# few things im unsure of....



## baberfly (Sep 30, 2011)

We have had our hedgie a few months... at first he came around quickly, and then life got a little hectic, and he didnt get as much time as he deserved. We are back to trying to get him to like us again, and since finding this forum, his life has greatly improved  thanks yall! 

We ditched the bedding, for fleece liners. We ditched the commercial hedgie food, for some goodies you all amazing people recommend... We replaced a few toys with holes for safe ones. 

He loved his food so much, after he took his first bite, he anointed with it!(first time i've seen him do that!)

I bought him some live meal worms, and some crickets. I am super grossed out by crickets, so... they immediately went in the freezer. He hasn't had crickets to my knowledge, the pet store didn't supplement with anything, freeze dried mealies were in the commercial food they fed. ( i know, i know, but i couldn't find a SINGLE breeder anywhere near me, or rescue for that matter) 

He wont touch the mealies(also disgust me beyond reason) or the crickets. When he is smelling around, it's like he doesnt even notice they are there. He wont eat carrots, or lettuce. Next time I make chicken, I will see if he is interested. Im going to can 16lbs of apples in a few days, will see how he likes em can he have peels? 
(what a long winded question, eh?)

Does he need supplements if he wont eat anything other than the food? I ordered some canned mealies, those don't creep me out, or make me get all paranoid that there are beetles in my fridge... Im hoping he will give them a shot. 


also, any hinters on litterbox training? Im waiting on his box to come in. 
He pretty much despises me, lol. He won't tolerate me speaking to him, or walking by him, or even walking down the hall past his bedroom. I thought maybe if I could show him that hanging out with me meant treats, but the kid doesnt like treats! any advice? 
last night he was really chill just sitting in my lap, soaking up the warmth from the laptop 

If you read all of this, many thanks. I know its long, and I'll warn ya, most of my posts will be  I am so glad to be a part of this forum!


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## Guest (Sep 30, 2011)

Glad to hear you've given a hedgie a good home

Some don't take to insects but keep trying some take awhile to figure it out my one girl Feral took a month to taste them even spit them out a few times now she goes nuts for them.

A lot of people recommend cut their guts open and try rubbing it on their mouths nose area and they might realize its food.

Fruits and veggies can take a lot of introductions so try many days to see if they will try them 

Does your hedgehog have a wheel? They really need the exercise and love to run and a good solid wheel is very important to their health and happiness.

Just interact with your hedgehog daily even if they just sleep on/near you they are getting the sense you are no danger to them


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## baberfly (Sep 30, 2011)

Thanks for your reply! Yes, he has a wheel, and he is a wheeling maniac  Last night i cleaned his cage out, and had his wheel soaking in the sink... when I put him back in the cage I hadnt dried it yet, and he was mighty upset it was missing  
I will keep on trying with the buggies, I prefer dead over alive, but maybe he will come around the the mealies that wiggle.


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## Guest (Sep 30, 2011)

baberfly said:


> Thanks for your reply! Yes, he has a wheel, and he is a wheeling maniac  Last night i cleaned his cage out, and had his wheel soaking in the sink... when I put him back in the cage I hadnt dried it yet, and he was mighty upset it was missing
> I will keep on trying with the buggies, I prefer dead over alive, but maybe he will come around the the mealies that wiggle.


Just a suggestion and you'll get the idea if you visit my youtube channel for a video, all three of mine get time in the bath tub with live crickets they are gross creatures but man once your hedgie gets the hang of it they really go to town a few others hear have said their hedgies even purr when they do it.

If you can convince your hedgie that crickets are food and he thinks they are delicious it might like the idea and it might stimulate his senses 

If you haven't found it we do have a list of safe fruits and veggies if you search "fruit and veggie list" you should find a link from one or many topics


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## cylaura (Jan 13, 2011)

Also, this might be obvious to a fellow bug-hater, but: picking up the mealies with something other than my fingers really helped me get over the grossness. :lol: I use chopsticks, and I've heard of people using tweezers as well. And if it reassures you any, I've never had any mealies make it to beetle stage while being kept in the fridge. 

