# Squeaking and screaming at each other?



## maligator (Aug 24, 2010)

So we've had Thom and Guy home for a few months now, and they seem to be doing great. For a while we never let them see each other and had them in different rooms (they had previously been housed together), but we moved and made a nice little setup for them to be housed one on top of the other. We let them out together one night too, and they would not leave each others' sides and kept squeaking very, very loudly. Then when we put them in cages, they wouldn't do anything but sit at the sides and squeak at each other outside of the wire sides. We figured they probably wanted to mate or something, even though they were both males.

Last night though, they woke us up with what sounded like screaming. Garrett ran in the room to check on them in case something had happened. But they were just running on their wheels, screaming. He checked them for injuries but they were perfectly fine.

I know they shouldn't be housed together, but it really seems like they want to be. Does anyone know why else they would be doing this sort of behavior? They only started once they were reunited. We haven't had them in the same cage, but when they met outside they started. And they've been "talking" to each other since.

Thoughts?

Thanks!


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

It sounds like they are fighting. They need to be in separate cages before one or the other is injured or worse.


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## hercsmom (Jul 6, 2010)

Sounds stressful to me, especially since hedgehogs rely so much on their sense of smell. They could be smelling the other male and reacting to that. If that is the case, they would be pretty stressed out all the time. I would keep them as separate as possible from each other.


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## Hedgiepets (Aug 21, 2008)

Please separate them NOW, before someone gets a serious injury.


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## maligator (Aug 24, 2010)

They haven't been housed together since we've had them. I made it a point not to. The people before use housed them together and they had no weird noises happening. Sorry, I thought I was clear on that. I know better than to house them together. No one has had a chance to get hurt. 

They had had their cages in the same room without any noises coming from them. It was only after they had the run of the room together.

I guess I will just have to keep their cages in separate rooms.


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## leannem (Mar 27, 2009)

I think maybe some people read your post wrong...

That does sound very strange though. I hedgie sat about a year ago for another male and a female. Harley (my male) could hear them wheeling and would stop his wheeling and make small squeeks while sniffing then air then go back to wheeling. I can't imagine why they would be screaming at each other... unless they are stressed out either from being apart or from being in the same room. I don't think housing them together would be a good idea though.


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

I'll state that I was a touch muddled if they were in the same cage or not, but I was figured this line meant they were indeed in two seperate cages..



> Then when we put them in cages, they wouldn't do anything but sit at the sides and squeak at each other outside of the wire sides.


How are the cages arranged? Are they side by side or one over the other? I could see where they might somewhat 'fight' if they were per say side by side, because they'd be aware of each other and probably smell each other more, but I'm not sure really.

I got a ferret nation with my guys in it, I've never ever noticed them taking 'notice' to one or the other, per say Loki doing the love squeak cause he can smell Hester above him. The only thing I have ever noticed is that both tend to wake up roughly within a minute of each other, but besides that weird little habit, they never seem to 'notice' each other at all.

If they are within eye sight of each other or side by side cages, it might be the reason. They might just be talking to each other, what kind of scream is it, if you can actually describe it. Go to youtube and type "hedgehog scream", is it like the Hedgie Death Scream or some other noise? It doesn't even sound like they're fighting, especially if they're making the noise and running on the wheel, unless they're fighting from across the seperate cages, heh, chasing each other on each others wheels.


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## Kaff (Sep 6, 2010)

maligator said:


> but we moved and made a nice little setup for them to be housed one on top of the other.


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## maligator (Aug 24, 2010)

Sorry for the confusion. Thanks for the help. They are housed one on top of the other, but were side by side. Maybe they can smell each other even if they can't see each other?

I couldn't find any videos of hedgehog screaming. But I did find a video of the noise they make when they are together. It's a video of a mating pair, and their behavior is very similar (but I assure you they are both boys). I'll post a link to it. The screaming they were doing was the same noise in the video, just louder and for a longer period (ie. holding the sound longer). But when they squeak this is the exact noise they make.


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

Strange, but that is indeed at least from what I've seen on youtube, the mating squeaks. Not to get personal but have you ever noticed if your boys get 'personal' with themselves? I could see if maybe they don't exercise 'boy time' that they might be sexually frustrated. I'm not too sure on smell either, as said my two are one over the other in the cage, and I've had Loki at the bottom and Hester at the top, and vise versa before, and neither have done anything to indicate they're even aware of each other, except they just both happen to get up at the same time. See what everyone else says.

@Kaff: Didn't catch that, I usually got multiple windows of multiple threads going, I need to read better.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Sorry, I misunderstood. 

Are you 100% certain they are both boys. :lol: 

I have yet to have anyone, even boys and girls, sing to each other from separate cages but if the cages were close enough that they could see/smell/touch that would probably happen. Two boys though is weird. 

I wouldn't cage them in separate rooms. They'll get used to each other being caged one on top of the other. 

Edited to add: I just remembered. Way back when I built their first cage condo, their first night in the new cage, Missy (female) and Freckles (male) were side by side with a 3/4" wide wall between them. The fronts of their cages were cube grids. Freckles of course realized there was somebody beside him and he would try to reach his paws around the corner into her cage. I moved her and put Teasel (male) there instead and Freckles did the same thing only Teasel reached back. :lol: I had to put a barrier up until they got used to having another hedgie so close.


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## maligator (Aug 24, 2010)

Thanks everyone. I put them back in the same room, but on opposite sides of it. No squeaking happened at all. I think I might gradually move them slower and see what happens. I don't mind the squeaks, but the intensity of it the other night made me feel like they were stressed out.

I'll try and get some video too if I can!


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