# Our little rescue *Pics on Pg2*



## Hedgehog Grove (Jul 21, 2010)

Hi everyone,
This is probably going to be long but bare with me lol. I would like to introduce you to the rescue we picked up in Hamilton yesterday. I regularly check kijiji for re-homes/rescues and there was a post made about this little guy on here before I checked again. This is his description below from the advert:

He is an African pygmy hedgehog. He is about 11 months old. He is very friendly and he likes to play. He comes with a cage, wheel, food and water bowls a log tunnel and a litter box also a hat that he likes to sleep in. I have lost interest and my parents don't want to take care of him. Price $225.00

Exert from my reply to the post


PapilionRu said:


> I've called the people and I am absolutely shocked.
> This little guy was a Christmas present that one of their sons wanted after seeing a few videos on youtube of hedgehogs. He was bought from a pet store 3 days before Christmas also along with a bearded dragon that their other son wanted.
> The son lost interest with the little guy because he was never able to play with it or see it during the day. *go figure right...*
> Also his son's friend now wants it but the guy is going to talk to the parents and see if it is going to be the same deal as what happened with their son.
> ...





PapilionRu said:


> There is no way they will relinquish him for free from what I gather, I ask them this after I found out the situation and the other potentially new home. They want some gain from him and they were umming and arring at my offers.
> I hope they do the right thing but I'm not expecting a phone call tonight from them


Anyways, so I went out for errands and came home to a message on my phone. They said they would accept $140 for him and his things but nothing less. If I wasn't happy with that then the other boy could have him for the same price.

Now there was no way I was going to allow another 8/9yr old to have this little guy and for it to turn into the same situation. So I called them and told them that I would be driving down to pick him up on Saturday, they told me to come in the late afternoon which I did.
Ended up getting there just after 4pm. Get inside and I'm shocked at the state of the place, not that the place was my concern.

Then I see the little guy, his cage is a decent size but over kill in height and very unsafe for a hedgie and the house was cold, like too cold for a hedgie, I'd say it was about 60F in there.

The hedgie was sleeping of course under his hat and the little boy told me not to wake him up cos he doesn't like it. All I did was look at the mother, and then proceeded to open the cage and get the little guy out. He was on some kind of generic pine shavings. Of course the little guy huffed a bit and rolled into a ball when I picked him up but that was to be expected.

The eldest son goes to his brother "See, she isn't afraid to pick it up" the mother then tells me her son never handled him because he was scared, and therefore this little guy wasn't socialized very well. His dad took him out a few times and let him wander around the house but that was all.

The hedgie, unrolled shortly after in my hands and sniffed around and looked straight at me. I swear this little guy is so expressive with his face and eyes that it's unbelievable. After a little bit we put him into a carrier and I then proceed to ask all the questions I had for them.

I come to find out, he has been fed on Pretty Pets as that is what the pet store told them to feed him and that cat food would make him fat. He has never been to the vet or had any baths or any revolution. They would feed him uncooked carrot and grapes occasionally but he would never try them. Now I know both of these are bad and I told them so along with the pretty pets that they were feeding him. Poor little guy had no heat source whatsoever and it was cold in the house.

I could tell his bedding had just been changed and was confirmed by the son when his mother asked him to empty the bottom as we didn't want shavings everywhere in the car. He goes to his mother "but we just did that this morning and we don't clean it that often" I ask what he meant and he said "we change his bedding every month", all I could do was shake my head. They also said he has bitten a few times but he doesn't ever anoint himself.

So after the agonizing talk we headed home. I had him on my lap and he came up put his paws on my hand and licked my fingers. Tried nibbling but I wouldn't have a bar of that so I move my fingers away. He then proceeded to anoint himself lol. He has a very toothy grin as well.

I know this we long and I'm sorry but I think it's better to fully understand where this little guy has come from.

If you made it this far I commend you lol

I'm going to book him in to see the vet and give him a bath after I finish this. His ears are really really bad, very tattered and bulky along with the bridge of his nose. He has red felt like stuff stuck in his quills and on his skin that I think it might be fused in. He is very very dry skinned and some of his quills are bent.

I will have to double check he is indeed a boy as well as they weren't totally sure. Currently in the process of hedgie proofing his cage and changing him onto liners.

And of course he is in quarantine for 30days from my other little guy Truffles.

I'll post some pics as soon as I can of him and his cage before and afters


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## jinglesharks (Jun 15, 2010)

*Re: Our little rescue*

I am so so so so SO happy to hear that you rescued him, I've been thinking about the little guy. I can't believe how STUPID some people can be. If you get a pet, RESEARCH. And once a month?! That sounds like Pepper's conditions when I took him- Pepper's bedding was an old towel that was covered in poop, and he just slept in the middle of it. It was so sad. His former owner actually seemed to know a fair amount about hedgies, which was even worse- it was like she just didn't care or had completely lost interest in him.

Best of luck and I can't wait to see pictures. I'm sure he'll come around and be a lovely little hog. Again, I am incredibly happy to hear he's in your care.


