# Genuinely cuddly or narcoleptic?



## Nell (Aug 26, 2010)

I'm still adjusting to hedgehog mannerisms, havivng owned what I deem to be Chuck Norris' hedgehog equivalent for only three days. (He could care less about gravity, that's the scariest thing about him)
He is still defensive, roundhouse pricks me every time my hands go near, even my voice bugs him, but last night as soon as my hands went under him and he resigned to being picked up, he would fall asleep in the palm of my hand... as long as I remained 100% immobile he'd sleep even if he was not hidden under anything. 

Is this a cuddly hedgie or do hoglets just randomly fall asleep?


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## CoxMD (Apr 30, 2010)

Playtime with Basil is really nap time. I think the sleeping is normal.


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## smhufflepuff (Aug 28, 2008)

Satin's a cuddlebum like that, she'll play for a bit, then she'll work her way under my t-shirt for nap time. Having a sleepy snuggler is wonderful


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

I have 2 very different hedgies. Cholla is our cuddle bunny & will just snuggle up to my arm & sleep. All my pictures of him are sleeping. 
Zoey is very huffy & will cuddle, but only if we DON'T MOVE AT ALL! Otherwise, she's huffin & poppin & upset. 
Basically, I think it's normal.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

From what I've read babies tend to be heavy sleeper so may be more likely to just fall asleep on you and not be bothered by movement. Apparently some lose this when they grow up. Quigley's only slept on me like this a few times.


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## Nell (Aug 26, 2010)

I know it's normal but I feel like I'm getting mixed signals from him and I can't tell if he likes something or not in some cases.
IE Petting. Sometimes I pet his back, he'll stop, his back quills will go flat, front will be up, and will sporadically huff while staying still...
Or before I pick him up, he huffs and pops, then when I pick him up, he just uncurls and starts moving like a wind up toy, no fear whatsoever.
Or when he falls asleep in my hand, wakes up and starts huffing, apparently surprised he is sleeping there and starts moving around.

What does he want? Oo


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

Three days is not a lot of time for a hedgehog to get use to you, then can involve some work and lots of time. Some come around quickly, some may take months to settle in. He's in a new place with new smells and a new owner, so he's going to be defensive about things. If he wasn't like this from the place you picked him up at, then he'll come around quickly, its just they don't like new places.

Petting to me has always been a 50-50 thing, some hedgehogs really dislike it, while others enjoy it. Again, three days isn't a lot of time for him to get use to you, from the sounds of it he's doing the little defensive move where they lower themselves to the ground, put up their visor over their head and huff at you. Its kind of like him saying "I don't like this". Again, this will go away over time and good bonding sessions.

Same goes with picking him up. Over time and bonding this will more or less stop, one thing I found is before you pick them up, let him smell your hand. My first hedgehog Vera Lee was very out going and never clicked or popped at me, but she'd huff when she was being picked up. After a month and the smelling my hand trick, she stopped doing it. The fact he uncurls quickly is a very good sign.

When he wakes up in your hand, did you move? They more or less do that, kind of like "Hey, why'd you move".

But as said, in the end three days is not a lot of time for him to get use to you. Patience is the key with hedgehogs, he sounds like he's been very well handled before you got him, so within the next few weeks, you'll see him chill out and get use to his new home. If he's moving around a lot on you, he's probably an explorer type of hedgehog, which means they want to check out everything they can. Some are cuddlers who will sleep on you all the time, while others will want to be on the go go go.


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## Nell (Aug 26, 2010)

I understand this, my question is: How do you read an individual hedgehog? I can't tell whether he likes or dislikes things I do.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

That's a really hard question and my best answer doesn't truly explain it well. For me time is the biggest thing and then you start picking up on very subtle actions. What makes it hard is the actions can be very different from one hedgehog to another so only after observing them and figuring out what is their normal behavior, can you figure out if they are liking or disliking something. Another thing that makes things hard is a hedgehog may act one way when you first get them but change after they are settled in. 

One example I can think of is how my hedgie Loken seemed to like to cuddle when I first got him but only after he got comfortable and time had passed that I realized he would have rather been exploring but stayed still and cuddled because he was getting used to his surroundings and was still fearful. He did not do the classic "spikes up" that would have told me he didn't like it so I misread it as he liked it. Another misread I did was to think that my hedgie Loken loved hedgie bags so much because he would always sleep in there. The truth was that when he was totally comfortable with his surroundings he preferred the roominess of an igloo with blankets that he could arrange. 

I've come to believe, from my still limited experience, that the best way to tell personal likes and dislikes is: #1 Time and #2 Observation and #3 Giving different options to choose from even if they seem to "like" something specific.


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