Some hedgies also really like baby food as a treat. My guy isn't a huge fan, but a lot of people here have had success with it, even in picky hedgies. It's a good way to sneak in some healthy stuff, if they'll go for it.  Some popular flavors are chicken, turkey, sweet potato, and peas. 

I've never had much success with litterbox training, so I don't have much to offer there. Most people will move some poops over to the litterbox and hope their hedgie catches on. Some do, some don't. The great thing about liners is, they're super easy to spot clean! Good luck!


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## baberfly (Sep 30, 2011)

thank you all so much for your info! We will try it in the tub, and see what he thinks. I, too, refuse to touch the mealies, haha! they get scooped up with a fork, i definitely do not want to feel them crunch under tweezers! eek! 

Thank you for the veggie and fruit list! it will be so helpful! I'm also going to give baby food a try, although im hesitant, because I cant even get him to sample wet food!


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## Guest (Oct 2, 2011)

Hedgies can take awhile to try new things it can take a lot of leaving a fruit or steamed veggie in their home for days or even weeks before they nom it and other ones they will jumpon they are silly creatures


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

You can try putting on or two mealworms in with his food, sometimes that gives them the idea that yes they are food and not just roommates...lol.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

nikki said:


> You can try putting on or two mealworms in with his food, sometimes that gives them the idea that yes they are food and not just roommates...lol.


Now I have an image of a hedgie keeping a mealworm as a pet... "But...but why would I want to eat him? He's my FRIEND! D:" :lol: :lol:


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## baberfly (Sep 30, 2011)

bahahaahah! oh my! maybe my hedgie needs a pet  

He has been getting a fresh frozen cricket in his food nightly and he eats allllll the way around it. lol!


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## Guest (Oct 5, 2011)

baberfly said:


> bahahaahah! oh my! maybe my hedgie needs a pet
> 
> He has been getting a fresh frozen cricket in his food nightly and he eats allllll the way around it. lol!


Try smashing them and getting them on his lips some really need a lot of convincing before they try insects but are hooked once they do XD


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## ThePliny (Jun 3, 2010)

Pliny was pretty confused about the mealies to begin with. I actually got him to eat one with a trick- He was running around with his beloved tp tube on his head, so I dropped a mealie in his tube, when he opened his mouth to lick his nose it must have somehow come into contact with this tongue and he decided the liked the taste and gobbled it up!
I also refuse to touch the things. Pliny has his 'grub spoon' - a light up Indiana Jones plastic spoon from a cereal box- no risk of it ever being mistaken for anything else. He goes bonkers when he sees it coming, especially if accompanied by a grub tub! He crawls frantically all over my hands to get to it. That being said, he is absolutely hopeless at finding mealies if they are anywhere except on his spoon. :roll: 
Anyway, as everyone else has said, just be patient and persistent. Pliny also refused to eat wet cat food as a treat forever, now he hoovers it up whenever I give him some.


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## cylaura (Jan 13, 2011)

ThePliny said:


> I also refuse to touch the things. Pliny has his 'grub spoon' - a light up Indiana Jones plastic spoon from a cereal box- no risk of it ever being mistaken for anything else. He goes bonkers when he sees it coming, especially if accompanied by a grub tub! He crawls frantically all over my hands to get to it. That being said, he is absolutely hopeless at finding mealies if they are anywhere except on his spoon. :roll:


This is so cute! Liam also "knows" the sight of the mealie tub and the chopsticks I use to feed them to him, and goes nuts when he hears me open the tub up. He also loves to attack the chopsticks when the mealie is gone - licking them, biting them, etc. This is why I NEVER feed with my fingers! :lol:

Hopefully your guy will try the cricket soon, baberfly! You're a braver soul than me - it took me months to work up the courage to go from mealies to crickets!


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