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## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

*Re: Our little rescue*

The lil guy is so lucky to have found you!

Good luck to you and your new baby :3


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

*Re: Our little rescue*

YAAAAAAAAY! I am so glad you have him and you are wonderful to have paid the ransom to get him out of there. I'm sure he will give you lots of love.

I suggest you give him a few day to a week before the vet visit unless there is a concern. Giving some time with you will let you learn a bit about him such as food intake, feces, urine, and make sure he isn't sneezing, runny nose, scratching at body or ears. These are all questions the vet should ask and having a few days will better prepare you to answer.


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## chaos_emerald (Jan 26, 2009)

*Re: Our little rescue*

Best of luck! I really admire you for rescuing him. I'm sure it will be worth it-- for both of you. We're keeping our fingers and quills crossed that he's a healthy boy! I just love these stories of all you wonderful people rescuing hogs  It makes my heart happy.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

*Re: Our little rescue*

I'm so glad you got this little guy  It sounds like he will come around quickly with some TLC!


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## DeniseLynette (Aug 12, 2010)

*Re: Our little rescue*

Im sooo glad people like you exsist. That poor guy would have had a horrible life without you.
This story kind of reminds me of Nugget. He was in old bedding too. & was being fed Sunseed hedgehog food, alone. He was also forced to breath in weed smoke because they thought it was funny to blow it into his cage.

ANYWAYS, Kudos to you for saving that little guy 
You have to post pictures ASAP


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## shealynn87 (Jun 6, 2010)

*Re: Our little rescue*

I am so glad you rescued this little hedgie! I almost cried when I read, this and it makes me want to go cuddle my sweet little girl! She is my life! I could never imagine anyone treating my baby like this! I am sooooo happy for your new little guy (or possibly girl) to be in a happy healthy home!


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## Hedgehog Grove (Jul 21, 2010)

*Re: Our little rescue*



Nancy said:


> YAAAAAAAAY! I am so glad you have him and you are wonderful to have paid the ransom to get him out of there. I'm sure he will give you lots of love.
> 
> I suggest you give him a few day to a week before the vet visit unless there is a concern. Giving some time with you will let you learn a bit about him such as food intake, feces, urine, and make sure he isn't sneezing, runny nose, scratching at body or ears. These are all questions the vet should ask and having a few days will better prepare you to answer.


Thanks everyone, I know this little guy needed to get out of there from just the advert and pics I saw but it was all confirmed when I actually saw him and how he was living. I was more than happy to pay the "ransom" to save this little guy from I know would have been certain mistreatment and possible death.

Of course Nancy  he is booked in for Monday 23rd August. I knew to give him a good week here to see how he adjusts and such. His ears are pretty bad but they can wait the week since he has been waiting on them for a good 6 months already.

I added some of the mix we have for Truffles (CSFCLS & Nutrience) to his dish last night think it was 50 PP and 5 each of the mix. He didn't eat any of his PP and just ate the mix lol, at least the little guy knows whats good for him.


Pic will be coming soon, we have nearly finished preparing and safe guarding his cage and then he can have a nice soothing bath and hopefully enjoy his new living quarters.

Will check in tonight


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

*Re: Our little rescue*

Woohooo!!!! He's going to be so much happier! What is his name, by the way?? Can't wait to hear all about your adventures & see the pictures.


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

*Re: Our little rescue*

Alright! Kudos to you, he will soooo much happier with you! :mrgreen:


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## schmelderz (Jul 7, 2010)

*Re: Our little rescue*

Yay for the little guy! ^.^ I'm sure he'll be much much happier now. Post some pics soon!


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## Hedgehog Grove (Jul 21, 2010)

*Re: Our little rescue*

Thanks All,

We double checked the gender on our little rescue and low and behold the previous owner were wrong. Our new little darling is a *GIRL*.

We gave the little one a first ever, a bath lol and she loved it. She pranced around the tub like she owned it and she sat down when we poured water on her. She wasn't too fond of the toothbrush scrub but that is to be expected on a first bath. She sprawled out in the oatmeal bath and looked like she was falling asleep but we kept a close eye on her.








She let me know when she was ready to come out by sitting in my hands and looking up at me. Then snuggled for in her towel to be dried for a good 20mins. 








Afterwards we left her out of the towel onto the leather lounge and she started doing a funny little dance/run. I have it on video, just have to find my cable so I can upload it. It was like a running shake, jumping belly crawl lol. She was either excited and happy to feel so clean and soothed since she stunk and was filthy before or she has a bad case of the mites as she was scratching and shaking like a dog and nibbling at her chest/belly like a dog does when it has fleas. Or it could be a combination of both lol. She'll get some revolution and hopefully that will help her as it is disturbing her sleep. She was awake when I got up at 8am and has been awake all day and was awake all night (I had the video camera set up so I could easily check on her during the night and then run the recorded video when I woke up.








She's being playing in her pen with her paper tube which she loves, when she gets tuckered out she splats onto the floor for a few minutes before going at it again and at the moment is resting in her log house.


