# Picking Up My Baby Hedgehog



## oakley_the_hedgie (Jun 7, 2013)

Hi everyone!
I'm a first time hedgie owner and about a week ago I got my new baby hedgehog, Oakley 
She is 7 weeks old and I love her to death <3
I have been trying to get her to get used to me. I have been taking it slowly so that she doesn't get frightened.
Yesterday I tried picking her up (with gloves). 
She absolutely hates it and goes into a ball.
Once I've actually picked her up she stays in the ball for about a second and then she comes out of the ball and is totally fine.
How can I "train" her to not go into a ball at first?
I really want to be able to pick her up with my bare hands!
Thank you


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## sklock65 (Jan 9, 2013)

She is adorable!

My advice is to just try to do it without gloves...she's so little there is a good chance she will get used to it. It is important for her to become familiar with your scent. That being said make sure you don't have any lotion/perfume on your hands/arms that she might think is food (my hedgie bit my boyfriend once when he had lotion on his arm). Once she recognizes your smell it will make it much easier to pick her up. I've had my hedgie since January and he still isn't a huge fan of being woken up in the evenings, however many times at this point he won't really ball up or huff anymore. I know it can hurt to touch them at first but it's important she become comfortable. Also, if you haven't already it's a good idea to put a worn Tshirt (or something like that with your definite scent on it) in her cage...preferably in her sleeping area. That will really help her to become familiar with your scent and will speed up the process of her recognizing you and staying calmer. Hedgehogs have a very keen sense of smell (and awful eyesight) so this is important. Another suggestion is to talk softly whenever you are about to wake her or pick her up...I have found that really helps my Henry stay calm so he is not so startled by just me scooping him up. Your hedgie just went through a huge change of scenery switching homes so she just needs some time to adjust!

It takes time (could be weeks or months) so just keep at it...it will get better!


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