# Sleepy, Bitey, Grumpy. -_-



## QuillOutAlready (Dec 4, 2011)

I got Kivvi a few days shy of 3 weeks ago, switched her off her junk food the breeder gave us, have her on a strict lighting schedule with a timer, temperature regulated with a CHE and Repitemp. She is " under a year" as the hobby breeder told us and not too tiny, so I don't think she is a baby. Visited the vet ( who has had hedgies in the past) last week, he gave her a clean bill of health.

I am a first time hedgie mom and when I first brought her home she was definitely a bit grumpy, but after holding her a bit and getting over the initial transition things were fine. During the second week a friend of mine held her after painting her nails. Kivvi clamped down and wouldn't let go. Later we find out that its common for hedgies to bite because they hate the nailpolish smell. 

Since she bit my friend I've been so freaked out that she will bite me that I've just held her on her back = no way to bite me, or in a fleece. She seems to bite most things, or make an attempt to now... Tonight I gave her a bath and she kept biting the towel when I was trying to dry her. I know I really need to be handling her with my bare hands, but am I going to turn into a hedgie chew toy? :x 

Kivvi also will sleep forever if I don't wake her up and take all of her bedding away. Once she gets up and starts eating I usually put it back, but I often have to check and wake her up if she is sleeping again. Should I be waking her up if she isn't on her own? 

I need some guidance  Please help.


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## lehaley (Jun 25, 2011)

You really need to stay away from painting your hedgie's nails or using any other sort of strong-smelling product near them. Hedgehogs are incredibly smell sensitive animals, and it's no wonder your little girl clamped onto your friend after that. Also, nail polish and other cosmetics can have harmful effects on humans, let alone hedgehogs. 

Are you using scented laundry detergent for the towels and fleece that you've been using around her? This would also probably explain the biting of those things. Most people on this site recommend using unscented detergent for washing any hedgehog related items. Like I mentioned above, hedgehogs are EXTREMELY smell sensitive. More likely than not, your hedgie was just going in for a taste of something she smelled on the towel. 

Hedgehogs with a biting habit are pretty rare, and it's unlikely that your hedgie is one of them. Many people here recommend not using any scented hand soap or touching food before handling your hedgehog. If your hedgehog gets the scent of something she likes on your hands, she will be more likely to bite. If she starts to lick your hands, pull them away from her face because this is usually a sign that a bite is on the way if she likes how you taste. Most hedgehogs do not bite maliciously, they do it out of curiosity. In the off chance that your hedgie DOES bite, it's important to keep playing with her and not put her directly back in the cage. If she was biting because she wanted to go back to sleep or be put down, this only enforces that biting works to get her way and will encourage her to behave that way in the future. 

My hedgehog Felix bit me once right after I brought him home and gave him his first bath. He hardly bit, it didn't hurt, and didn't leave a mark. He did it in the process of trying to scurry out of the tub and up my hand, so I think he was just trying to clamp onto something to avoid the water. He hasn't attempted biting since, although he frequently clamps on to fabrics with new smells (like my boyfriend's socks). 

What do you mean by "sleeping forever"? If you're waking her up when it's still light out, this is typical behavior and probably will not change much. It's ok to wake her up to play or bond during the daytime (many people do), but you shouldn't really be waking her up just to wake her up. Unless you suspect a problem or a hibernation attempt, waking her up to eat really isn't necessary. I have only seen Felix get up once on his own while it was still light out, and that was because I screwed up his light timer and it didn't go off until very late. He got hungry . The majority of the time he will become active around an hour after the lights go off and sometimes he won't.


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## Nicole753 (Dec 16, 2011)

I think she meant her friend had just painted her own nails, not that she had painted her hedgie's nails :lol:


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## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

I know it sounds counterintuitive, but I'd suggest handling her even if you are scared fo the bites. Some hedgehogs are just biters. You just need to keep your hands away from their face :lol: If she does bite you, don't pull away, because you might damage her teeth, and it might encourage her to bite even harder. Instead, just push your finger/whichever body part further into her mouth, forcing her to release. Also, don't put her away right after. Time out doesn't work with a hedgie. She will begin to associate biting with being left alone, which would make her bite more.

