# hyper, restless hedgehog



## zunmo (May 16, 2014)

So I've had my hedgehog Linus for a bit more than a year and he's always been pretty ornery, as hedgehogs are. Of course he likes to explore and burrow and run, but generally he's very chill and enjoys when I take him into the kitchen while I cook so he can roam and sniff things on the table for 20-30 minutes and then curl up under his blanket. When we hang out in the evenings usually we just cuddle up in bed. He runs on his wheel and loves to run around outside but isn't ever hyperactive unless he's really stressed.

However, I just took him out to hang before bed and he's extremely agitated. He's running around my room like we're at the park and won't settle down even when he finds a really good corner. I can't see anything that's changed in the direct environment (it's actually gotten warmer out) and haven't bought any new deodorant perfume etc. Admittedly I just finished my finals and haven't been paying as much attention to him as he needs, but he usually is just happy to see me if I'm scarce for a bit. I am changing his food over because I couldn't get the old kind anywhere near enough by, but I've been blending it with his old food and he seems to like it fine. There have been other animals in the house but none near the room where he lives, and he never has had a problem with other animals in the past (he loves to chase our chickens around, they're terrified of him). 

Could this be an issue of there being too much sugar (or some equivalent) in his new food? Is he just mad at me? Or is this normal behavior since he might (at 1 yr and 3 months) be quilling? Could it be too cold in his cage? I'm very worried about him and we're about to make a move across the country in a month so I want to make sure he's in his best possible health so it won't stress him out too much.


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