# Hedgehog still afraid of me :(



## er111a (Mar 4, 2014)

I have tried every trick in the book and after 4 months of owning Titan he still does not wish to be around me. If he sees me he will hide within his cage. When I do take him out for bonding, which has been daily for over a month now, he will shake in fear. Often he will have green poop, which I know is a sign of stress. I want him to trust me but I am running out of ideas on how to do that. I guess the one thing I am lucky about is that he will unroll after 30 seconds or so, however, I believe it is only because he wants to run a way from me.  I am starting to wonder if his quill loss is being caused by the stress because whenever I handle him he just always seems so stressed. I understand it is common for them to roll up at first. However, when I am holding him, even when he does unroll, he will not lower his quills, they just stand up, while he is visually breathing hard from the stress I am sure. He will often pop and click at the littlest of movement. He is afraid of anything and everything it seems. I just don't know what to do because I want us to bond, however I don't like that I am stressing him out so much almost daily it seems.


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## Teddi4211 (Apr 30, 2014)

Some hedgehogs take more than 4 months. Some take a year, maybe longer


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## TikkiLink (Dec 4, 2013)

If you have only been holding him every day for a month, that is not a lot of time for him to learn to trust you. Any days you did not hold him before that were probably damaging to your bonding, so give him lots of time to adjust.

How is his environment? Is it very quiet during the day, or is his cage in an area of activity in the house? In my experience, hedgehogs can get used to you a little easier if their cage is in a high-traffic area so that when you hold them they are not scared by every tiny sound and movement. I have recently moved and my girl has her own quiet room now and it is making her much jumpier and on her guard when she is out with me now because she is getting used to things being so quiet that my presence frightens her.


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## Melanie G. (May 29, 2014)

My hedgies still run into their igloo houses when they see me- I've only ever had one that didn't. 
He doesn't hate you. He might not be feeling well due to the quill loss and the green poop might not be related to you handling him. 
Do you have a shirt or anything that smells like you in his cage?
Just keep holding him- get a fleece to wrap him up in on your lap. That way he can still hide but is spending time with you.


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## Dee (Jan 9, 2010)

Leave a radio/tv on near his cage during the day, or even relocate him to a place you are a lot so he hears everything going on. 
One of mine slept in the bed next to my puppy during the day and he barely bothers to hiss when being woken up


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