# When did you realize your hedgie trusted you?



## DefyingGravity (Mar 4, 2013)

So I've heard that hedgehogs can take a while to bond with their owners and that each hedgie is different with their bonding. My questions for hedgie owners are this: what was the exact moment you knew your hedgehog trusted you and how long had you owned them at that point? How was your relationship with your hedgehog when you first brought them home compared to after they trusted you? What methods did you use to win your hedgie over? Alternatively, when did you start to trust your hedgehog? When did you start feeling confident while handling them?

There's a lot of info about handling and socialization, but I'm not sure how to tell when I can take the next step in Poppy's bonding process. Hedgehogs are very mysterious creatures to me sometimes :lol: I have been holding her in her hedgie bag each night or sitting with her next to her cage, but she still seems really unsure of me. She gets upset when I touch her. She did manage to take a bite of the vet today, then ran over to me to "save" her, haha!


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

Fortunately, I got my girl from a great breeder that raised well-socialized babies. Because of that, I started noticing signs of trust after a couple weeks (even though she was pretty easy going from the start). The exact moment was when I was able to pet her forehead without her hissing and balling her head up (she normally doesn't like her head touched at all, even during baths). She also let me scratch under her chin, then fell asleep on me. I feel like that's the ultimate sign of trust - when your hedgie is completely relaxed, quills down, and will sleep on your lap or chest. Also when she let me clip her nails without a fuss; about the third time I bathed her, she just sat there while I was able to clip her nails easily without her moving, hissing, or trying to move her feet. That's when I really trusted her.

Also, I did all the usual tricks - putting a t-shirt in her cage, maintaining a regular routine, calming music, dim lights, treats, etc. Also, I think the trick is to always handle your hedgie with confidence, even if you're scared, so you get used to it. 

As long as you're persistent, confident, and patient, bonding with your hedgie should be easy


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## Teddi4211 (Apr 30, 2014)

Phoebe trusted me pretty quickly as well. She lets me stroke her face, or anywhere such as her stomach and quills. She's also a very relaxed hedgie from the start, not a big fuss maker. Adella I'm still working on. She was very shy from the start, but now she crawls out of a ball and walks around - progress!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

When she ran to me at the vet instead of running away from both of us. :lol: 

With Lily, I had her out every night for the first year or two. Once I'd had her for a couple years, she was easygoing enough that I could do minimum interaction (just a quick health check & hello) for several nights with no issues if I was really busy. Other than that though, I had her out for anywhere from 30 minutes to 3-4 hours in the evening. Mostly she just cuddled up in a big fleece blanket in my lap and slept on me.

Noticing her trusting me happened multiple times over the course of the time I had her, and each time I was amazed at how far I'd gotten with her. I remember when I realized she was getting pretty quick to lay her quills back down and be calm after I'd wake her up (she never liked being woken up!). That was pretty early on, since she was such an easygoing girl. Then when she was letting me pet her nearly anytime I wanted (assuming she hadn't just been woken up) and kept every quill flat for it (I think that was later on, maybe around 6 months?). At some point, I realized how easy I had it for nail trimming - she'd sit in my arms or lap relatively quietly and let me clip all of them in one go. Having her around other people occasionally also reminded me of how relaxed she was with me. She usually did okay with other people, but she wouldn't stay still, she'd try to find someplace to hide. Once I took her back, I could see her calm down a bit over the next 30 seconds.

And then there were more obvious situations that are still my favorite memories. One is when I had her out in my room for a quick snuggle before bedtime. She must have been tired, because normally she preferred to sleep hidden under a blanket, in my shirt, etc. That time, she settled down on my chest, propped against one hand so she wouldn't slide down, and let me stroke her nose & forehead gently. She actually fell asleep like this! I still wish I had a picture, she was adorable.  I stayed exactly where I was for as long as I could, watching her sleep.

The other occasion was when I came home from my last trip before I lost her. She'd been very huffy and grumpy for the wildlife rehabber I volunteer with, who took care of her for me. The rehabber brought her out to me when I got home, and she was in a ball and all quilled up ("how dare you wake me!"). I took her and within 10 seconds, she was unballed, quills down, and running all over my arms. I was thrilled and both women who'd taken care of her were flat-out amazed. :lol:

Sorry for the long post! I still like talking about Lily too much. :lol: I promise I'll get another hedgehog next year to tell new stories about!


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

Penny has always been pretty social. She likes to sleep in laps, anyones, she doesn't mind being held by different people and is a pretty curious creature. However, she despised being picked or bothered while sleeping. Normal hedgie behavior really but she is so laid back it is kinda funny to see her get all huffy and balled up when it's something she rarely does. 

So two things happened that let me know she was really bonding with me. One I am able to touch her pretty much anywhere now, she lets me pet her reverse mohawk. For only a short period then she will let me know when she's had enough. I can scratch her chin, her sides (something she used to despise) I can touch her paws, but still can't clip her nails. She lets me pet her quills and when she's itchy, I can make a scratching motion on her quills near her backside and she loves that. 

