# Picking up my hedgehog



## Ramenstien (Jan 2, 2012)

So I got my first hedgehog on Saturday and I have been intereacting with him some since then. But I don't want to put to much on him so soon. I have yet to pick him up without a blanket. I have the general idea of how to pick him up with my hands. But I am unfortunately kind of scared to pick him up. I don't want to get bit nor poked very hard. If anyone could give me some pointers that would be great. I might need to just give him some more time to adjust. Which is fine. But I wasnt for sure what to do about it. Thanks for any and all help.


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## lehaley (Jun 25, 2011)

I had the same problem with Felix in the first month or so that I brought him home. I absolutely refused to hold him or pick him up without a fleece barrier. Here's the thing...I still haven't been able to pick him up directly out of the cage without a blanket. He generally balls up and huffs the second his igloo is pulled off him, which makes it really impossible to get any sort of safe grip on him. I'm always concerned that if he pops (which he does nonstop when I first wake him up) and pokes me, I might be startled and accidentally drop him. After a few minutes of holding him outside of the cage, I can pick him up and handle him with my bare hands really easily. Honestly, I may NEVER be able to pick him up barehanded right out of the cage. He's just such a grump when he's first woken up.  

I would try focusing on handling him once he's out. Usually I wait until Felix has calmed down a bit and relaxed his quills. When they're lying flat, it's unlikely that you're going to get jabbed very badly. Most of the time I just slide my hand under his belly when he's walking around on my lap, or if he's being extra bratty I let him walk into my hand on his own without really forcing the issue.


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## ashh51191 (Dec 23, 2011)

i also had this problem with my hedgehog, i couldn't pick her up without something in between my hands and her. Try getting a can of crickets or if you prefer to freeze some fresh gutloaded ones that may work too. For about a week every time I'd go to get her out of her cage before attempting to pick her up I'd greet her with a cricket. It was sometimes hard because she'd ball up so I'd have to roll her over until I could find her face and place the cricket in front of her. It usually took her about 30 seconds to get her curious enough to come out of the ball and she'd gobble up the cricket and be okay to handle without a blanket. Now she's just easy to handle because she knows I'm not a threat although she still is grumpy when I wake her up


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## Emiry (Nov 24, 2011)

If he calms down quickly, just practice scooping him up in his cage(with the top off) and get used to the feeling of his quills(my friends hedgie quills up and huffs when you pick him up but settles down ASAP, so we never bother with anything but our hands, it only hurts for a second. Now another friend has one that he will not calm down quickly. I picked him up for the first time the other day and I am fine with the quills digging in for a bit, but once he started to calm down, I had to put him down and get something to hold him with because he would not lay his quills because he is not used to being handled by other people. He did come out of his ball after me holding him for a few minutes, which is progress for him)

Also, let yourself get pricked, and even bit, once it happens once, it will not bother you the second or third time...at least it does not bother me, and than you can start correcting it.


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## AL111 (Jan 11, 2012)

If you are using some sort of substrate bedding it can be helpful to scoop up underneath the bedding. that's what i do now when i first get mine out of the cage. it's a little messy, but he doesn't ball up when i do it that way.


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## jerseymike1126 (Jan 20, 2011)

if your afraid of getting poked then hedgehogs might not be the right pet for you. my guy is not afraid of me at all but i still get a poke here and there.

i am not suggesting to get rid of the hedgie, i am suggesting you not be afraid of getting a little poke!


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