# In desperate need of advice



## Pancakes (Jul 16, 2014)

I've become very concerned about our hedgehog and I am lost on what to do. I'm sorry in advance, this post is going to be a bit long...

Back in March I bought a female hedgehog from the pet store. I researched for a couple months before finally deciding to get a hedgehog as pet, so I understood that she may be jumpy at first but I expected over time with the proper attention and care, she would get used to us.

She was already an adult, the pet store owner said that he didn't have time to handle her so she would take some time to adjust and gain trust with us. I asked him since I've never had a hedgehog if it would be wise for me to take her or if I should wait for a baby that could grow up with us and be used to us. He said that with at least an hour of attention a day she would adjust to us in time. 

About 3 or 4 weeks after we got her, I didn't notice any positive change; actually, I noticed her become more jumpy and defensive to a point it became very difficult to handle her at all. I found this alarming but didn't see anything wrong; she wasn't hurt in any way, she was eating, drinking her water, and still running around when I would take her out of her cage in the evening. The only change in behavior at this time I noticed was she stopped running in her wheel. Then one morning surprise! there were 4 baby hedgehogs in the cage...turns out the pet shop owner sold me a pregnant hedgehog...

I closed off the area where her cage is and told everyone in the house to not enter the room at all and to be quiet. I called about 3 different vet's offices and even called the pet store where I bought her....the pet store was almost no help in the matter and the vets office told me to do exactly what I had done already...leave her alone and only go in there to give her food and water and try not to cause any stress on her. They also warned she may kill the litter since it was most likely her first. I wanted to remove them from the cage because when I discovered them..she appeared to have abandoned them..., but the vet advised me not to...to let nature take its course because they would most likely die anyway if I removed them...She did indeed kill the entire litter. I felt horrible.

Afterward, I allowed her some time to recover and I noticed her getting back to her normal routine...she began running in the wheel again and becoming more active again, but she remained jumpy and now started getting aggressive. 

Since day one, I've handled her, talked to her, etc....I try not to bother her during the day (i don't like disrupting her while shes asleep because it makes it harder to handle her). I tend to her cage daily (scoop the poops, give fresh food/water) i take her out and give her treats (mealworms usually) by hand...she sits in a towel on my lap. She doesn't like to sit around in the towel for long...after I finish giving her treats normally she tries to run off on her own.

Tonight while doing the usual thing of handling her in the towel she did something I've never seen her do before. She seemed to be in attack mode or something...while i was handling her she would clamp down ( i think she might have been biting) but I didn't feel anything because i had the towel protecting me. She was ready to just run off the moment I put her down. The she ran over to a tee shirt that had been worn and started gnawing on it and she started getting this foam on her mouth and licking it on her spines...she seems so irritable that i picked her up and put her back in her cage shortly after... (i can't even handle her with bare hands anymore) so basically over time instead of getting better shes getting worse.

I can't see anything visibly wrong with her, no injuries that I can see, no loss of quills, and otherwise she acts fine. Shes active at night and like I said before uses her wheel, eats, drinks, etc...her cage is kept clean and we interact with her daily...I just don't know what to do at this point or if I'm well suited to keep her (maybe its just her personality?)...I've debated on whether it may be better to find someone to give her to who is more knowledgeable/specialized with hedgehogs and able to handle hedgehogs with this sort of personality. The whole situation makes me sad and I just want to do whats best for her.

any advice is appreciated, thank you


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

she likes the way you smell which is why she anointed to the smell of your shirt, that's not a bad thing. It's because she REALLY liked the way it smelled lol. Also feeding worms by hand is not a good idea, then you smell like them and she associates your fingers with worms and that's why she tried to bite...Also my girl NOT A CUDDLER she wants to run and explore. Not all hedgie's like to be held that much. My girly is always trying to run and smell and just be free lol. I can hold her in my lap in her snuggle pouch where she is sleeping. She used to jump at every sound and motion but since I have been holding her in my lap she is less scared of me and when I move. I would put that t shirt in her cage. She likes that smell, and that smell is you so it will help her bond better. Also it takes time. Just keep trying if anything increase your time with her more. She was probably pretty stressed from being pregnant and that's why she got worse. She might even think you did that to her. So it is pretty much like starting over. Still give her treats when you are holding or playing with her. Since Olive doesn't really like being held I let her play in her play pen and sit really close for our bonding time. I will hold her as much as she lets me but if it stresses her out or makes her uncomfortable I let her play. I don't want to make holding her seem like this horrible thing because then she will never like to do it, I do make her do it though. I have to pick her up with a towel sometimes if she is being a little bratty but other times I can pick her up no problem, be firm when you pick her up to make her feel safe and that will help a lot. Olive doesn't ball or squirm or try to run if I am holding her kind of tight and secure...she feels safe... Hope this helps!


