# Scared Hedgie or just grumpy?



## MimiKitten (Dec 10, 2014)

Hello all!

My hedgie Lydia seems very skittish and I'm not sure what to do!
If I sit completely still she'll move around and all that but as soon as I even breath she goes into her ball and hisses and pops!

I have given her my fleece blanket to sleep with to get used to my scent and so far I have taken her out everyday! I am however afraid to pick her up with my hands because like she's very prickly and pops a lot and it's pretty painful haha.

I've given her some carrot and she loved that because I was unsure if she was eating or not so I wanted to make sure she got something.

I just want the best for her and to make her happy and not go backwards and somehow make her scared of me!


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## sc2001 (Oct 12, 2014)

How old is she? How long have you had her?

This kind of behavior for a new hedgehog is pretty normal. 

It's all about you being confident with handling. If you are confident, you will most likely see results faster. I was also pretty scared of picking up my hedgehog when I first got Her. But I still did it every single day no matter how bad it hurt. Eventually I got used to it and didn't care when she raised her quills. Now after 5 months of having her, she RARELY raises her quills. maybe a little bit when I wake her up for only for a second. 

so the key is to be consistent and confident with handling.


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## horslvr123 (Dec 20, 2014)

I have a hedgie like MimiKitten has that is grumpy and hisses and pops alot.. We have only had her a day, so we are confident she will come around. Her previous owner said she was semi grumpy, but it was due to lack of handling. My girl, Thistle, is 2 yrs old. 
Right now, my daughter is sitting on the couch with Thistle on her lap on a pillow and a blanket.. She talks to her and is just letting her get used to her scent..
To pick her up out of her cage, I have to use a fleece blanket doubled up cuz her quills are soo pokey and poke thru the single layer...


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