# Why is she so grumpy?



## pearlthehedgie (Feb 15, 2011)

Our little Pearl is 9 weeks old today. She's been a sweet little thing since we brought her home at 6 weeks. We've handled her every day and given her a couple oatmeal/olive oil baths to help with her quilling.

She went through a major quilling about a week ago and lost quills all over her cage, grew in bigger, lighter-colored ones. Through all this she was pretty friendly anyway. We were bonding well, she'd let us pet her face without being huffy and rub her in front of her ears. 

The last three days or so she has started to bite. (We've been hand feeding her and have since stopped doing that--I know at least a couple times our hands smelled like food so I can understand that biting). She also bites on her fleece blanket and even was biting on the edge of her food dish inside her cage.

Last night she was VERY grumpy. Hissing for the first time and wanted nothing to do with us. My question is this--do they quill continuously till they get the mature quills? I thought since she went through a big quilling a week ago that she'd probably be ok till 12 weeks of age or so. Maybe she is quilling and they are just under the skin surface and we can't see them? Her skin is a bit dry, but I don't think there is any way she could have mites. We use fleece cage liners, Yestderday's News litter, and there are no wood products in her cage. Maybe this is normal?


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## Hedgehog Grove (Jul 21, 2010)

pearlthehedgie said:


> Our little Pearl is 9 weeks old today. She's been a sweet little thing since we brought her home at 6 weeks. We've handled her every day and given her a couple oatmeal/olive oil baths to help with her quilling.
> 
> She went through a major quilling about a week ago and lost quills all over her cage, grew in bigger, lighter-colored ones. Through all this she was pretty friendly anyway. We were bonding well, she'd let us pet her face without being huffy and rub her in front of her ears.
> 
> ...


I'll copy and paste what i just typed to another member on quilling lol"

These are all rough guides lines, each hedgehog can start a bit later -

1st quilling - 4 weeks of age
2nd quilling - 6 weeks of age
3rd quilling - 9weeks of age (This is also their adult color quilling)
4th quilling - 12 weeks of age (final)

Sometimes a hedgehog will quill again at 1 year of age but it is very dependent on the hedgehog.

She may or may not get grumpy when she goes through quilling again dependent the hedgehog but most do suffer some discomfort. Just think how it would feel for spikes piercing out of your skin. You can give her a warm Aveeno bath or a warm bath with oatmeal in a sock. This will help soothe her.

So she is either about to start her 3rd adult color quilling or she is only just finishing her 6 week quilling.

Some go through their quilling process quickly, dropping many quills every day and others sometimes it takes a bit longer.

It is likely she is grumpy because of it and the bitting is a reflection of that as well. Hand feeding isn't recommended so she may associate you hands/fingers with food even if they don't smell like it..

She my just be also going through a biting stage, generally it resolves itself.

Where did you get Pearl from?

Even if she doesn't appear to have mites because you don't use wood products she could still have them. Often hedgehogs can have them and they lay dormant until a stress factor is indicated and then they blossom. Is she scratching alot?

It is still important to hold her during quilling stages just don't pet her back or any of her quills.


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## pearlthehedgie (Feb 15, 2011)

Thanks for the reply -

We got Pearl from Susan's Hawkeye Hedgies in Iowa. The breeder said she didn't have any trouble with mites. She was using kiln-dried pine or aspen bedding (I can't remember which). 

She doesn't seem to be scratching really. One night a week or so ago, my daughter said she heard her scratch quite a bit until she fell asleep. I haven't really noticed scratching. 

I was hoping since she did the big qulling last week, she would get a break for a while. The last time she quilled, the quills seemed to come in bigger and lighter colored. She felt like she had a little different "texture" to her after that. Do you think that could have been her 9-week quill? When we got her at 6 weeks of age she wasn't really shedding many quills at that time. 

I've read that the 12 week quill is the hardest one for them. But she seems too young for that I think. ?


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