# Questions about the new hedge



## Viridis Lupus (Apr 8, 2012)

Hello everyone,

Today i got home a 2 months old female. Could you help me out, please, with some questions?
1. I`ve got some mealworm larvae, how often and how much larvaes should i give her?
2. She seems sleepy, gout out fron the den to explore, eat, drink and then comes back. Is that ok, considering its the first day in my home?
3. Is ok to turn the lights on in the room to play with her or should i avoid exposing her to light during the night?


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## Christemo (Oct 5, 2011)

1. I wouldn't feed mealies to her right now. She's still getting adjusted to the new surroundings. 
2. She's a baby. They sleep for maybe 23 hours a day.
3. I wouldn't shine a spotlight on the hedgie, but having the lights on isn't bad.


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## Viridis Lupus (Apr 8, 2012)

Thanks, Christemo!  When she gets older, how often and how much mealworm should i give her?


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

Viridis Lupus said:


> Thanks, Christemo!  When she gets older, how often and how much mealworm should i give her?


A few per day is good. A lot of people will feed 3-5 per day. Over that is fine, but keep in mind that they're a little high in fat. Don't start with more than one or two for the first few days when you introduce them, to avoid stomach upset. You can start with them in a few days once she's settled in, though if you plan to switch her to a new food, I suggest doing that transition before introducing mealies.


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## Viridis Lupus (Apr 8, 2012)

Thanks again, moxieberry. She is doing fine. In the morning, i left one used t-shirt near the cage. Then i left my hand near to let her smell and now, she just let me grab her; i supervised some walk out the cage(the hedge was agitated trying to leave the cage).


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

Do you have a wheel for her?


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## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

For playtime at night, I split the difference on light. I leave the computer monitors and TV on and there is plenty of light for me to see by. Three screens throw off pretty good light.


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## Isismommy (Nov 16, 2011)

I just use a small table lamp with a low watt light bulb while I have my girls out.


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## Viridis Lupus (Apr 8, 2012)

Thanks for the light ideas, *GoodandPlenty *and *Isismommy*!  
*moxieberry*, i still got no wheel. Since today is holiday, i couldt buy the pieces to make the hedge wheel. I know i should have got it before, but someone in my home thew in the trash the wheel piece i was making for her.
Actually, my hedge is 3 months old, the seller updated me. Last night she got out and walked a lot. Her cage is inside a "walled table", so, when i let her out, there is a lot of room for walking. But ill make the wheel asap.


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

I asked because being antsy to leave the cage is a sign of boredom. The wheel will fix that.


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## GoodandPlenty (Feb 4, 2012)

Hedgies love their wheels. Sophie goes a little over two hours most nights. She doesn't play with any toys. I've put a bunch of empty plastic bottles in her play area. Sometimes she seems to enjoy zooming around them like it's a road course. Other times she seems to enjoy pushing them around.

By accident (long story), I discovered that she will build a nest most nights. She has a house and a 2' PVC tunnel with a bend on one end. I put a small starter pile of fleece strips and squares in her house, a nice pile of fleece outside of it. Occasionally, she will build a nest in the tunnel, but I encourage the house and that's what she usually uses. She drags in a lot of fleece pieces. I've never seen her doing it but it must take some effort and some time, and I think that preparing her burrow each night has to be good for her. I consider it 'her chores'.


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## Viridis Lupus (Apr 8, 2012)

Thanks, moxieberry, i got it, shee really seemed antsy . I kinda felt bad for not having the wheel for her, but tomorrow i`ll make one. 

thanks for the tips, GoodandPlenty. Sophie is very beautifull, looks like my Regininha. Wow, 2 hours is a lot of time. I`m thinking about buying another cage to make her a playground and conect it by a 9'(it is inches, right?) pvc tube, maybe she will build a nest there too.


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## Viridis Lupus (Apr 8, 2012)

Hello again to everyone. We just love our new hedge, i`m everyday reading and improving her home.  
I coudnt find a answer, but, when could i start bathing my hedge? She was born on february 6th.
I`m kinda afraid of cutting her nails. Yesterday she let me pick her up, but today she was more defensive. I read that some hedges takes more time to build a bond, but is there a trick of handling the hedge without them being in the ball form?


