# Angry hedgehog



## pedroissexy (Mar 7, 2015)

I got my hedgehog a few days ago from another person on kijiji. She says he is one year old. I know I sound like everyone else saying oh my hedgehog hates me. But the first time I held him he was pretty calm. He just sat on my lap and sniffed at me. I do my best to be really confident when I take him out. Since then when I take him out all he seems to want to do is get away from me to the point of almost sprinting off the edge of my bed or table. The last time I picked him up was the worst. He balled up completely more then once and took two huge poos on my blanket as long with a pee. All the other times I held him he had never pooped or peed until back in his cage and normally only pees in his litter tray. I genuinely need some tips on how to help because I'm starting to just feel like this isn't the pet for me but feel like kind of a jerk and failure for getting him. I had done tons of research prior to getting him and truly felt itd be a good fit. Please help.


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## Monster (Jan 6, 2015)

Its only been a few days! 

Let me just say I'm no expert I've got two and I've only had them between 4 and 5 months but being a first-time owner I went through that stage. I expect yours is going to be a bit harder though.

So back In late November I suddenly found myself with 2 hedgehogs dumped on me. I had no research, No preparation and I'd never even seen a hedgehog in my life, when a baby sitting job turned into they're never coming back for them. At first, things where not so good. The cage was so small they weren't even mine and I felt bad looking at them. When they first got here the boy bit me a ton, but in some stubborn act to get along with him I continued to hold and let him bite me until he grew tired of it. But from it, we haven't had a biting problem, I guess he learned that biting wasn't going to make me go away. The girl was super super fussy, I thought for sure this little girl was just going to be like that forever. It took about a month of daily handling, and keeping their toys and cage (and later cageS when we figured out one was a girl) clean and keeping them in a room with people so they get used to us before they started to consider we weren't there to eat them. We continued handle and play with them daily, and now its March so, about 4 months or so later they are great and super friendly. Everyone in the house now loves them and plays with them and they love to come out and only hiss if startled. We're working on bathtime behavior now. You can't expect the same results though, yours is much older and I've read some say that it took up to a year for their hedgie to warm up. The two I have where only 3 months old when they where left with me, yours was with the previous person for a year! He's probably scared and nervous and doesn't understand where its owner who he may or may not have trusted went and every smell and sound around him changed entirely. 

Try to be calm and patient with them. What just happened for them is a huge, scary and stressful ordeal to a hedgehog.


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## pedroissexy (Mar 7, 2015)

Ontop of these things im starting to think he must have mites. He won't stop itching himself and im thinking this is why he's extra grumpy


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## Monster (Jan 6, 2015)

Probably want to get him checked out if you think he's got mites. I know I'd be grumpy if some tiny bugs where crawling all over me all the time!

If he's got them though, I've seen a lot of people say never never let them put Ivermectin on a hedgehog. Its toxic to them I guess? Someone mentioned Revolution is Ok though, but might want to double check on that.


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

If you think it's mites, do a quick check beforehand. Usually mites will be accompanied by frantic, non-stop scratching, a severe loss of quills, crusty skin, or tattered ears. 

Hedgehogs are prone to dry skin, so if your new little guy doesn't have these symptoms, I would try a couple things before going to the vet to check. Do a dark cloth test - run a dark cloth on your hedgie. If you see small, white, moving dots, then it's definitely mites. If not, try giving an oatmeal bath, or using a couple drops of flax seed oil/olive oil (either directly on your hedgie's back using a toothbrush, or in the bath water) to see if that helps with the dry skin. 

Also, like Monster said, definitely give him lots of time for him to warm up to you. Especially since he's a re-home - it may take months before he's used to you. Just be patient and persistent. It helps a lot of form and keep a routine, so he knows what to expect everyday. Have you tried the t-shirt trick? There are lots of helpful tips on this forum, you can search for bonding tips using the search box


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## pedroissexy (Mar 7, 2015)

Thanks guys! Helps getting advice from people with experience ?


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## MintyBanana (Apr 29, 2014)

Just a quick word of caution- if you determine that your hedgehog has dry skin and not mites, do NOT use any products containing tea tree oil to treat it. This will kill your hedgie. Instead try E oil or flaxseed oil along with Aveeno oatmeal baby shampoo to sooth dry skin. Good luck!


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## David147 (Mar 6, 2015)

First, it is sometimes helpful to figure out why your hedgehog is unfriendly. If the hedgehog has been mistreated by a previous owner, then it may be more of a fear or lack of trust issue than an actual unfriendly problem. If this is a young hedgehog, especially one from a pet store, it may be one of two (or possibly even a combination) problems. First, poor breeding. When a breeder does not breed for temperament, the extremely unfriendly individuals who produce other unfriendly offspring are not removed from the gene pool, and continue to pollute the temperament pools of hedgehogs. Secondly, lack of handling. Many of the mass breeders handle their hedgehogs very rarely, and so the babies they produce are not socialized before being stuck in a shipping crate on the way to the pet store. While knowing the cause of your hedgehogs temperament may not bring an amazing understanding of how to bring him around, it sometimes can help you know where you need to target your attentions. 

Any unfriendly hedgehog, regardless of cause, has the potential to become a more friendly pet. Notice I said MORE friendly, and not "loving perfect example of hedgehog temperament". While there are some hedgehogs who rebound from an unfriendly start and become a very sweet hedgehog, they aren't necessarily the common rule. I recommend hoping that your hedgehog becomes more easily handled, and less fearful, and then just be pleasantly surprised if they do end up being a very sweet hedgehog.


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