# Normal hedgie behaviour?



## Bookworm0824 (Jul 21, 2014)

Hi everyone,

I'm new to these forums and hedgehog ownership and could use some advice.

I recently adopted an approx. 1 yr old male hedgie named Sonic. The pet store owner didn't know much about him b/c he was a rescue when he got him. Apparently, he was well taken care of by his previous owner who had to give him up for a long distance move. I've had him in my home for about 5 days now.

He seems very well adjusted so far, eating, drinking and stooling normally. He is shy and if I move towards him too quickly he will bury his head and snuffle but, most of the time he allows me to handle him quite readily and doesn't ball up when I pick him up.

He is very social and will cuddle in my lap while I watch TV at night or will climb all over me as though I am a mountain if I take him out of his cage at times. 

My only concern is that he seems to always be sleeping. (I realize he is nocturnal and sleeps during the day). I usually wake him around 7 p.m. and keep him out of his cage until I go to bed at 11 p.m. Approx. 90% of his out of cage time is spent sleeping in my lap. As soon as I put him back in his cage he will usually soil and drink some water than promptly return to his hut to sleep again. When I wake up at 6 a.m. he is usually sleeping as well.

On Saturday night I stayed up later than usual reading on my e-reader (very little light) and yet he wasn't out playing/moving around.

I'm concerned he might be sleeping too much. How much sleep is usual for adult hedgies?

Also, it does not appear as though he is using his wheel at all. Is there anyway for me to train him to use the wheel?

Thanks for you help. I'd appreciate any advice you can give me.


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

Is there light on while you are awake and in the same room as him? Some hedgehogs only come out when it is super dark or there is no one else in the room. They can be very private creatures. 

As for the wheel, which wheel do you have? Have you tried placing him on it and see what he does? Is his wheel tilted to much to discourage use or not spinning easily? Both these things can discourage wheel use. You might have to try another wheel as well. 

Of course, he could just be a lazy hog. He is eating and pooping so that's good. Do you have a scale to weigh him and monitor his weight? My biggest concern would be making sure he is active enough to keep from being overweight. If he isn't wheeling, you can take him out and encourage him to roam around by looking for treats. Try crickets as they are lower in fat than mealworms. You can also see if he likes to swim although most hedgehogs do not like this.


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## lilsurfergrlsp (Dec 13, 2013)

I agree with Desiree about the lighting - my girl is usually very active, but if I have her out in a lighted room, all she'll want to do is burrow in her cozy sack and sleep. Also, Sonic (haha) may just be a cuddly hog. Not a bad thing! But I'd definitely follow Desiree's advice about monitoring his weight if he's not so active. Maybe even switching to a food that's lower in fat, if that's the case. But it could just be him adjusting to his new home before he shows his personality.

Oh, almost forgot to mention - has his nails been clipped recently? Sometimes if my girl's nails are too long, she won't want to use her wheel.


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## lilythehedgie (Sep 20, 2012)

Has he ever had experience with a wheel before? If not, he may not know what to do with it. Like Desiree said, try placing him on the wheel and swaying it side to side a little. If he feels the motion of the wheel he might get the hang of it.


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## AlexLovesOlive (Jul 7, 2014)

Olive WILL NOT play in her cage if there is any light. She likes it DARK! Also her light schedule is extremely important to me. It is very important to keep hedgehogs the right weight, healthy, and active! I close the blinds and curtains at 8:45 to 9:15 every night, the door stays closed and there are NO lights on. Then when I open the blinds and windows so there is A LOT of natural light depending usually at 7 or 8 depending on when I have to be at work!


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## Bookworm0824 (Jul 21, 2014)

Thanks to everyone for their help.

In regards to light, it is very minimal. No overhead lamp/light, all blinds are closed. The only light comes from the glow of the TV (not facing his cage just in the same room). Its not pitch black in the room but, it is quite dark.

He is very little. I do not have a scale to weigh him but, he is the size of a small apple. Fits in the palm of my hand. If I had to say I'd guess he is lighter than a pound of butter so maybe 3/4 lb?

