# Mistreated hedgehog?



## raivin (Jan 25, 2011)

My husband and I have 2 hedgies. We bought Skittles last year from a couple with kids and after adjusting to us, Skittles is the greatest little hedgehog ever. So, we decided to get another hedgie, Grapefruit Fatty. We found our new addition from a family with kids as well. They said they held him all the time, he loved bathing, was very friendly, etc.

So, I've been holding him every night for about 1.5 hours on either a towel or his sack. My problem is that he is very, VERY standoff-ish and will do the hissing/intimidation thing. He stays rolled up tight and if he does let you gently stroke him on his bottom half, he starts to breathe heavily. If hes in his cage or using the wheel and you walk by he will do the hissing thing or scurry to hide under something.

Was Grapefruit Fatty mistreated by his previous owners because it almost appear to be signs of mistreatment? Or is he just very shy and scared?

Skittles would roll up but never do any of the other things when he was becoming used to us. Should we just keep doing this ritual and hope that over time he will relax? Are there any methods that would assist in bringing him out of his shell?

Thank you!


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## pooka dotted (Jan 5, 2011)

He may have been mistreated, or he may just be shy and scared because he doesn't know your scent yet. Put an old shirt that has not loose strings or hazards in it that you have worn for a few days into his sleeping area. He'll associate your smell with home and safe. They also could have been lying to you and neglected to hold him as much as they say they have. (Hate to say it but some people do that to get rid of pets) A good way to see if they haven't treated him well is if they have knowledge of the proper care of the animal and it's living conditions. But even then they could have taken good care of him for housing.. but just didn't hold him enough or he may have been hurt by the kids (Some kids don't know how to play with animals properly) I would say give it some more time with your smell and holding him and everything, and if he doesn't calm down then he may have not been held enough. Unless there's physical evidence there isn't really a way to tell if a hedgehog has been abused.


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## RalphsMum (Oct 14, 2010)

If you've not had Grapefruit Fatty - great name - for long it is entirely possible that he is adjusting to you and his new surroundings.
Some hedgies take a while - weeks; months - to get used to their new homes and some adjust much sooner.
Have a browse on some threads and there are a couple of people who have 2+ hedgehogs, all with different personalities....some are all sweetness, light and cuteness and some are hissing, huffing balls of fury....
Hopefully your new lil guy will learn that you're looking out for him and calm down a bit. Try the old shirt method that Pooka mentioned, it's a great start to help them settle in. it just might take him a little while.

Welcome to HHC


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Pooka & RM covered everything very well...you are describing Snarf's first month with us. he was 1.5 years old and was supposedly friendly but the owner's mother said how shy he was as we were leaving so...???

Over time, Snarf has started to come around. I allowed Snarf to do everything in the comfort of his hedgie security bag for the first 8 weeks, now we are working on being petted on top of the bag and/or with bare hands (as opposed to petting a fleece bag). He unballs very quickly now and has just started to get used to me picking him up barehanded.

You just gotta be patient and while kinda asking more of them, still aloowling them to be comfortable. Snarf spends a LOT of time with me during the day. I think the 'walk-by pettings' I do throughout the day and out of cage cuddling have done more than anything to help become more trusting.


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## tazzatrillz (Feb 4, 2011)

Well.. basically what everyone else said. When I went to get Tumbles from the pet shop (I know it's a different situation, but bare with me :roll, well she was lovely in the shop, never hissed once and didn't even ball up. But when I brought her home she turned into the spawn of the devil, she balled up, she growled/hissed.. she just wasn't fond.
It's been three days now and she only gets the grumps when I pick her up from in her igloo. So what I'm saying is that maybe Grapefruit Fatty ( :lol: ) just needs time to settle in, it may take a while, it may take another week, just don't give up on the routine you have going.


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## Gibbz (Jan 17, 2011)

LOL, Grapefruit Fatty... What the ****?
My advice would be to keep on persisting. Continue petting him. What I did with Nanuq, when he would "spike" me, I would wear a glove on my petting hand; protecting my fingers. I also find that when I talk to Nanuq, it calms him down. He knows my voice.. Make sure to talk to him consitently in a soft, tone.


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## raivin (Jan 25, 2011)

Thank you for the welcome and for the great advice. I will put one of my shirts in there tonight and see how that goes over time. I love the little guy just was expecting him to be more along the lines of Skittles, which I know is silly on my part.
I don't know how much research they had done, they did have some things for him spot on and a miss on other things like the heat source although they stated they kept him in a heat controlled room. I will continue with the sack, holding him, talking to him (which my kids find funny, lol).

Heh, his name came from my mom asking me how big he was in relation to Skittles when balled up and I said, "Hmm, Skittles is probably the size of an orange and this one is about the size of a grapefruit." And my mom was like, "WOW! He sounds like a little fatty." So Grapefruit Fatty just kind of stuck. I quite like it although the husband thinks I should come up with a real name.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

raivin said:


> So Grapefruit Fatty just kind of stuck. I quite like it although the husband thinks I should come up with a real name.


I LOVE "Grapefruit Fatty" for a name!!! Great story, too. :lol:


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## tazzatrillz (Feb 4, 2011)

raivin said:


> I quite like it although the husband thinks I should come up with a real name.


Pfft, Grapefruit Fatty is as good a name as any. At least it's unique. :lol:


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