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

Also I think you're a great hedgie parent if you care this much, I do think you will be able to handle her and it will be okay. If you are this concerned about her health than you are the right owner


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

I'm so sorry to hear that she killed her babies. It's not uncommon especially when they are stressed out, but it's still horrible to go through  

You've got her in March, which means you've only had her for about 3 months. That's not a very long time. It not only depends on the character of the hedgehog but also on the socialisation they've gotten when they were babies, and while most breeders handle their little ones, pet shops usually don't. Just like yours - she hasn't been handled much and you haven't had her for long, she needs more time to adjust.

What do you mean by her being aggressive? Hedgehogs are not aggressive animals, they are defensive prey animals. They act like this because they are scared, not aggressive. 
Does she bite you? If you are feeding from your hands she might bite your fingers because they smell like food. I always use tweezers because of this. 
The behaviour you're describing is not "attack mode", that's anointing and completely normal. Hedgehogs bite and chew on things they find interesting (smell) and smear their saliva all over themselves. No one exactly knows why they do this, but there's no need to put her back in her cage when she is anointing. 
If you are putting her back because she is "grumpy" you are rewarding this kind of behaviour which is exactly the opposite of what you want. 

To me she just sounds like a normal unsocialized hedgehog. She might not be a cuddler, some hedgehogs just aren't. She might be an explorer, you can set up a play pen for her or let her free roam (supervised) in a hedgehog-safe room. You can stay with her and watch her, even if you are not touching her you are there and she will feel your presence, and get more used to you in time. 
Do you have bonding bags? A lot of hedgehogs like to sleep on their owners laps, but most of them prefer to be covered by something. There will always be hedgehogs who just want to run around though. In my experience when they start to trust you more they are more likely to sleep on you even if they weren't very cuddly before. 

Like I said, 3 months is very short, keep handling her daily even if you are not really touching her you are still interacting with her. She just needs more time.


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## TazsMom (Jun 28, 2014)

I remember when Taz first anointed himself, I was so confused! It does look very strange if you're not familiar with it and the foam reminded me of Kujo haha! BUT it is perfectly normal, some say it is really good actually, because like stated above it means he really likes the smell of something. I know it's alarming when you first see it, but I see this as a GREAT sign that your hedgie is getting used to you and her surroundings! There's light at the end of the tunnel, I think you are a GREAT hedgehog parent, patient and caring, and your baby is a lucky one! you're doing great. Oh, also, as stated above, don't feed her by hand. We made that mistake too and that's when he started nibbling on our fingers. We stopped and havent been bitten since!


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## Melanie G. (May 29, 2014)

You are doing a lot of great things with her. You've had a pretty significant challenges as a new hedgie owner with dealing with an unexpected pregnancy and then babies. Although the outcome wasn't great, you did everything you were supposed to do and you are not at fault for how things turned out. She isn't going to blame you or think you caused her pain- she did what was natural for a hedgehog to do.
Just keep loving her and bonding. Give her one of your shirts to sleep in. When you are holding her it's fine to keep her in a blanket so you don't get bitten. She is still able to smell you and bond with you that way. Or let her explore if she doesn't like to be held. I have a hedgie who prefers to explore instead of cuddling so I usually let her run around for awhile and then she will tolerate having a nap on me.
Also- what time of the day are you taking her out? Try to take her out in the mornings or evening as that is the closest to when they are usually awake. Keep the lights low.


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## phoenix1964 (Jan 23, 2014)

Pancakes I think you are doing great! The tugging thing is normal hedgehog behaviour, ours does it all the time. She likes to try and bite on towels in order to try to build a nest. The foaming and licking her spines is definitely annointing and not anything wrong although it does look freaky. My hedgie is the opposite of yours! We can't get her to run and play at all. She is s snuggle bunny, but unless she has a towl to burrow under then she is frantically burowing into my neck or ampit. She huffs and pops at me everytime I take her out of her cage. I talk to her and let her smell my hand. Then she relaxes and comes out no proble. There are some hedgies that willnever be snuggle bunnies (er, hedgies!) it is just not in their nature. Keep trying to find what works for you two, not what you think she should act like.


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