# is there too much ?



## roxy (Oct 14, 2008)

so i've read most of the behaviour posts here, and they deff have alot of useful info. but i'm still unsure if maybe i should give roxy a night off from attention once in awhile ? i've only had her less than a week, and i know that its going to take some time before ( if ever, fingers crossed) she gets use to me. she hissed and poped at me tonight when i tried to pick her up, so i left her alone. i did change her surrounding just yesterday from a dark quiet room at the back of the house to the living room, where theres more light and noise. so should i give her a day or two to get use to the new surroundings ??? and i'm a little nervouse of her biting, she hasn't as of yet but i dont have much of a thresh hold for pain. ok, i know its gonna hurt, but for the most part, is it usually just a warning bite (a question mostly for people who have experience w/ biting hedgies)? :?: :?:


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## PixiesExoticHedgies (Sep 4, 2008)

Yes, it's usually just a warning bite. Even when I was resocializing the rescue I had, his bites never broke through my skin. I would let her settle down for a couple days. During this time, just go up to her cage and talk to her. This will allow her to get used to your voice and your smell. Then you can start to introduce your hand into her cage, by allowing her to simply smell you, while you stroke her gently. From there, you can start to scoop her up, from under her belly. She may still click and pop in the begining, but with time and patience, she will BOND with you and you'll be best buddies!


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## roxy (Oct 14, 2008)

i do hope she comes around. she is pretty shy so i know its goin to take some time. i do talk to her every day, i gently pet her quills, and every day i wear a t-shirt under my work uniform so when i get home and change i put that t-shirt in with her so she gets use to my smell. i have been able to take her out of her cage every day before tonite with out her poping and everything because she just rolls into a ball. tonite she never even attempted to roll up, she was just really defencive. but i think its cause i just woke her up and i was just after getting out of the shower (and all the changes since yesterday). so tomorrow i'll start using non-sented soap. either way, despite the hissing and the natural (h)edgieness (  ), should i still pick her up, or give her space ? should i be taking her out every nite or give her a nite off every few days ?


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## Guest (Oct 15, 2008)

I've found that if I'm waking one, they respond best if I take the cover/igloo off and give them a few minutes to stir and hear my voice before I reach for them.

Just a thought.


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## soprano (Sep 10, 2008)

My husband is very nervous about picking Ned up, so what he usually does is coax Ned into his bag, and then slide his hand under the bag and pick him up that way. Ned likes his bag so this usually isn't difficult. Then one of us will sit with Ned and his bag in our laps. Over the course of an evening he usually sleeps and/or purrs for a long while, and then eventually comes out to explore.

Ned had a few crabby days of quilling about 6 weeks ago. He lost a ton of quills (I counted 60 one evening) and bit me 5 times. None of the bites even hurt after 30 seconds and none broke the skin - it was definitely an "I'm tired of you, go away" nip.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

My opinion.... take her out each night. And if possible get her on a schedule. My experience is that once they know what to expect they will start to trust you faster. For new hedgehogs I like to just take them out, put them under a snuggle blanket and let them do their own thing. Don't try to touch them. Let them get a chance to explore you. If you want to give a treat, go ahead, but don't try to force them to do anything.

And remember, stay calm. Do not be afraid to pick her up, do not be afraid of her biting. The more you stress and are fearful of her, the more likely she will react accordingly. Hedgehog's pick up on our behaviors really fast. They tend to act more defensive and afraid when we are stressed or fearful.


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