# Not interested in anything?



## ninja (Dec 2, 2011)

I've had Ninj for almost a year now, ever since she was a few months old, and she basically doesn't like anything other then her wheel and her cat food. Nothing else--including me  
K so I know hogs aren't usually happy to see you or love being held, but I still thought we would eventually _kind of_ bond, especially after I've had her for what might be a 1/3 of her lifetime already considering how short their lifespan can be  
Nay..she still balls up and hisses _everytime _I go to her cage..and if I put my hand down beside her she puts her spines up and jumps at it like she's trying to attack me lol. She just is pretty much annoyed by me =P
And she's uninterested in all the stuff that I've read others like--
*-PVC pipes
-Toy cars for her to push around
-TP tubes cut lengthwise
-Cat bell-balls
-Ping pong balls
-Little stuffed animals
-A child-safe pill bottle filled with beads for her to push around
-Shredded fleece for burrowing
-A childs swimming pool for wading/swimming
-Mealworms
-Waxworms
-Turkey
-Chicken
-Tuna
-Bananas
-Strawberries*

^ She hasn't liked any of that. 
I feel bad because it seems like such a boring life. Sleeping, eating, and running in circles lol  
Other things I've triedd....A few times I've set up a playpen for her fileld with toys, and I sit in there with her. She always just tries to hide under me or runs to the walls trying to crawl through the wires ignoring everything else. 
And I took her outside for the first time a few days ago cos I thought she'd like to play in some dirt in the backyard but no dice. After sniffing the dirt from a distance she just curled up under the towel and slept.
She _will _tolerate being in my lap while Im watch a movie or on the laptop as long as she has a blanket to hide under and she can sleep through it but I feel like that's not really anything she can enjoy :\

I'm out of ideas. So idk should I just keep bugging her all the time and ignore that she doesn't like it or just leave her alone and only handle her when I have to? :?
ALSO if anyone has any bonding methods..or toys or treats that you think she might actually like! i'll try anything at this point lol


----------



## AngelaH (Jul 24, 2012)

I definitely think you should keep handling her and bonding, even if it is just sleeping in a blanket on your lap as you watch tv. Thistle hasn't shown any interest in anything other than her wheel, and only if it is dark and she thinks no one is around. I've tried all kinds of toys and activities too and worry about her having a boring life. Hopefully someone will have some different suggestions for us


----------



## Tabi (Jun 24, 2012)

Have you tried apples? My girl who hates everything loves apples haha. Also crinkley ferret tubes... Hmm man her life must be boring!


----------



## MurE (Aug 29, 2011)

Well, if she only really eats cat food, you can make her life more interesting by mixing in more varieties of cat food. I have three varieties right now ( Natural Balance Chicken and Pea, Natural Balance Duck and Pea, and a less awesome Science Diet Chicken and Rice). I have heard that Blue Buffalo is another fan favourite, but I haven't tried it yet. 

Poggles also hates most things. He will, however, eat cat treats. Right now I give him Halo Healthsome cat treats with real chicken. He seems to really like it. 

Another treat he eats is tiny pinches of processed cheese. He's supposed to be lactose intolerant, but it doesn't seem to cause any problems in the tiny pinch I'm offering him. He makes it look really tasty when he eats it, so I figure it adds some spice to his life 

I'm surprised that your hedgie doesn't like mealworms. It seems to be a fan favourite. Poggles won't eat mealworms straight from the store. He will, however, eat them after I have fattened them up for a few days with dried oatmeal and fresh carrots. I'm not sure why.

You seem to be doing a good job of experimenting. Keep up the experimenting and see if anything catches her fancy. Eventually something might interest her


----------



## Lyndypop (Aug 8, 2011)

I cut Coke boxes in half and give each of my hedgehogs a piece. The boxes that cans come in? They each get an end, and for some reason they absolutely love sitting in there. XP It's like kids with a refrigerator box, haha! I've also given them tissue boxes after I've removed all the plastic, and they love those as well. Maybe your hedgehog would like something like this, because she seems to like to hide anyway. Maybe you could try putting some treats in the box.  Again, I really don't know why they like it so much, because usually they just sit in it or sleep in it, but so far that's the only toy hit I've had with them.


----------



## ninja (Dec 2, 2011)

Thanks you guys!

@AngelaH, Ahh I'm very glad to know we're not the only ones  I'll keep trying!

@Tabi, I haven't tried apples! I definitely will. I have tried a small crinkley cat toy, but she was uninterested  maybe I'll have better luck with the apples 

@MurE, Thank you for all the ideas!! Right now I'm using a mix of Blue Buffalo, Taste of the Wild (for cats), and something else that's high protein--max cat I think. But I never thought of cat treats!! I'll pick some up today 
I have tried cheese unfortunately  and I was surprised she didn't like mealworms too! Oh well, she'll have to like something eventually lol 

@Lyndypop That's awesome I'm definitely going to try it!! I totally have soda and kleenex boxes 

Thanks everyone


----------



## alstewar (Mar 1, 2012)

I also have a hedgie that shows little to no interest in anything and only wants to hide when she comes out, the huffing and clicking and such has become less often, but she still prefers he wheel the dark and her house... Nutmeg will however use the PVC when she is in her cage... 

To give her some "entertainment" or stimulation I have hidden little bits of her kibble around her cage, she seems to find them all, this is also a good way at times to get her to explore new items in her cage. Most of the time she would rather go around a new thing then go anywhere near it. Sometimes the food is enough to encourage her... I also give other hides in her cage, a hedgie bag, a scrap of fleece. 

Keep trying eventually they will find something they like...


----------



## ninja (Dec 2, 2011)

@alstewar That's a great idea! I'll hide some food around the cage/toys tonight and see if it's all still there or not tomorrow morning  thanks!!


----------



## ekobor (Aug 26, 2012)

I didn't see crickets on the list.
I've seen some picky hedgehogs go wild for a cricket.
The ones that don't like the dried ones will usually find a live one interesting, since they jump around.
(Get the littler ones though, someone told me that a bigger live cricket manged to poke their hedgie's eye. No permanent damage, but I doubt it was fun)


----------



## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

My first hedgehog Snoball (little Peeps) liked all different types of material. She used to love to burrow into my slippers which were sheep skin w/ the wool on the inside...She also loved to chew on my purse which was leather...I always thought it would be fun to get her a piece of rabbit fur, or one of those keychains that is like a rabbits foot. It is hard to find that stuff these days, but maybe you could go to a place that sells furs or a leather store and get some strips for your hog to play with. As for non-dead animals, she liked corduroy too and anything soft for that matter.
My new hedgehog Daisy likes carrots! Yesterday I pulled some up from the garden and there were these teeny little ones...I gave them to her and she went nuts and attacked it. So then my husband started dragging the little carrot around on the floor and she followed it all around. Oh I forgot to mention, Peeps loved walnuts too.
Well, good luck stimulating your little one!
Susan H.


----------