I've never had problems with nail polish (I paint my nails often), but I make sure that I handle Kashi before I paint my nails, and not for the rest of the night when my hands smell strongly of nail polish.


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## Quinn (Apr 24, 2011)

My Sasha Bites everything too. Some days are better then others. There are days when he's really well behaved and a sweetheart and others where he will bite on to something and not let go, usually his fleece blanket. We have tried lots of things to get him to stop but nothing works. So we have just come to accept it. However, we never put him back into his cage when he is having a hissy fit. We make sure he calms down before he goes back in. Good luck and dont be afraid (which I know is easier said then done).


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## QuillOutAlready (Dec 4, 2011)

I was referring to my friend having painted her own nails. I also am very strict about using the same unscented soap on everyone's hands before she is held, as well as using unscented detergent on everthing. 

Thanks for the encouragement about holding her despite my bitey fear.

I am most worried about her not waking up at night when her light has been off even for quite a while. Is it normal for a hedgie to not wake up at night without me physically waking her up? Her cage is at a good temp and her schedule is regulated... Also is it bad to be waking her up if she isn't on her own? I don't think she is trying to hibernate.


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## CourtneyFaye (Jul 31, 2011)

How long is awhile? My hedgehog won't get up until the room has been silent and completely dark usually for about an hour. Does it seem like she is biting out of aggression or curiosity. Hedgehogs will sometimes become aggressive if they are hiding an illness and if she is sick that could attribute to her sleeping a lot. What is her lighting schedule?


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

It's fine to wake her up when she's sleeping during the day. Make sure that if you do this, you are in a quiet room so she can sleep. It's not a big deal to cuddle during the day as long as you aren't affecting her sleep.  

If the only thing you know about her age is that she's under a year, she could still be young enough to be sleeping more than a full grown adult. Younger hogs sleep more, the same way human children do. Some hogs, babies or adults, won't come out at night if there's even a sliver of light in the room. Even things like small nightlights plugged in on an opposite wall keeps some hogs in their hiding spots. Make sure the room she's in is dark and quiet when her light turns off.


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## hedgieluv (Oct 29, 2011)

My breeder told me she likes to use hand sanitizer before picking up the hedgies. She thinks it discourages biting because it doesn't taste good and everyone who picks up the hedgie has the same smell. I haven't used it because Persephone doesn't bite...yet. She did once when I touched her food before picking her up. Guess I tasted like kibble :lol:


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## QuillOutAlready (Dec 4, 2011)

CourtneyFaye said:


> How long is awhile? My hedgehog won't get up until the room has been silent and completely dark usually for about an hour. Does it seem like she is biting out of aggression or curiosity. Hedgehogs will sometimes become aggressive if they are hiding an illness and if she is sick that could attribute to her sleeping a lot. What is her lighting schedule?


I usually just wake her up maybe a half hour after her light goes off, her timer has her light turning on at 8am and off at 8pm. I will not wake her up tonight and see if she does on her own so I can give you a real number.

Her biting does seem a bit agressive because there is no licking before hand and she kinda snaps her head towards what she is biting. Also she isn't real big on annointing, only seen her do it once on the first day I took her home, so I can pretty much rule that out.

I just took her to the vet so I am pretty sure she isn't ill.


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## QuillOutAlready (Dec 4, 2011)

Kivvi woke up on her own 2 1/2 hours after her light went off and was friendly and happy looking, didn't make any attempts to bite. Maybe she is just not too into being woken up.


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## lehaley (Jun 25, 2011)

Nicole753 said:


> I think she meant her friend had just painted her own nails, not that she had painted her hedgie's nails :lol:


Oh jeez...I'm sure I knew this. You'll have to excuse me, I was in the middle of my final exams when I replied to this post and I think I was suffering from temporary insanity of some kind.


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## Nicole753 (Dec 16, 2011)

lehaley said:


> Nicole753 said:
> 
> 
> > I think she meant her friend had just painted her own nails, not that she had painted her hedgie's nails :lol:
> ...


I completely understand. I just finished finals myself, so I know that feeling of insanity!


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