# He never comes out.



## thelostsock (May 27, 2009)

Hi there!
I am a new hedgie owner (yay for me!) and I could not be more extatic. (I will post pictures later. The litle fella was a rehome and needs a lot of tlc before I show him off).

Before I get blasted, I did try to search the following words in the forums with no luck on finding the information that I am looking for. ("Sleep", "Hiding", "Scared", "Nocturnal" "Not Eating" etc.)

His pervious owners said that he would never ever come out of his hidey if there was any source of light which I understand because he is nocturnal, and even if it is dark he will not come out of his hidey if anyone is in the room. My concern is this: He only seems to be eating 10 kibble a day if even (I have been counting) and not drinking that much water. Shouldnt he need to come out to eat sometime during that 14 hour time bracket to eat, drink and poop? He doesnt seem to be eating that much in the evening when he is on his wheel (It is very poopy when I wake up so I know he is on it, plus I can hear him running on it in the evening from my bedroom) which is when that 10 kibble is eaten.

He is new to my home, I just got him on Saturday and I understand that he is likely frightened, I just wanted to know if anyone would like to volunteer any information they may have on this predicament.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

He is probably still adjusting to his new home. Try putting some loose kibble in bed with him. Often if they won't come out to eat much, they will eat in bed. Count what you put in bed so you know. 

10 kibble is an ok amount considering the short time he has been with you. It will probably increase over the next week but some hedgehogs have small appetites. Water can be difficult to monitor. Does he have a bowl or a bottle? If bottle, I suggest adding a bowl as well.


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## thelostsock (May 27, 2009)

Thanks Nancy! I am glad he is just adjusting. When we have bonding time in the evening he is very active (climbing all over me and the couch exploring and searching for a cuddle/hidey place which usually ends up being my pant leg). I was just concerned that he wasn't eating. I don't want him to starve himself to death.

Do you think it will be in his nature to not come out when the lights are on? When we bond I keep a dim light on in the evening but even then he tries to hide. He isn't a bad guy though. When I fist pick him up he is huffy but I think that is because I woke him up. After a few minutes he is crawling all over me in search of a hidey place to snooze. I love him to bits and we just met.  <3

And we use a bowl. I did my research on HHC forums. The bowl is the way we are going to go!


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