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

Viridis Lupus said:


> Hello again to everyone. We just love our new hedge, i`m everyday reading and improving her home.
> I coudnt find a answer, but, when could i start bathing my hedge? She was born on february 6th.
> I`m kinda afraid of cutting her nails. Yesterday she let me pick her up, but today she was more defensive. I read that some hedges takes more time to build a bond, but is there a trick of handling the hedge without them being in the ball form?


You can bathe her whenever. Hedgehogs are old enough for baths after they've been weaned/removed from the mother. Archimedes got one from the breeder the day we picked him up. As for the nails, it can be tricky. Unless she needs it, which she probably shouldn't (breeders usually trim them when they're about to go home, or a few days beforehand), give it a little while as you let her get used to you. It's a good idea to try to play with her feet a little, and overall just get her used to being handled. It can still be very difficult to trim the nails, even with a very friendly hedgehog, and the best method of doing it varies from one to the next. Plan on doing them only one or two at a time - just after a foot bath for poopy feet is a good time to try - because trying to get all of them in one "session" can be overwhelming for her and for you.

As for picking her up, you can use a small blanket or piece of fleece to lift her out of the cage if she's too prickly. You can also hold her that way - it lets her get used to your hands and your smell without you having to get spiked quite as badly. Otherwise, it's just a matter of handling her and bonding with her every day, and as she gets used to you and more comfortable, she won't stay in a ball as much. You can also put her in a hedgie bag or under a blanket and just keep her in your lap for a while. You should be handling her for 30 minutes minimum every day (1-2 hours is better, but not always feasible depending on your schedule) regardless of how grumpy or huffy or balled up she is. Babies have to deal with transitioning to a new home, getting to know and trust you, and also they're going to be going through quilling at that age. For instance, Archimedes was inquisitive and fairly pleasant the first two days, and then he got progressively more huffy and ended up being a bit of a terror through quilling. He would ball up fairly often, and he would keep his quills up and huff pretty much continuously. It lasted for weeks, and we kept taking him out and handling him regardless. Sure enough, when quilling started to taper off at around 12-15 weeks, he improved considerably over the course of a single week. Bonding will happen, it just might not be apparent immediately.


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## Viridis Lupus (Apr 8, 2012)

Thanks a lot moxie, i think i'll give her a bath tomorrow or the day after, because earlier she was scratching her back often. I've just replaced the fabric liner i placed yesterday, she pooped a lot today. I liked a lot your tip about taking her out in a blanket piece, i'll just sew a confortable thing for her. (I wanted a hedgehog so much that i even learned to sew. )
She sleeps a lot. I feel very bad for waking her up, is there a problem doing it for lifting her out of the cage? Today she badly left the den, it was colder(but not so much because we live in Brazil).


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

Babies sleep a lot. It's fine to wake her up to take her out, but better if you do it in the evening. Generally they're less bothered by being woken when it's closer to the time they'd be waking up on their own. Keeping the lights dim will help that too.


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## Viridis Lupus (Apr 8, 2012)

Holding her with a blanket worked very well, after i did, she let me and my brother pick her up without keeping the quills up. Tomorrow i'll give her a proper bath, she was scrathing her back a lot today.


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## Viridis Lupus (Apr 8, 2012)

Here is her photo, is she too red in the belly or is it normal?


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

Looks normal.


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## Viridis Lupus (Apr 8, 2012)

Nice to hear that, moxie! I got worried about the scratching.


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

Yeah, that's the color the skin should be. Their fur isn't exactly thick, so the skin is often visible, especially if the position they're in makes it so it's not laying down smoothly. Here's a pic of Archimedes from a few months ago (exploring the bathroom!) and as you can see, it's exactly that color.


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## Isismommy (Nov 16, 2011)

Oh my goodness, she is sooooo cute. I love that picture of her.


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## Viridis Lupus (Apr 8, 2012)

Cute as Archimedes... thanks Isismommy! 
When i hold her and she makes that sound like a bat is very cute. I'm loving having a hedgehog.


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