# my hedgehog screams



## fatenabu1 (Apr 21, 2009)

Hello,
I am a somewhat new hedgehog owner, I have had mine for just over a year. He is around a year and half years old and is getting real big. At first we had him in a 29 gallon aquarium with a mesh lid. Now he is the size of a small cat so we moved him into a dog kennel type thing and moved his house into it and food dishes etc last Monday. He liked it and everything but around 3 AM he woke us up screaming. I realized I forgot to put his blanket (an old t-shirt) in his cage, I put the blanket in the cage he calmed down curled up and went to sleep and was fine the next day and wasn't hurt or anything and was all playful. He didn't scream all week or anything was his normal happy playful self ( which is wonderful since he was abused before I got him a year ago.. he has come a long way) Anyways last night or early this morning he wakes us up screaming again. I am not sure why he seemed fine I opened the gate and he came right too me and wanted to play and stuff, the only thing I noticed is that he drank all of his water. I was wondering do hedgehogs do this screaming when they are spoiled and want things or could it be that I have field mice or something that is making him angry, I live in the middle of no where. Anyways I love my little hedgehog and he is one of the best pets I have had. He is pretty obedient and knows his name etc. I just don't like him waking us up screaming, we have a newborn baby in the house that we just got sleeping through the night and he wakes her up when he screams. Please give me some advice guys 

God Bless,

Dustin


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## azyrios (Feb 2, 2009)

as big as a small cat? is ti a european hedgehog or an african pygmy hedgehog?

I think he was just screaming because eh was thirsty and wanted his blanket, much like a dog barks when you take away its bone.


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## fatenabu1 (Apr 21, 2009)

He looks like an African pygmy hedgehog just bigger. I am not sure of the exact breed but he is bigger then any other hedgehog I have seen in a store and he is going through another growth spurt. He is about a little over a foot long right now and still growing. We also keep him active. We play with him he runs around the house freely sometimes and we also when the weather is real nice take him outside and he plays in my wife's garden and eats grubs or those rolly polly bugs. He found a cigarette butt once and hated it, it was sort of cute, he didn't eat it just hated the smell. We treat him more like a dog then I guess a hedgehog. I am going to try to get some pics of him soon.

God Bless,

Dustin


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## dorasdaddy (Dec 23, 2008)

sounds like a european to me.....i have never heard of an African Pymy getting that big...at any rate, if he is a pet i would refrain from feeding the wild bugs or letting him eat the ones n the garden...you never know what pesticides may be lurking..and I know I will get the response "they eat them in the wild" from some, but remember, they only live about 2 years in the wild, dont we want more than that for our pets?


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## Vortex (Aug 28, 2008)

woah, a small cat?!?! plz plz plzzz post some pictures of your little..er well big baby :lol: 
and i hope he was only screaming because he wanted his things, and not someing more deeper thats wroung...


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## azyrios (Feb 2, 2009)

there are hedgehogs that look like europeans but have a white tuff on the stomache, Maybe he is that? Is he all brown with a brown face and a white chest?

Also where are you located in the world?


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## fatenabu1 (Apr 21, 2009)

here are some pics in my office chair, he was not being a good hedgehog and holding still

Dustin


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

How big did you say he is? He doesn't look a foot long in those pics, he looks maybe 6-7 inches to me (about the size of my little one). He definitely looks like an African pygmy... Some hedgies get up to 700 grams or more, maybe he's just a big boy. I don't know, you'd have to ask one of the breeders who would know more. He's definitely a cutie though!

As for the screaming, some are pure divas and will scream at the littlest thing. Others never will. It kind of sounds like your little guy wants things to be his way or he's going to have a fit.

Also, as for the field mice, you should make sure the cage is inaccessible to other animals. Try to get it elevated off the floor, and make sure there are no holes big enough for anything to get through to him. If you're worried about something getting into the cage like a mouse, I would definitely try to get a different cage arrangement.


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## M_Canadian (Feb 22, 2009)

He really doesnt look all that big. I was expecting this huge creature of some sort. :?


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## fatenabu1 (Apr 21, 2009)

Hello,
He is about 10 inches I measured him. He is a fun little guy though, sorry he wasn't a foot I thought he was , I shouldn't listen to my wife so much 

Dustin


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## dorasdaddy (Dec 23, 2008)

Does he have a wheel for exercise? If not that could expalin his size.


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## hedgieluver (Feb 18, 2009)

i think u meant small cat, like kitten size right :| ????? but anywhoooo, he is adorable!!!!!


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

Not having a wheel wouldn't explain length. I'd say he's just a big boy.

I'm pretty sure your little one is an Algerian, which is identifiable by his dark face markings. Mine is too.  I didn't know much about characteristics of the different types of hedgies, but this thread was recently started in the general questions board and it talks a little about the differences between white-bellied and Algerian: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2229. Reaper says there that Algerians typically have bigger bodies and can get up to 1000 grams, and I would definitely go with what he has to say since he knows a lot more about it than I do.

I do agree with dorasdaddy about the garden though, by the way. You need to be careful about the bugs, especially if people use pesticides in your area. Also be sure to clean up the area first--there should be no more cigarette butts in the little fellow's future!--and check for holes because if the hedgie darts down a hole you may never see him again.


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## Shelbys Mom (Mar 27, 2009)

fatenabu1 said:


> I shouldn't listen to my wife so much
> 
> Dustin


Your gonna be in trouble if she see's that! lol

your little guy is a cutie!
I gotta big girl. haven't got to weigh or measure her yet. I do know that her head can not fit in a toilet paper tube. she sure does try though. lol :lol:


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## BlackroseUK (Apr 3, 2009)

I thought from reading that they are only supposed to scream when they are in extreme pain or terrified? Theres this video on youtube where one is at the vets and its rolled up and screaming its head off really loudly like a baby. Think it was a european. Or is that a different type of scream that yours is doing?
Of course you cant tell from the pics but he certainly doesnt seem to be uncomfortable or unhappy and from what you said he seems like he was just acting up lol.


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