# Does this happen with your hedgie?



## KatMarie (Jul 14, 2012)

First time hedgie owner! 

I have a general question for you guys! For starters, I have only had my hedgehog for a month or so. She was born in May. She lets me clip her nails and when I hold her or have her out of her cage, she is adventurous, does not ball up. She can stand a foot bath, no problem there. But when she is in her cage, she is a different hedgie. She sleeps under a little piece of fleece fabric, that's what she prefers to burrow and sleep in. Whenever I lift the fabric to check in on her, she huffs or hisses and spikes up, not completely in a ball though. Her quills just stand up. And when I go to pick her up out of her cage, that attitude is multiplied by two. She has never bit me or anything and she is okay with me walking by her cage as she eats, with no huffing/hissing. When she is walking around me outside her cage, like I said she is adventurous, but she clicks nonstop. So my question for you guys, if you could answer, is if your hedgies click and huff/hiss when you peek at her when she is in her hiding place and when you go to pick her up? And does your hedgie constantly make the clicking sound? 

Does this stop or is this just expected? It's starting to stress me out. Thankfully I can clip her nails though so I'm grateful for that.

Any comments are much appreciated!


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## raerysdyk (Oct 21, 2011)

Sounds like normal hedgehog to me.  Most hedgies are a little bit grumpy/ startled when you wake them up and a lot are a little testy when being handled. Sugar, my new rescue hates being handled...but let her wander around and she is content as can be using me as a jungle gym. 

Some hedgies get better the more you handle them, but not all. I wouldn't be offended...it's pretty normal to have a hedgie that startles easily.  Just keep working with your new little one and give her lots of love! She will find her own unique way to tell you how much she loves yah.


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## Nebular (Dec 28, 2010)

Sounds pretty normal. My little guy never makes a fuss when he's outside of his cage and is really laid back, but if I lift his igloo while he's sleeping, he raises his quills and huffs a few times to put on a show. It's just a natural reaction for them; they're being disturbed while they were sleeping/comfortable and don't know who or what is interrupting them, so their first reaction is to make themselves look big and pokey.  Some of them are a little more grumpy if they were sleeping and usually calm down once they've woken up enough or realise that you're you and not some random stranger. One thing you might want to try is to just put your hand in front of her nose before you pick her up. This will give her a few seconds to find out it's only you interrupting her beauty sleep and she might relax and be less grumpy when you pick her up.

My little guy is 1 1/2 years old and still does this sort of thing when woken up, so yours may or may not grow out of it. At least it's only for a few seconds when you're getting them out of bed so it's not that bad.


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