This happened within the last week, so I've had Penny for three weeks now, she is nine weeks old, and quilling. 

The other thing is picking her up. On her good days, I can get her from her cage and she only makes a halfhearted attempt at putting up her quills. More like she is irritated than scared. Today though, her wheel was filthy and so was her cage, so I went to go get her so I could clean her cage and she was all balled up and didn't want to come out. I put her in the spare cage and cleaned her wheel. Today I had to coax her out of her ball for her foot bath. I then bribed back her love with mealworms and she is sleeping in my lap. So I think my next step in knowing our bond is stronger is when I rarely have days like today. 

I love all the little personality quirks on this thread!


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## rodanthi (Feb 7, 2014)

I got Hector at 3 months, and he is 8 months now. It took several months before I really thought he trusted me. I became confident with him much faster than he did with me, and I did see progress, but very slowly.

The first big realisation was when I saw him fall asleep on my belly, no blanket or nothing. I held deadly still and silent for 25 minutes while I watched his eyes droop cos he was fighting it. I was just fascinated as I'd never seen him asleep before.

The second was something we were doing without thinking about it for ages, but I didn't realise how far we had come until he was still happy to with like 5 friends in my bedroom. I hold him balled up in my cupped hands, sat upright. And he sits there with his face poking out. But if I move my face towards him ever so slowly, he will touch noses with me. Sometimes he just lets me do it but often he moves towards it.

I knew that was big because generally speaking I'm not allowed to touch his head.


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## hgual22 (Jun 6, 2014)

Penny has been a super calm hedgie since I got her. Right when the breeder put her in my hands she was relaxed and smelling me. I actually didn't even see her in a ball until the next day, I was amazed at that ball xD She is huffy and balled when she gets up, but after a minute or so shes exploring and fine. 

She was also great in her first bath. Ive had her about 2 months/


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## tebbie (May 4, 2014)

I had to leave little Nyx with my parents while I went across the country overnight for a job interview. I hadn't thought she'd trusted me or had much affection for me until my parents, who had handled her before, told me that she wouldn't even look at them when I was gone. Instead of being her usual cuddly self, she was a ball of grumps hiding her head and burrowing into a blanket. 

When I came back, and she smelled me, she came right back out again.


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## Amanda:) (Dec 9, 2013)

With our one year old explorer, Charlotte, it was two things. Firstly, whenever we put our hands down in front of her, she walks right onto them (we've mostly trained her to know that it means we're putting her back in her home. And by trained, I mean she's really smart for such a derp, and has figured it out for herself.  ) The second one was when she let me pet her tummy and face for any length of time--I've made it up to 20 minutes, and only stopped because holding the chub was making my arm tired. With Annabelle and Luna, it was when they fell asleep on me for the first time without a blanket--instead, they curled up against my hand cupped around them. And it's so adorable when they just tuck their faces into my hand and sprawl their legs and arms. They're such sweet little weirdos.


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## lilythehedgie (Sep 20, 2012)

I got Lily at about 3 months, and she's 3 years old now. Lily is pretty social for a hedgehog, but I think one of the first times I noticed her trusting me was when she felt comfortable enough to climb all over me under a blanket about a year ago, when before then she had just sat and fallen asleep on me :lol: The big moment was a few months ago when I got her out of her cage and she didn't curl up when she realized it was me holding her. That's when I really noticed how much she trusted me. :-D She's also pretty calm about foot baths and nail clippings, which is amazing considering that I've cut her quick twice on accident. :shock:

I started trusting her a few months after I got her. She was a little calmer around me than other people, and wasn't quite so huffy as she had been when I first got her. Also, I was kind of used to her habits and what she didn't/did like, so it was easier for me to know how she would react to something and I would know how to respond. After that, our relationship started to flow more, and it's been great ever since!


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## karendipity88 (Jun 16, 2014)

I got Quill Smith when he was 10 weeks old, and he has a pretty standoffish and grumpy personality in general. It's taken a while for us to get acquainted, and I've had my doubts whether or not he even likes me. But one night my uncle was visiting, and he wanted to hold him in his cuddle bag. It was clear he smelled someone new, because he immediately balled up and started hissing and clicking. My uncle handed him back to me, and when he realized it was me who was holding him again, I instantly felt his heartbeat slow, and he relaxed. Our progress has been slow-going, but it was so encouraging to me to get the tiny reassurance that yes, he feels safe and secure with Mom.


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## shelbythehedgehog (Mar 30, 2014)

When Shelby first trusted me I could easily tell because she runs to me when she is scared, instead of balling up. 
It didn't take long for her to open up a little bit, but that always varies.


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## Sara and Fizz (Jul 20, 2014)

My hedgehog hasn't started really trusting me yet, (i did just get him) but last night i got over my fear of being pricked by him when i realized it didn't hurt! Also i had him crawling around on me after i picked him up and was handling him he started sniffing around and hardly balled up! I was really happy so hes on the way to trusting me!


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