# Dislikes



## oskarhb18 (Feb 13, 2011)

Hi. I recently adopted a 6month old Hedgehog in San Jose, Costa Rica. I named him Henry 
I was wondering, do they dislike loud noises? Henry's main living and sleeping area is in the same room as my sound system. I listen to music all the time when I'm at home and I like blasting it away q:
Also, do they dislike tobacco smell? Should I avoid smoking around him or before holding him? Should I rinse my hands thoroughly with soap before trying to hold him?
Another thing is that I take Henry with me to work whenever I can. Do they dislike motion? Can they get car sick? Would he be much happier staying at home?
And finally, Henry loves sleeping inside my laundry hamper. He likes shewing on kitchen rags, t-shirts, socks, etc. Is it possible for him to choke on fabric threats? If he swallows fabric threats, would this make him sick? Should I prevent him or stop him from doing this?
Thank you in advance for any helpful comments.

p.s. hedgehogs are not that common in Costa Rica, and it is hard to find a vet who knows how to deal with them :-/


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

oskarhb18 said:


> Hi. I recently adopted a 6month old Hedgehog in San Jose, Costa Rica. I named him Henry
> I was wondering, do they dislike loud noises? Henry's main living and sleeping area is in the same room as my sound system. I listen to music all the time when I'm at home and I like blasting it away q:
> Also, do they dislike tobacco smell? Should I avoid smoking around him or before holding him? Should I rinse my hands thoroughly with soap before trying to hold him?
> Another thing is that I take Henry with me to work whenever I can. Do they dislike motion? Can they get car sick? Would he be much happier staying at home?
> ...


Hi there,
I'll try to answer all your questions:

1) Hedgehogs might feel very scared of loud noises. Personally I do think it's a good idea to expose your hedgehog to different sounds, which might help him get used to the noises that surround him, but loud noises can really bother him. I suggest you move him to a different, more peaceful location. 

2) I'd recommend you don't smoke around any of your pets, whether it's a hedgehog or not. We still need some studies to show the effects of tobacco smoke on our pets, but hedgehogs can be very prone to allergies, so tobacco smoke would definitely be a bad idea. 
My boyfriend smokes :evil: and I ask him to wash his hands before handling our hedgies... they don't seem to be bothered by the smell but I think it's a good idea.

3) Some hedgies do get car sick, some don't. It will depend of your pet. By taking him to work I would be concerned about exposing him to different temperatures often, as that can make him sick. They need consistent temperatures between 73-78F. If you do take him with you, be sure to use a cat carrier to transport him (it's the safest way for him) and also be sure you can provide a consistent and safe temperature for him. Also, be sure he is able to sleep while you're at work with him, as they sleep during the day (I'm considering you work day shifts?) Do you take him with you almost every day? What do you do for work?

4) When he is out digging on your clothes, you should watch him to make sure he doesn't get any fabric threads caught on his nails or around his legs. Don't let him chew on fabric with loose threads as that might be dangerous if he swallows it. You can give him pieces of fleece for him to dig/burrow/chew. 

The link below is for a free online book about hedgehog care, it's really good and I suggest you read it, it will teach you how to provide the best basic care for your little guy. Also, I suggest you try to look for a vet BEFORE you need it, just in case. It won't be fun if your little guy gets sick and you can't find a vet to help him. 

http://www.hedgehogbook.webs.com/


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## oskarhb18 (Feb 13, 2011)

Thank you so much for your quick reply 

1) I like to keep him at my office area, where my sound system is, because I spend most of my time there when I'm at home. But I will listen to your advise and gladly move his play-pen to my bedroom.

2) I do not smoke inside the apartment. I was just worried he would dislike me holding him when my fingers smell like tobacco. I read a post where they advise rinsing your hands with the same scented soap before holding them so they develop trust, so I think I will definitely try that.

3) I use one little cage meant for traveling, Is pretty safe. The office temp I can easily regulate with A/C and I will make sure the car temp is one that pleases him from now on. I work as a graphic designer/architect. I take him with me when I know I will be at the office all day and when I don't have any meetings planned. I wear a sweat-shirt and he sleeps inside the belly pouch while I sit at my desk and photoshop away (I lined the inside of the pouch with old t-shirts every day) I usually work from 8am to 10pm. That's actually why I take him with me, I don't want him to sit at home alone. Sometimes he huff if I stand up to quickly. But usually he just sleeps.

4) He finds the laundry basket no matter where I hide it. I can usually find him there early in the morning. I have not noticed any holes or any damage on my cloth YET, but I have definitively noticed he likes shewing on them. I guess I'll just stick the basket on top of the washer for now, until I find a more permanent solution.

Thank you so much for the link. It is awesome! Downloading as I type


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## Gibbz (Jan 17, 2011)

Would you like loud, strange noises being blasted in your ear? I suspect not. The same goes for your hedgie. Animals have great hearing, they do not need excess sound. Maybe when you play your music, move him to another area. Smoke is not good for any animal lungs, it has tonnes of chemicals in it that cause cancer, as you already know that. You shouldn't be smoking around him, perhaps open a window and blow the smoke out the window. Hedgehogs have a great sense of smell, as it is their main tracking sense. So the smell of tobacco on your hands is probably very pungent to him, washing your hands would definitely dull the smell a bit.

All the best.


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