hedgehog will work it out and you won't have to find her a new home. Hopefully some of my suggestions will help but every hedgehog is different so you'll probably need to learn what works for you and your hedgehog.


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## krbshappy71 (Jul 17, 2009)

Very sorry to hear about your biter! My new albino has bitten my daughter a few times but not me. In your case, with the frequency and the fact that there just isn't a way to get rid of all the scents, would anyone recommend you wear gloves? A soft pair of gardening gloves that would protect you more but not be big and bulky? Would the hedgehog get used to the consistent smell of gloves and associate that with you so you don't have to keep going through this? Then even if she did bite you wouldn't have broken skin and maybe the biting would stop if she didn't get a reaction each time from doing so. I am new to hedgehogs, so maybe someone else can chime in on my suggestion. I'd hate for you to have to rehome it if this could be a work-around for awhile.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

I've only heard gloves suggested a few times for very extreme cases of allergies, never for biting. On the other hand it occurred to me as well. Strong smelling gloves such as leather gloves or old gloves that have been worn to garden would probably just confuse the hedgehog. 

What about a pair of knitted mittens, or new/clean socks. I'm not sure how a hedgehog would react to that but I imagine it would be like having the fabric of a blanket or clothing. Maybe someone more experienced will comment with opinions.


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## knitfreak (Jul 17, 2009)

I found a really neat thing to get smells off of my hands. It's basically a bar of metal shaped like a soap, called "scent eraser". I bought it in Target  You can wash your hands, cook, whatever you want, then just use this under running water like it was real soap and all the smells go away  That might help if she is biting because of scent.

Have you read the socialization threads? Some ideas in there, like putting a shirt in the cage, etc, might help her get used to your scent.

Did you get her from a pet store, rescue, or breeder? If a breeder, they may be able to help more with helping you two bond.

From what I have heard, saying "NO" loudly won't really help. Some biting threads in the forum suggest putting rubbing alcohol on a qtip an touching it to her nose when she bites, or blowing into their face are goods ways to get them to stop biting. If she bites because she is scared being held, I don't think a loud noise will help much. My hedgie, who is immensely friendly, will get huffy and scared if he is in my lap with loud noises. To get her to release, apparently pushing your finger further into her mouth will make them release faster.


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## smhufflepuff (Aug 28, 2008)

Judi said:


> I've only had Lulu about a month. The first week and a half I had her, she was too scared to come out of her ball. Then we had about a week that I'm now thinking of as the honeymoon phase, when she was sweet and curious and fun. Ever since then, she's been biting holes in my hands. I've been saying "NO" loudly when she bites, hoping to get her to stop or at least to let go. This mostly causes her to roll up, without letting go.





hedgielover said:


> She is probably afraid and since balling up didn't work for the first week and a half she's trying to bite.


That's precisely my thought too. You have a timid little hedgie who's learned that balling up isn't enough to make the scary thing be not scary and come across the idea that maybe chomping might work.

For this reason, I wouldn't try to say "no" loudly&#8230; it seems likely to upset her more. Similarly, I wouldn't try what knitfreak's found in other biting threads, ie:



knitfreak said:


> Some biting threads in the forum suggest putting rubbing alcohol on a qtip an touching it to her nose when she bites, or blowing into their face are goods ways to get them to stop biting.


Instead, I think it's more like what knitfreak said in the next sentence:



knitfreak said:


> If she bites because she is scared being held, I don't think a loud noise will help much.


Since this hedgie is new to you and you are new to her, I'd try a more gentle approach. I would just sit and hold her in a nice quiet, dimly lit environment. Like Hedgiepets mentioned, you can use something like a fleece blanket&#8230; really can just be a scrap of fleece&#8230; as a layer of protection between you and Lulu's chompers. She'll be able to learn more about you and your scent (and that your scent does not mean "food" and it does not mean "big scary thing") while you're protected from her toofers. She might also learn that she likes to snuggle under the fleece while she's in your hands. She basically needs to learn that you and your scent mean "everything is okay" and "I'm safe here."

Another thing I've thought about is about scents since you mentioned you're a baker&#8230; You could just be extra yummy to your hedgie. It was a bit like that with hedgiedaddy when our little one first came home. I'd have her out, we'd be doing fine, daddy would come over and *lick, lick, lick, chomp* We used to joke that he didn't really work in an office building; that he secretly worked in a meat-packing plant.

Hedgiedaddy quickly learned that he had to wash his hands with the special soap before handling hedgie. For her first few months, we really had to ues one soap (an unscented variety) consistently before picking her up. She's grown more accustomed to us now&#8230; we don't need to be vigilant about the soap like we used to.