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## FiaSpice (Jan 16, 2009)

Yay for you taking her in. Their house is at 60F! wow, even with a chinchilla I never kept it so cold, specially in the summer. She's really cute when she stick her tongue out. I hope your vet visit will be going well. Good thing you rescued her!


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## Evelyne (Jul 8, 2010)

Awwww she has the cutest face!!  
Very nice of you to take her in and care for her :!:


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## nationofamanda (Jan 19, 2010)

she very pretty.


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## jinglesharks (Jun 15, 2010)

She is adorable. And I love that she liked her bath. I can't wait to hear more about her and I'm so glad you rescued her!

Edit: Just thought of something and please someone correct me if I'm wrong- but can't those log houses harbor mites? Just a thought, if you suspect she has mites, you might not want to keep that around since I'm pretty sure the mites will get into the wood.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

She is beautiful!! I love the 2nd set of pictures with the orange towel. Adorable! I think she knows a good thing when she sees it.


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## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

Awww, what a cutie! I love the photos of her in the tub, you can really tell that she was "prancing" :lol:


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## allears.fan (Mar 20, 2010)

What a cutie-pie!
she looks like a lot of fun... 
Congrats and Thanks for rescuing this poor girl.


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

She is adorable! She looks so carefree and happy! :mrgreen:
Edit: spelling


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## Hedgehog Grove (Jul 21, 2010)

jinglesharks said:


> She is adorable. And I love that she liked her bath. I can't wait to hear more about her and I'm so glad you rescued her!
> 
> Edit: Just thought of something and please someone correct me if I'm wrong- but can't those log houses harbor mites? Just a thought, if you suspect she has mites, you might not want to keep that around since I'm pretty sure the mites will get into the wood.


They probably can but we will re-wash it and disinfect it once she has revolution and we also put it in the oven to dry so I am pretty sure the high temps will kill them.

Other wise we will just buy her a new house.

She is a precious little thing, she huffs and puffs when you take her out but as soon as she is in your hands she is very friendly and loves to be petted. She is an explorer loves to wander around.


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## EryBee (May 23, 2010)

She looks like such a little darling! I love the photos from after her bath when all her little legs are sticking up in the air!


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

jinglesharks said:


> Edit: Just thought of something and please someone correct me if I'm wrong- but can't those log houses harbor mites? Just a thought, if you suspect she has mites, you might not want to keep that around since I'm pretty sure the mites will get into the wood.


It's not a known fact, but several do not have anything wood in their cages for that reason. Most use pigloos, mini plastic igloo.


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## karidaluv (Jul 26, 2010)

What cute pictures!  Yay for you on rescuing!


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

So many great photos  Thanks for sharing!


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## jinglesharks (Jun 15, 2010)

PapilionRu said:


> jinglesharks said:
> 
> 
> > She is adorable. And I love that she liked her bath. I can't wait to hear more about her and I'm so glad you rescued her!
> ...


I think I remember hearing someone say that the disinfecting didn't kill them... but I assume heat would work. I just wouldn't want her to get reinfected. Sorry that I can't completely remember or link to a thread or anything  She looks so lovely.

Oh- thanks tie-dye hedgie! I knew I'd seen it mentioned around here.


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## Hedgehog Grove (Jul 21, 2010)

I think I'm just going to get a pigaloo, not cause I'm worried about her getting infected again because I know the heat will kill them but the bark flakes of and messes her liners and cage. So a pigaloo will be cleaner.


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

Good choice! They have a variety of colors too, so you can mix and match with the colors of the liners!


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

She's cute. I love how she loves to open her mouth and stick out her tongue for pictures. What a little sweetie.

I'm also not the least bit surprised that they didn't know she was female. Those people clearly didn't have a clue.


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## Hedgehog Grove (Jul 21, 2010)

Our little rescued girl didn't ever have a name with her previous owner. So after a few days with her we have decided on her name.

Jahzara which means "Blessed Princess"


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## tracie (Jun 16, 2010)

PapilionRu said:


> Our little rescued girl didn't ever have a name with her previous owner. So after a few days with her we have decided on her name.
> 
> Jahzara which means "Blessed Princess"


 :shock: I can't even- Who does that? There are so many things wrong with the story, it's not even funny.


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## schmelderz (Jul 7, 2010)

Love the pictures! She's very photogenic isn't she?


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

What a beautiful little angel! How wonderful that she now has a forever home and will have the love and the care she deserves! Thank you for her story and her beautiful pictures.


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## tracie (Jun 16, 2010)

I'm so glad you saved her from that family. No wonder the kid got tired of her, he never played with her. Wouldn't whoever they got her from be able to tell the family that the hedgehog is a girl? She's so cute, and she sounds like fun.

Out of curiousity, what was the state of the house that you didn't want to talk about?


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

I just read your post and your story reminds me a lot of how I got my little Col. Mustard! She's 1 year old and her previous owner was a 8-year-old girl. When we got her we were told she was a boy, after a week I found out she was actually a girl too! 

Jahzara is very cute! Congratulations!


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