# What to do with Quills



## Tarynsgate (Sep 25, 2010)

So Roxie's quilling, which means quite a few quills await me every day till she finishes up 

I'm tempted to save up the whole lot and stick them on a lil' sculpy 'hog for keeps 

What did you guys do with your hedgie's quills when they shed? apart from throwing out the dangerous little things.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I have quills saved from almost every hedgehog I've had. I don't save them all, but some baby and when they loose a few adult quills, I save them too.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

I've been saving quills too, but don' t have too many. Didn't have any idea what to do with them, until I saw this thread. Now I'm saving enough to get a Cholla/Zoey pen made. I think it's something I'll be able to treasure for years. 
viewtopic.php?f=21&t=7253


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## Tasha (Feb 24, 2009)

PJM said:


> I've been saving quills too, but don' t have too many. Didn't have any idea what to do with them, until I saw this thread. Now I'm saving enough to get a Cholla/Zoey pen made. I think it's something I'll be able to treasure for years.
> viewtopic.php?f=21&t=7253


I've had one of these pens made and can vouch how wonderful it is. I've got something of henry forever, its beautiful, practical and good quality. Highly recommend them.


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## Alastrina (Sep 18, 2009)

I save all the ones I find in a little dish on my desk next to my hedgie figurine/plushie collection ^_^ I had a bunch, but lost them when I moved recently...

I love the pen idea in the thread PJM just linked to, I'd love to be able to save up enough to get one!

~Katie


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I'm really hoping to get one of those pens! I have a lot of quills from Lily, but I think I have to wait until around or after Christmas before I can send quills and order a pen. Hopefully the person is still around and doing them! *crosses fingers*


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## Tarynsgate (Sep 25, 2010)

Those quill pens are ingenious


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## Needlenose (Sep 17, 2010)

To my shock, Widget started quilling a few days after I was bequeathed him. Crap, I thought, he's sick. No, said my neighbor the vet tech, he is just young. Dude, I said.

Any way, probably an odd use for the quills, but I'm a practicing witch and make protection charms for sale on artfire.

http://www.artfire.com/users/samovilafox

Thus far the ones I have listed don't contain quills yet. But I have a few ready to go that need to be listed. And I made a nice one for my sister-in-law before she left for Afghanistan.


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## Tarynsgate (Sep 25, 2010)

Hedgie quills can be made into protection charms? wow


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## hedgieguide (Nov 20, 2010)

Tarynsgate said:


> Hedgie quills can be made into protection charms? wow


There are lots of zoological curios all around the world, and a bunch load in the US! =) Alligator hands bring good luck, so does a human finger bone in African American Diasporic cultures in the US and in the islands (Santeria, Palo, Hoodoo & Voodoo) =)

There are specific candles in hoodoo that are white - black - white (meant for crossing others and uncrossing magical harm) which is what I find quills from my Algerian black pinto are useful for. I've used white (which is an all-purpose color in Hoodoo & Voodoo) to aid in love magic. Extremely powerful, as the region our pets are from, is also from one of the traditionally powerful areas in Africa. =)

Different white - color - white combinations have different meanings in magic, so if you ever decide to practice an African Diaspora religion, there you go. 

That aside, I've cut quills up and put them into oil vials before (they float really weird, like a makeshift snow globe) I remember something on here a while back where someone put quills in oil and wore them in a small vial around their neck. Looked pretty cool. Put some quills, and a few protection-specific herbs* and stuff, you'd have something with both a purpose, and to show off your friends. 

*edit: I'd suggest 1 bay leaf, a pinch of ground allspice, 1 cinnamon chip, 3 fennel seeds, and 5 mustard seeds. =)

(Can't believe we just went there. ;p)


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## Alastrina (Sep 18, 2009)

I think I read somewhere that quills are also made into necklaces for younger women in Africa as a fertility charm to help them conceive a child.

~Katie


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## hedgieguide (Nov 20, 2010)

Alastrina said:


> I think I read somewhere that quills are also made into necklaces for younger women in Africa as a fertility charm to help them conceive a child.


I wouldn't deny it. =)

Another thing I thought was maybe you could get a chi chart, and use the quills as some kind of self-inflicted acupuncture? =D


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