However, here are some scents that really do set her off. Cigarettes and swimming pools are two. If I've been out where people smoke or I've been in a pool, there is no warning. No sniffing. No licking. Just *CHOMP* It may be that some of the oils you use are like that to her... she senses it immediately and *CHOMP*

Happily for me, I found a shampoo - Ultraswim Chlorine Removal Shampoo - that's been great. I can go swimming, wash any part of myself that does come in contact with her (arms, legs, tummy - she sometimes hides under my t-shirt) with the shampoo and no more chomping. This gives me hope that perhaps the product knitfreak mentioned might hold some promise for you.

In the meanwhile, here's what I do when my hedgie chomps on me: I remind myself that she's doing it because she's sensed something is "wrong" so she's probably feeling pretty scared/alarmed. Given that, the last thing I want to do is scare her more; I want her to feel relaxed (and relax that painful chompy grip on me!). So I talk to her&#8230; like a baby&#8230; I remind her that it's mommy she's biting on; I'm not food; please let go. As much as I want to pull my hand away, I remind myself not to. And, instead, just wait it out knowing that I can push my hand/finger/whatever she's chomped on toward her like knitfreak mentioned&#8230; it's not a fast move. Everything is nice and deliberate. After she lets go, I make a quick assessment of the situation - can I keep holding her? Do I need to hand her off to hedgiedaddy? Do I need to get a blankie/hedgiebag with which to hold her? Do I need to wash up some more?

tooth:

The other thing you mentioned was about her teeth - that she seems to be missing one. Best bet is always to get a vet check. Beyond that, I have two thoughts about it:
- As long as she's eating her kibble and you don't see anything else awry, she'll probably be okay. Just keep a watch over the area to make sure it's not an ongoing/worsening condition. 
- Maybe she's in pain related to it and the pain is what's contributing to her being grumpy and chomping on you.

Oh, also, is she using a water bottle or bowl? I've read posts where people have mentioned that hedgies have broken teeth on water bottles. Since their teeth don't keep growing like rodents, a good course of action would be to use a water bowl.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

I forgot to mention the tooth thing in my previous post. smhufflepuff, you gave lots of great information. 

Just wanted to say about the tooth, Quigley is actually missing both his front teeth (makes biting a little easier to deal with). When we took him to the vet he was checked for dental health and there were no problems with his other teeth. Unless there is something in the cage that could cause broken teeth (such as a water bottle like smhufflepuff said, or a rawhide chew stick etc) or there is a growth on the mouth I wouldn't be too worried about it. 

Quigley has no problems eating because his gums and other teeth are healthy. 

I agree with smhufflepuff though that a vet is the only way to know for sure.


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## Judi (Jul 9, 2009)

Thank you all! It's nice to think that she might just be biting because I'm yummy to her, and not because she's miserable being held. 

I will try keeping a blanket between her and my skin. I wasn't sure if that would be like wearing gloves, and keep Lulu from getting used to me. I will also look for that odor neutralizer from Target.

Someone asked where I got her...I adopted her from someone on Craigslist. The girl said that she didn't have time for a pet since she'd had a baby, and that the hedgehog hadn't been handled much recently but would relax after about 10 minutes of being held. She also said that Lulu was a boy and was 2 years old, but I think she's younger, and she's definitely female, so I wonder how much the girl really knew about her.

Lulu doesn't have anything in her house that would hurt her teeth...she has a water dish rather than a bottle, and the only other things in there are a pvc tunnel, igloo and some little cat toys with jingle bells inside them. When I got her she was in a 10 gallon glass tank with just the igloo and food dishes but it was obvious that she needed more space. She's in a 100 quart plastic tub now, so she has room to run.

I'm planning to take her to the vet, but wanted to wait and see if she got a little more used to being handled before I took her. I like our vet and don't want him to hate me for bringing her in, and I'd like it if she could be examined without being sedated. I have looked at the spot where she's missing the tooth and it's not any pinker than the rest of her gums. There's no swelling and she chews just fine (my hands are proof of that! When I took my kids for their shots last week the nurse wanted to give me a tetanus shot because my hands were so chewed up). She does also eat dry food with no problems.

Again, thanks for the suggestions and I will be trying them.


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## freda (Jun 21, 2009)

I have nothing to contribute to the biting discussion, but I was just reading about what you had in the cage, and you should get her a wheel. Hedgies run a LOT (sometimes they even run their feet raw). I would recommend the Cake Walk Supreme, which you can get here: http://www.hedgehogwheel.com/

It's kind of expensive but worth it. It's easy to clean, really silent, and my hedgie (and many others) love it.

Good luck with Lulu and I hope everything goes well!


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## knitfreak (Jul 17, 2009)

I agree that the wheel Freda linked above is AWESOME. I have it, it takes only one baby wipe each morning to clean it right up! She might even become more friendly when she gets out all her excess energy on a nice wheel 

The bar thing can be found where all the dishes and stuff is at, it was with all the big utensils (flippers, slotted spoons, etc). I tried searching for an image or something to put here but I couldn't find a thing! If you have a hard time locating one, let me know and I will see if my local target still has them. I originally got it because I like cooking and my hamster liked to sample it, but only on my hands! Hahaha.


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