# Female chirping??



## mylenafernandez (Oct 20, 2016)

So my hedgehog, Mia, had babies, and they're well off into their new homes at this point, however my friend whom I sold one of them to asked me to babysit "Zuri" while she was out of town, and I have her staying with her mama cause I don't have enough room for a 3rd hedgie cage in my room. They've been getting along perfectly fine, however last night I heard a lot of shuffling, puffing, and chirping. I've heard this chirping before, it literally sounds like the noise a male makes while courting a female (double checked to be safe- they're both girls!). When I looked into the cage Mia was chasing Zuri around- Mia was chirping and Zuri was the one huffing. Mia didn't seem to be trying to hurt Zuri at all, Zuri just seemed startled. Is this playful behavior, or territorial behavior? I separated them for about 30 minutes and put them back together because I felt bad that Zuri was stuck in her small travelling case without a wheel. But after I put them back together they seemed to have calmed down. I was just looking for some insight as to what this behavior could be. I just want to handle the situation appropriately and don't want either of them to get hurt! Thanks


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

This is a dominance issue and you need to separate them before one of them gets injured badly. This is good example of why hedgehogs need to be kept separated. Mia doesn't know that Zuri is her daughter all she knows is that another hedgehog is invading her space and she is protecting her territory. You need to figure a a way to keep them in separate enclosures. You can put Zuri in a tub or container for now. 

Remember that having two hedgehogs in the same cage takes time to get them used to each other before leaving them together (this takes weeks) and it also means having two wheels two dishes two water bowls and most of all double the cage space that one needs. Since the minimum for one hedgehog is 4 square feet the minimum for two would be 8 square feet.


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## mylenafernandez (Oct 20, 2016)

Thanks Nikki! I just set up a second tub for her. :smile:


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