# Twitching



## Hedgie101 (Jan 31, 2009)

The Hedgie I want at a store twitches... He twitches whenever you touch his back when he's not looking... and when you try to pick him up from behind, but when your holding him he doesn't twitch at all and he acts like a healthy hedgie. Is twitching normal behavior? :?


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

It sounds like you mean he jumps a little bit. If that's what you mean by "twitch" that's perfectly normal. Hedgies don't like being touched when they can't see what's touching them, and sometimes it will startle them a bit and make them do a little hunch up/jump type movement. I'm assuming that's what you mean by twitching, and if that's the case it's a perfectly normal movement.


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## Hedgie101 (Jan 31, 2009)

Ok, ya thats what i meant by twitching, he sorta jumps a bit... My mom said it was just because he is nervous or something like that so im glad that it is normal behavior. My brother said that it could be something wrong with him/her but i thought it was just normal behavior.


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

Hedgies don't see very well anyway, so they're naturally a bit nervous. It's like someone walking up behind you when you have no idea they're back there and tapping you on the shoulder. Odds are it's going to make you jump. It actually sounds like he/she's a pretty outgoing hedgie if it just jumps and doesn't totally ball up and start hissing when startled. If you're considering getting that hedgie, the little guy/gal might be an outgoing friendly pet. You'll definitely want to find out the gender, though, especially since it's a pet store hedgie and you won't know the history for sure. Is there more than one hedgie in the same cage or are they separate? Males have a "belly button" high on their tummies, and females have a belly button also but it's low, down near the tail. If it's a female hedgie, you have to be careful because she could be pregnant if they were all housed together. If it's a male, you don't have to worry about that.

I would recommend doing as much research as you can first. This forum is full of wonderful information, so read as much as you can and ask any questions you come up with.


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## Hedgie101 (Jan 31, 2009)

I think she's a female and a little bit stressed because we just got her yesterday and shes warming up pretty FAST.  She always runs on her wheel... she ran on her wheel for about 2 hours this morning... shes not twitching as much now...  is it good for them to run on their wheel for a long time...? :?


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

Congratulations on the new little one. 
Some will run all night. Just make sure she's eating and drinking and otherwise acting like a hedgie. Keep doing lots of reading, also. I tried to orient my website toward new owners, so you might consider reading through some of it in addition to reading the forums here. http://sinisterhedgies.sinister-intentions.net


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