# Sookie is very stressed and I'm worried about her



## lpercz (Dec 23, 2010)

Ok so for anyone who doesnt know, I moved to school last week and I couldnt bring Sookie. My step mom was watching her and really tried her hardest but Sookie was just not having it. She was eating ALL of her food which she never does, she was burrowing under the liners, wouldnt let anyone touch her and only unrolled to eat some worms (hedgie crack as I call them). She balled up so hard that she actually rolled. Then she started sleeping in her tunnel and no one could get her out. She did some other things too like knock over her dishes and stuff.

Now, I know animals sense when things change. They know when you're away. But in only a week she was flipping out! I thought she probably thinks I abandoned her and I feel so guilty for leaving her. But she was out of her schedule, doesn't really know my stepmom even though we tried to get her at least used to her scent. So I came home this weekend to take her back with me to school because she can't keep doing this. But yesterday I picked her up like normal and I could still see she was stressed out. Then I was outside talking to my sister and had her on my lap and she actually bit me! She's never bitten before. I keep telling myself that she bit me because she was mad at me.

I'm hoping she'll calm down when I get her situated at school and because I'll be there but I'm scared that she'll be all weird from now on. She's ok right now but I know tonight (like last night) she'll have messed up her cage again. I'm just worried.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

I'd start out by getting her back to her normal routine and trying to reduce the stress in her life for a while. Hedgehogs are creatures of habit, so its very possible that she is rioting because her routine changed.

I have had hedgehogs and have known hedgehogs who when they didn't get their normal out of cage time for even 1 night would stress over it. They would riot, destroy their cages and be prickly quill balls. Once we beg for forgiveness and promise to never do it again, they settle back down and resume being their normal little selves.

Give her a day or two to settle down. Get her back on her normal routine. If she continues to act off, or gets worse, you may want to schedule a vet check just in case this is a symptom of an ailment and it just was a coincidence it happened while you had moved off to school.

Good luck!


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