# Angry Hedgy



## hedgyhelpplz (Mar 3, 2014)

Hi there,

I bought my hedgehog dec 2012 so i'v had him for just over a year

he has a big cage, a warm tube he sleeps in with tank tops iv worn to sleep to get my scent on it. My hubby and I handle him all the time, he has a good diet etc...

however he is the most angry little hedgehog ever. no matter what we do all he does is huff and puff and does these tiny little spas jumps. he bites. we walk into his room and he runs away and immediately starts puffing even when he's in his house. takes us forever to pick him up b/c he goes into a ball. we really don't know what to do. I'm scared this poor little guy is going to have a heart attack of fear. our next step is to take him to a sanctuary because i feel like were torturing him. 

does anyone have any ideas on how to save our little friend?

-Jess


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## LittleWontonPoo (Aug 31, 2013)

Hedgies have personalities too; there are the explorers, the cuddlers, the grumps, and the snoozers! Maybe he is just one of the grumpier ones. ): How long do you handle him for, per day? And when do you play with him? Does the biting only happen when your fingers are near his face? 

It is recommended to play with your hedgie for at least 30 minutes. (I like to bug my hedgies all day, hahaha), and it is also best to play with him during the evening hours, when he would be awake (and dim lighting). I find that some hedgies just like to bite, and there is no way around it! All you can do is work around him, instead of him accommodating you somehow. 

Good luck, and don't forget that the little grumpy ones deserve to have lots of love too. 

PS: If you don't mind too much, you can put him on your bed too. I think that's an infinite bonding time even if you aren't there, because your scent would be! He would probably not mind about a comfy bed too  Wonton loves to splat out on the bed. Haha.


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## JimmayAnne (Feb 9, 2012)

Same question as WontonPoo. How long do you handle him for? And once he's out and about, does he tend to mellow out? My Rowdy does the same thing you mentioned once we first wake him up to take him out. Starts huffing in his pigloo and will try to snuggle in the corner of his cage. He'll start huffing once he try to pick him up and he'll curl into a ball. 

Once we get him out and he wakes up (take a few minutes) he's actually pretty laid back. He likes to run around the room and doesn't mind being picked up when we notice he's trying to squeeze somewhere  He also loves snuggling and will fall asleep out in the open.


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## fireflyhaven09 (Mar 2, 2014)

I have an angry hedgie, too. He's 3 years old and was never really handled when he was younger. He's a Huffer, spending 90% of his day & night spikes up and hissing in a ball. We take him out and handle him, letting him run in a pen and sit in a blanket on our laps with his foodbowl, and he has things to get used to our scent in his play pen and cage.

He'll relax a bit when he's out and moving around, but he'll always have his spikes up. His son, who has been handled since he was a baby, always relaxes his spikes and keeps them down when he's out with us, puffing only when our dog makes him uncomfortable.

Grumpy hedgies... gotta love 'em, right?


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