# Should I sell her?



## deyumz (Dec 6, 2013)

Hey, so I got my hedgie on Sunday and I kind of regret it
I like her and ive grown attached to her however, the things that put me off is that she poops and wees a lot, i have to clean it up evey single time
I know thats all part of being a hedgehog owner etc but i dont like it
Also the fact that she curls up everytime i try to hold her, i also know that it is their defence but it puts me off
Also apperently my room smells due to her etc

I can sell her very easily but ive grown attached to her, but im not sure if its for the best to sell her  please give me advice!!


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## ceopet (Sep 20, 2013)

If you don't feel like you are ready for this you probably should re home her to somebody who is prepared for it :-/ 

This is why you should always research a pet before you get one. 

Sounds like you aren't ready for pets, most pets require some sort of cleaning everyday everybody poops and pees.


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## xxkrysta (Dec 26, 2013)

In all honesty, if you aren't ready for this type of pet you should considering re homing her. They take a lot of work, responsibility, and tolerance. I think it would be best if you did sell/give her to someone that has experience with hedgehogs.

Just an opinion.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

You got her from a breeder and many breeders have a stipulation that should you have to give hedgehog up, it must go back to the breeder. I'd check that out. Even if the breeder doesn't, the breeder may have someone waiting that would be willing to take her.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Agreed with Ceopet. It sounds like you weren't really prepared for what to expect with hedgehog ownership. Hedgehogs poop a lot - it's just a fact of hedgie ownership. Babies poop and pee a TON, and while they'll do so less as they get older, they still poop quite a bit. You'll still have a poopy wheel to clean every day. You'll still need to spot-clean the cage daily, and do a fully clean every week. There's really no way to get around those things.

Her attitude is normal for hedgehogs, especially hedgies in a new environment. She doesn't know you yet and she doesn't know what to expect from you. They're pretty shy animals and they're usually pretty slow to start trusting a new person & opening up to them. You haven't even had her a full week yet - it can sometimes take weeks or months before a hedgehog will be comfortable with their new person. 

Sit down and think about things for a bit. Think about having to clean up poop every day for the next 4-6 years. No days off - you'll have to clean the wheel every day. Think about whether you're willing to put a half an hour (at least) of your evenings aside to cuddle her every day for the next 4-6 years. If you don't hold her, she'll start to get more shy again. The only way she'll warm up to you is to continue getting her out & bonding with her. And she may never stop curling up in a ball when you first pick her up - some hedgehogs do that as a reaction to being picked up no matter what, then relax after they realize they know you.

If you think you're going to end up resenting her for what she requires from you, then it's probably a good idea to find a good home for her where they'll know what to expect from a hedgehog and will be happy to deal with the things that go along with hedgie ownership.


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## deyumz (Dec 6, 2013)

I was infact ready, I waited for a month and I even read a book about it and I studied it a lot. The only thing I wasn't ready for was the smell of it; however, I am not going to give up as I am going to give it another try. 

Thanks Lilysmommy for being my subtle than the others.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

I'm assuming since you got her, you really wanted a hedgehog to begin with. I'd give it more time. A week is nothing for these guys. She is still settling into your routine, and you are still developing your routine with her. Both the smell and her behavior may drastically improve if you give it a few more weeks. It could take longer, but here are some things to also think about...

I'm assuming she's a baby. If she's a baby, in addition to the fact that they poop more, sometimes their stool tends to smell more. Add in the fact she's still very new to you, she is likely still stressing from being in a new home. Stress to these little guys can do a number on their digestive systems, and smell can be a result (as well as green or loose stools).

All of this should get better as she settles in and as she gets older (assuming she's a baby).

If she really stinks, we can also take a look at how you care for her. What she is eating, what type of cage setup you have, etc. What the color, texture, etc of her stools are like. 

I know you mentioned reading and researching, but there are a lot of bad resources out there with crap care information in them. With more information in these areas, we may be able to offer recommendations on how to make improvements to make her smell less or to help you interact with her better.

Hedgehogs aren't for everyone, but the fact you are posting here tells me you likely are wanting to keep her and not give up quite yet.


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## JulieAnne (Sep 3, 2012)

You can also try giving foot baths so she will poop and pee in the bath rather than on you. Obviously she's still going to poop in the cage and on her wheel, that's just life with a hedgehog. As a baby she may still poop and pee on you after a foot bath but they usually grow out of that and poop less. Try putting about half an inch of WARM water in a bath tub or sink and put her in their for a few minutes. She'll probably do a lot of her business there.

If you want her to bond with you more try putting a hoodie on backwards and put her in the hood. Then you can go about your day with her with you


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## JMGarrett (Dec 12, 2013)

To the defense of the OP, I too researched Hedgies before buying one. Not fair for anyone to discount the shock as "well you did not research it".... I read lots of info on lots of breeder pages. Asked questions of breeders. Considered it a long time before the purchase....

The amount of poop and pee, especially on US when we try to hold him (always have to change all our clothes EVERY holding), as well as all the poop in his wheel (different thread I started), has been a shock. And I, someone who has had hundreds of critters, cats, dogs, and reptiles in my life! This little guy wins in the poop-n-stink contest of 41 years of odd pets. 

Just saying... these guys can POOP.... wow.


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Ahahaha, JM, you've got a baby, don't you? The epic amounts of poop a young hoglet can produce are legendary. Like, poops as big around as their leg and twice as long, then, 15 minutes later, without eating anything new, doing it again! As a physicist, I was left contemplating if hedgehogs are actually some sort of infinite-poop generator. For a while, even with careful use of waterproofing, I'd still end up having to change pants multiple times a night thanks to exuberant hoglet-pee. 