I have been feeding him 1 tbsp of cat food in the morning and 1 tbsp of cat food at night and he is eating most of it but, there are a few pieces leftover (mostly crumbs). I also give him a piece of fresh veggie at night when I take him out to play and he seems to be enjoying that. Is this the right amount of food or should I be feeding him more or less?

I do not know if he has experience with a wheel (when I bought him there was not one in his cage but, I'm not sure if the previous owner had one for him or not). This morning though there was a pile of poop in front of the wheel so I'm hoping this means he used it last night.

@ lilsurfergrlsp I'm not sure if his nails are too long or not. How do I tell when they need to be clipped? I gave him a bath on the weekend (he loved it) but, he wouldn't let me look at his feet too closely...he got very skittish whenever I attempted this. I did place a terracotta pot in his cage b/c on another forum I had read that sometimes they will naturally wear their nails down this way instead of needing to clip them. Thoughts?

Thanks again.


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## lilythehedgie (Sep 20, 2012)

Unfortunately, the TV light could still be bothering him. Some hedgehogs need total darkness to come out. Do you have him on a steady light schedule during the day? Hedgehogs need 12-14 hours of light per day. If they don't get this light they will attempt hibernation. 

Most adult hedgies eat around 2 tablespoons, or a little more. It's better to put food in their cage all day, instead of giving them set feeding times. This way, he will have access to food all the time, so if he wakes up during the day and is hungry he can eat. Feeding him veggies at night is great.  There is a list of safe fruits and veggies on the Diet and Nutrition forum if you want to see some more options. 

You'll notice if his nails need to be clipped. If the nails start curling under, they definitely need to be clipped, but you will be able to tell before that. Some hedgehogs need their nails clipped more than others. For example, my girl needs hers clipped about once every two weeks. Others get their nails clipped once a week or once a month. 

I haven't heard of using terra-cotta to wear down nails before. It doesn't seem like it would be rough enough to do anything. Don't try to use something rough to wear down their nails, though. It will end up tearing the pads of their feet. I remember someone asking about putting sandpaper on a wheel a while back, but that would murder their feet.:shock: Once you get the hang of it, clipping your hedgie's nails will be a little easier, so it won't be as tough. Try wrapping him up in a blanket and tackling one foot at a time over several minutes. It'll help keep him immobilized so he can't squirm away. Good luck!


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## DesireeM81 (Jun 14, 2014)

I've heard of the terracotta pot thing too.

Diggers, the hedgehogs that dig and scratch everything will wear or keep their nails at a decent length for longer. Some really do like the sound of scratching the pot so it might help. It is not a substitute for clipping their nails though. They don't dig with their back nails and those suckers grow fast. Their front nails still need to be trimmed as well, just less often.

I cut them once I start to see a claw forming, it's kind of a practice to know what you are looking for. There is a great sticky on here that shows a great before and after. http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/foru...rtant-topics/14661-mocha-s-nail-trimming.html This one

@lilythehedgie One of my fiance's friends used to put sand paper in his hedgehogs wheel for years I guess. Apparently they never had a problem but I cringe every time I think about it. Like you, I can't imagine how that must feel on their little feets.


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## Bookworm0824 (Jul 21, 2014)

Thanks.

I took a look at his feet last night and the nails look a bit long (not curling under but, long) so I'm going to try and clip them this weekend. :???:

He was much livelier last evening when I had him out for play time so maybe he just needed a bit of time to get used to everything as I haven't even had him for a week yet.

Oh and I just wanted to note that I do not only feed him at specific times. I fill the dish before I leave for work (and it is in his cage all day for feeding as he wishes) and then in the evening just before playtime I again change his water and give him more food that stays in his cage all night for feeding at his leisure.


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## PricklePrincess (Feb 13, 2014)

I had a bad experience with a little clay pot. I read in a book that pots make good hides for hedgehogs and they can scratch on them as well. Besides being able to hear her scratching in it all through my house, Stella scratched so much that she wore her toenails down past the quick and they bled everywhere. How she didn't feel pain and stop scratching, I will never understand. It was pretty horrific, lots of blood in the pot and all over her carefresh. Needless to say I threw it away immediately. So, I personally would not risk putting a pot in the cage! I'm sure not every hedgehog would scratch like that but if your hedge is a digger they may not hold back.


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