# Morning grumpiness



## lmg_319 (Oct 4, 2010)

So I have read that so many of everyone's morning checks consist of checking their feet, and checking their quills and skin along with checking food/water/heat/light and spot cleaning. My hedgie isn't super grumpy, he loves exploring and cuddling at night, but god forbid I wake him up in the morning. If i wake him up before I go to school (7 am) he will not unball for anything. I do check everything and always make sure he is warm, but he would never let me check his feet or skin/quills. He doesn't like being picked up in the morning or bothered so I do all my checks at night. For the people who do check their feet and what not in the morning, are your hedgies grumpy or are they still up when you get up? Holden's a little lazy and only runs for about 2 hours in the middle of the night, so he's always sleeping when I wake up.
His light is on from 7am-8pm. Would changing it to turn on later keep him up longer? he always gets up at about 830pm so I don't want his light on any later at night.
Thanks!


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

I would never be able to check Snarf's body parts in the morning...noooooo waaaaay...but I am lucky enough to be at home during the day, so I get him up for a cuddle at 11 or so and check him then. 

When I'm not home, tho', I just let the check wait until later. I put a hand on him, make sure he's breathing, take a good look at his home for anything unusual, make sure he ran and ate and has water, etc. There is no way to force a hedgie to uncurl, esp enough to get a good look, so I have just accepted that...there's only so much you can do.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

I'm able to check my hedgies every morning & I do so, mostly to make sure they haven't hurt themselves overnight, that there aren't any hars & also just 'cuz I want to love on them before I leave.
However, when we go on vacation & my Hedgie-sitter checks on them, she only feeds, waters & cleans the wheel. She's not comfortable getting them out, so I told her to poke the cuddle house. If they huff, they're alive. 
So, if he's grumpy & won't let you check him, I wouldn't worry too much about it & just check him over when you get him at night. Obviously checking morning & night is best, but you can only do what you can do.


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## Kenzi (Aug 29, 2010)

Mila is a grump most of the time anyways, So in the morning I usually talk to her and she huffs to let me know she's okay. If she doesn't respond within the few minutes I check over Ebba and the food/water, then I'll lift her igloo, but i really don't like disturbing her. 

I always check Ebba in the morning. I'm worried something might change about her stump and I won't notice.. But she loves being handled and poked/prodded.. I have yet to see her ball up. 

I do my main check at night, after their lamp timer has turned off. They wake up around this time and i usually hear Mila running her laps (she has taken to doing this rather than wheeling..) I can get a good look at them at this time, and I have more time to do so too.


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## abrowndog (Nov 26, 2010)

Our pig goes to bed when the alarm clock goes off :roll: so I do her liner change and look her over a bit first thing. She's not asleep quite yet, so she is amiable (if you can ever call it that) to sitting in her igloo upside down and listening to the kid talk to her. She then goes to bed with clean bedding, but NOT clean feet. No time for that in the morning.


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## nibletsmom (Dec 20, 2010)

We do Niblet's check over at night. He is incredibly grumpy and huffy in the mornings.

When my fiance and I wake up, we usually go over to his cage and say "Niblet" and he will either stir around or HUFF really loud. hahaha!

Niblet goes to sleep when the sun comes up...which is usually around 6am here but his lights come on at 10am and stay on until 10pm.

Niblet sleeps on his side...never in a ball [not that he can't...he just doesn't] so sometimes I can look in his house and check out his feet and such without waking him.

He usually gets up around 11pm [one hour after his lights go out]...he munches and then we have play time and then its straight to the wheel for the rest of the evening!!


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## Olympia (Aug 4, 2010)

I used to only check my girls at night but a couple of months ago, Clémentine hurt herself (I'm pretty sure it was during the night, she never gets up during the day) and I didn't realize it until I got her up the next evening and the vet's office was closed. There are no emergency vets that treat hedgies where I live so I had to wait till the morning to get her treated and her cut had gotten larger and deeper by then. I felt horrible! Since then, I've been waking up both girls in the morning and checking whatever I can. Clémentine is not thrilled about it but she let's me look her over. Zoé HATES it and starts growling at me when I get into the room. Unluckily for her, it doesn't impress me and I still take her out.


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