On the up side, they do grow out of it. Poop is a part of life of hedgehog-ownership, but it gets a lot more sane as they grow older. Now, with my great big 10-month-old almost-adult hedgehog, accidents are downright infrequent, and mostly to do with me not paying attention.


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## raurora (Sep 6, 2013)

I think my concern is your.. surprise(Im not sure if thats the right word) that hedgehogs poop and pee. And that you have to clean it up. I mean with almost any pet, anything that you are responsible for, you have to clean their waste. Did you expect something different?


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## Zippy (Dec 31, 2013)

I agree with the OP ... hedgehog poop and pee A LOT! No matter how much you read about it, you really can't understand full hedgehog ownership until you actually experience it. 

I've owned lots of different pets and hedgehog definitely smell/poop more than I expected. Doesn't mean the OP isn't ready for a pet, hedgehog are definitely special pets that have very individual needs. Sometimes the amount of work a pet requires also equals the amount of reward and satisfaction you get out of it. For me personally that seems to be true with hedgehogs, but for the OP it might not be. Provide the best care possible and make sure if you do rehome the next owner does the same. Hedgehogs (esp babies) can't help that they pee/poop/smell/huff/prick/etc ... your pet is completely dependent on you - thats a big responsibility for anyone or any pet!


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## deyumz (Dec 6, 2013)

Thanks everyone for all the advise and I've decided to keep Izzy as recently all the cons have gone out the window as she is warming up to me and she doesn't poop or pee anywhere else part from this one corner and her wheel which makes it much easier.

However, I'd like to stress that I did infact research a lot about hedgies before I got one and it quite annoyed me when some people said I wasn't ready.It's just that I'm guessing everyone was a bit surprised when they got their hedgie and its wrong to say that I wasn't ready. But I am now over it.

Thanks again for all the advice!


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

deyumz said:


> I'm guessing everyone was a bit surprised when they got their hedgie


From watching the forum for almost a year now, I totally vote for a, "What have I gotten myself into?!" sticky for new owners that covers, among other things:
1. the truly epic quantities of poop a new hedgehog can produce;
2. the amount of contradictory information on hedgehogs;
3. that you will eventually drop your hedgehog, and hopefully it will not be catastrophic when it happens;
4. weird poop (and how weird it is to now be totally obsessed with poop);
5. that hedgehogs can take a while to warm up to their new humans.

Because really, no matter how much you read and think you're prepared, it's amazing.


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## Haley (Nov 18, 2013)

I think the most helpful thing I read was the behaviors and expectations thread, there are some real hems in there!

Babies poop constantly, they want to sleep all day, they will ball up and get huffy when you wake them up, they are not "morning people  " they need to wake up slowly.


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## JulieAnne (Sep 3, 2012)

They certainly prefer to wake up slowly but you can get them used to being woken up the more often you do it


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## ceopet (Sep 20, 2013)

Well I am glad you decided to keep her.

I am sorry if I came off as a little bit harsh, it's true when my hog first pooped on me and my fiance it was a huge shock, and seeing a poopy wheel for the first time did make me gag lol 

I guess I just may have misunderstood you, I read what you wrote as "I have to clean up after her and I don't like it and I am thinking of selling her because of that" 

So I hope there are no hard feelings, I am glad you warmed up to her.


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## ajweekley (Aug 8, 2013)

I haven't had a poop accident for a long time with The Gert, at 5 months old. My guinea pigs, on the other hand... I always get pooped on. And usually a nice stinky pee.  But Gertie's poop stinks more, probably because she eats protein and they're eating basically pure fiber. Theirs doesn't smell like much, but hers smells like actual poop.

OP, I don't doubt that you researched before getting your hedgie. But it's a pretty common fact of pet parenthood (and human parenthood, for that matter) that there will be poop, and it will not smell like flowers. As others have said here, the poop does lessen as your hedgehog grows. But it's never going to smell nice. The cage will be stinky from pee and poo, and if your room isn't well ventilated you're going to be able to notice the scent. You can keep the smell down by cleaning the wheel every day and spot-cleaning the cage (picking up the poops), and keeping the bedding fresh once a week or so. 

All that being said -- if that is something you don't feel like you're ready for, then by all means you should think about finding another loving home for her. Because while the poop does lessen, there will always be poop. And it will always smell. It's going to be a constant chore to keep the cage clean and fresh, for the rest of your hedgehog's life. Nobody can answer the question of whether you should rehome her but you. 

I wish you both the best!

**Edit* I didn't see your update before my post. I'm happy for you both!


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## deyumz (Dec 6, 2013)

ceopet said:


> Well I am glad you decided to keep her.
> 
> I am sorry if I came off as a little bit harsh, it's true when my hog first pooped on me and my fiance it was a huge shock, and seeing a poopy wheel for the first time did make me gag lol
> 
> ...


Don't worry I totally understand, I would have reacted the same if I had seen someone post a thread like mine. No hard feelings


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## Megalin5150 (May 3, 2013)

Both of my babies used to poop and pee on us all the time. As they got older though, they stopped completely. Both of them only go to the bathroom in their cage now. One goes on his wheel and the other goes right next to his wheel. The one that goes next to his wheel will run away from me and start squirming around when he has to poop and pee. Sounds like you're more ready for an adult hedgehog than a baby... they take time to adjust and you can't expect a baby to be able to hold it all day. I'm just glad that mine have learned to let me know if they have to go : )


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