# HELP with Hedgehog :(



## HedgeHogSTAR (Jan 27, 2010)

Hello.

I bought my Hedgehog about 3 days ago.

Hes a bit over weight, they never even had a wheel in for him.

Hes VERY shy, when i talk him out hes always in a ball, and any movements makes him puff.
He even poohs and pees sometimes.

What am i to do? 

I put a T-shirt in his hide. He never comes out of it, ever, hes always in there sleeping, sometimes i hear him scratching and that's it. ( He's about 8 months to a Year ).

Not very active, i blame the employees, he was in a cage doing nothing all day.

Could i get some feed back please, and some help.

This is quite serious to me, i would love to have a sociable Hedgehog.

Thank you.


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## Betsyc (Jan 22, 2010)

It takes a while for a hedgehog to get used to new people and places, just be patient. 

Try to hold him a little each day, and give him meal worm bribes. He may never be the friendliest fellow but you don't need to worry yet.


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## Betsyc (Jan 22, 2010)

Oh, and hedgehogs poop a LOT. Mine poops at least once every time I hold him! Thats normal.


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## HedgeHogSTAR (Jan 27, 2010)

I realize that, but its so hard to tell with him, hes VERY shy, and a little over weight.
Is there anything i can do for his weight, i have a wheel but hes never out.

Im just wondering if theres a chance to "change" him, i mean in knowing im his best mate or in other words, i mean him no harm.

Its hard to tell with him, since hes never out.

Some help would be great.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

What food are you feeding?
What kind of cage?
What temperature?
What bedding?

Are you sure this is a male?
Were there others in the same cage?

It's a 50/50 chance of things going either way. He may warm up to you, and he may not. You must accept that. However, it seems like you're already doing all that you can and should currently do. I can really only suggest looking over the stickies on the forum, especially the behavioural stickies.


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## HedgeHogSTAR (Jan 27, 2010)

Immortalia said:


> What food are you feeding?
> What kind of cage?
> What temperature?
> What bedding?
> ...


Im feeding him "Ultra Blend Select Hedgehog food"
Im not sure on the size of the cage, but im thinking of going out and buying a Big Tuba wear Cantainer.
The Temp in my house/near him is 77 F
The beddding is Aspen as of right now, since i use it for my snake thats all i had, ill be getting better bedding soon.

Yes im sure He is a Male
No there was no other animals with him in the cage.

I just hope he can come around, i really love animals, there such fascinating creatures.


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## HedgeHogSTAR (Jan 27, 2010)

Also, what to do about his Weight.

Heres a picture:


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Ya, I understand. My boy's grumpy, but he's willing to cuddle, if I don't move...or breathe... that could disturb his sleep :lol: 
It just takes a LOT of patience. I've had my boy for over a year now, and he'll still hiss at me when I first wake him up. 

I'm surprised he's overweight on hedgehog food. Most commercial hedgehog foods are insufficient in nutrition. But I guess that also comes with the lack of wheel. I hope you got him a safe, solid surface wheel as well? Oh! Fleece liners are VERY well liked by most here, including myself.

So ya, you may want to think about slowly switching his food over to a quality cat food off of the list *points to the diet and nutrition forum*. All foods there are under 15% fat, but you can find some that are even less ~9%fat. Just stick to the "light" varieties. As long as he has a wheel (bucket wheel, comfort wheel, flying saucer), and on a low fat diet of cat food, I don't see the need to limit his food in anyway right now.

Make sure he has 12hours of "light" artificial or sunlight, and most hedgies love pure darkness at night. My boy refuses to come out if there's light on. 
When picking up, the easiest I've always found, is that my boy burrows between his fleece blanket bed, so I'll lift up the entire bundle to take him out of the cage. Then I'll slowly peel back the fabric until I see him. It's much easier than waking him up inside the cage, then try to pick him up in awkward position through cage doors. ^_^


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## HedgeHogSTAR (Jan 27, 2010)

Ya, its just a shame when you see your pet is "turning there back on you".

I just hope he will come out maybe, and maybe come around in liking me.


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## Mallasfamily (Feb 6, 2009)

First of all congrats on getting a hedgie. They are wonderful pets. Remember you have had him for only 3 days. Some people recommend that you do not disrupt them for at least a week and you are expecting a best friend in 3 days? This is not a dog. They can easily take months to get them to warm up to you so don't expect anything else. If you can take a picture of him unballed I would say that he is doing amazing already! As for the overweight... Give him some time. 3 days in a new place is hard on them. He has never had a wheel either so he probably has no idea what it is or how much fun he will have on it. He should also go to a vet to make sure he is healthy and that is something that you can discuss with them. Also take a look at Reapers food list. That is a great source of info for you. I don't know anything about the food you are currently feeding, but it is recommended that you have more then one kind anyways so you should be able to find something on there to add or replace as preferred. All the best with your new little one.


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## HedgeHogSTAR (Jan 27, 2010)

Thanks.

So you recommend me not to touch him for another 4 days?

And the whole Vet thing, dont they cost money? Which i dont have any.


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## HedgeHogSTAR (Jan 27, 2010)

1:13 AM here ( eastern time )
He has come out of his hide!
Hes moving around i think hes thirsty.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Congrats on your new hedgie! He's gorgeous.

Give him some time to settle in and get used to everything. In the picture, he looks pretty relaxed given what he's going through.



> And the whole Vet thing, dont they cost money? Which i dont have any.


This concerns me though. Yes, hedgies *need* to see a vet, for an annual checkup and anytimes something seems wrong. And yes, vets are expensive. It's just part of owning an exotic- they're not cheap. Please start saving up ASAP so you have an vet fund in case something goes wrong and he needs emergency care.


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## HedgeHogSTAR (Jan 27, 2010)

Ya, he seems to be running on the wheel now, continuously.

Seems pretty happy


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## rainbowcookie (Dec 21, 2009)

Great! I'm glad he figured his wheel out.

Do you have a blanket you can cuddle him in? When I watch TV, I usually have a hedgehog on my lap. Sometimes they will explore the blanket and walk all over me and the couch, sometimes they fall asleep. I think it's a good idea to do this with a new hedgehog since he is getting used to being handled and getting used to your scent. He can hide under the blanket, so he will be happier, too.

And mealworm bribes work pretty well, too!

Good luck! I love your photo, your hedgehog is beautiful!!!


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