# New Hog Different Questions



## tokihog (Jan 28, 2011)

Hello all! I brought my Toki home 8 days ago and he is coming around nicely. I have all the basics down but have a few questions. 
First off I see a lot of people saying to give him a few minutes in his cage after waking him to avoid being pooped on. My problem is that when I wake him (take his house off him) he balls up and hisses then pops out and smells my hand then says hi. But after that he doesn't wake up, he just balls up and goes back to sleep. Is there a way to stimulate him to get up and around? I use treats and he takes them but if I don't keep offering them it's back to sleep. He will wake up if I take him out but he poops on his blanket and I don't want to wash two or three throws a day.
Second, I have a ufo wheel for Toki and he loves it. I hate it :evil: . It has a huge base and takes up too much room in his cage (we are getting a new wheel soon!). I want to put a litter box under it but nothing fits. I used a kitchen towel once but he just pulled his wheel all over his cage. I moved on to a shoe box lid with a lip cut out so the wheel could fit and it worked but I had to toss it and make a new one every day. Now I am low on shoe box lids and wonder if can line one in aluminum foil and cover it in fleece? Is that safe? He doesn't want to dig in the litter box just poop but I am afraid if I keep changing it he will start to wonder what the **** this new thing is all the time. 
Another thing I am curious about has to do with portable heat. We used a hand warmer in a sock our car ride and it worked well. I don't know if anyone has ever used a rice bag before but it is a cloth full a dry rice that you microwave to warm up. Would this be acceptable to use for cuddle time in our drafty living room?
Toki needs a foot bath almost every morning. I am working hard at touching his feet and legs for as long as he will let me (three seconds maybe) in his foot bath then when we dry off I try to "dry" his feet until he runs away. At this point it doesn't look like I will be trimming his nails any time soon. I know hedgies have delicate little feet and that sandpaper is out but what about an emery board?
Everyone says to spend time with your hog. I see some people saying 15-20 min and others saying 30 to an hour. I wonder if I keep him out too long. I take him out around 9 in the morning and we sit on the couch (he has his cuddle blanket) till around noon then I put him back in his cage. When my boyfriend gets home we bring him out again around 5 or 6 for about 30 min then is back to bed. I take him out again around 10 or 11 to sit with me while I am on the computer for two hours or more. Am I giving him enough Toki time?
Lastly, I made him a shoe box house lined with fleece with a little fleece door. I also cut up some strips of fleece and put them in it. He loves it and will run to it if I take them both out of the cage (sometimes we take it to the couch or hallway which is his play area). Is the shoe box an ok house? Also it gets up to 82° in his shoe box (79° in his cage). Is that too hot?
Ok I'm done now! Thanks in advance!
By the way, Toki is three months old.


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## EryBee (May 23, 2010)

Welcome to HHC! You seem to be do a fabulous job with Toki (cute name!) so far. I will try to answer a few of your questions right off the bat.

My hegdehog, Phinneus, doesn't respond to the whole wake-up-and-poop thing either, so I wake him up and then put him in the shower with the lights off (and no water, obviously) so that he can wake up, scoot around, and hopefully get some poop and pee out of his system. Like you said, if I were to leave him in his cage he would just curl up and go to sleep. Do you have an available space where you could let Toki wake up and scoot around a little before cuddles? If so, try this method. It equals less smelly mess in your lap!

For the wheel, I don't have any experience with those UFO's (the same as Flying Saucers?) but maybe you could try some paper towel weighted down under it?

I use those pocket warmers for portable heat myself, but some people invest in the Snuggle Safe. Here's a link: http://www.petfooddirect.com/product/22 ... =104113501

For his feet, poop boots are gross, but I usually don't give my guy a foot bath unless he is REALLY filthy, or if he is having company, i.e. people who don't have unconditional love for him. Is your question about cutting his nails? If so, most people just use some human/and or cat nail clippers. It's a bit scary at first, but not too bad. It might be easier if a friend helps hold your hedgie still. I am not sure about using the emery board. Maybe someone else can shed some light on that subject.

Everybody spends different amounts of time with their hedgies depending on the hog, schedules, or comfort levels. I think what you are doing sounds great! It will only make Toki more friendly and sociable in the end 

Finally, the show box house sounds great! I use Kleenex boxes, but I would use shoe boxes if I had any. The temperature should be fine; if it gets too hot for Toki he can just leave the box and sleep elsewhere. He probably likes the extra cozy warmth when sleeping anyway.

I hope this helps you, and that other members can fill you in on the questions I couldn't. Good luck with your little guy!


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## cylaura (Jan 13, 2011)

> My hegdehog, Phinneus, doesn't respond to the whole wake-up-and-poop thing either, so I wake him up and then put him in the shower with the lights off (and no water, obviously) so that he can wake up, scoot around, and hopefully get some poop and pee out of his system. Like you said, if I were to leave him in his cage he would just curl up and go to sleep. Do you have an available space where you could let Toki wake up and scoot around a little before cuddles? If so, try this method. It equals less smelly mess in your lap!


I don't have much to add, but I just wanted to say thank you for that advice, EryBee! Liam will always want to right back to sleep after I wake him up as well, but the shower sounds like a great idea. I will definitely be trying that.

Also, Toki is an adorable name!


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Welcome to HHC & Congrats on Toki!! I don't think I can answer all your questions, but I'll do what I can...
You can do whatever works for you. Try different things. I found that with my girl Zoey, she would start to get really squirmy when she had to use the restroom, so then I just put her down for a bit. Now, what I do is turn the light out in their room at 6pm & give them 1 hour to wake up, eat a bit, go potty before I get them for cuddle time. I don't know if that would work for your schedule, though, because it sounds like you spend more time throughout the day with him.

I currently just put a paper towel under the wheel & change it every morning. 

An emery board would probably be more difficult to use than just nail clippers. I can't imagine that he would stay still while you file his nails down. I would think, personally, that it would take longer than just cutting the nails. Also, I would be afraid of the back & forth motion perhaps hurting his feet. I would keep touching his feet so he gets used to it & you may only get to trim 1 or 2 nails every night.

The shoe box house sounds cute. I would just periodically make a new one. I use tissue boxes in my cages filled with fleece for them to dig in. But every couple weeks, I will toss it & put a new one in. 

I think 82 may be a bit warm. How does he act?

I hope that helps some!
PS - EryBee beat me to it! :lol: So ditto on her answers.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Everything has been well covered already!!

I don't have anything to add except: 1) Be patient 2) No hedgie ever died cuz of poopy feet and 3) Get used to the fact that what works at 3:00 may not work at 3:30 with food, behavior, nails, anything. May as well accept in now. :roll: 

How old is Toki? Where are the pictures???


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## tokihog (Jan 28, 2011)

Hey guys! Thank you for the advice!
EryBee, the bathtub idea is wonderful! It wont work for the winter months because our bathroom is freezing but this summer I think it will work well. Also, thanks for the link to the snuggle safe. We will be looking into that. 
I have good news too...I got to clip 4 nails with no fuss at all! What a good Toki I have! 
PJM I am starting to see what your talking about with the pee dance. He give be about a 10 second warning with a crazy little wiggle. 
Toki acts like he doesn't mind the extra heat. He stays in his box and mostly sleeps on his side in a half ball. I was thinking about taking the fleece off the top of the inside of the box so it doesn't hold so much heat.
MissC Toki is 3 months and one week old. I am using a cell phone so I can't post pics but if you would like to see some cuteness (oh, there's a lot of it) you will find him here http://s397.photobucket.com/albums/pp56 ... 44220_.jpg


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

Toki is absolutely gorgeous. I'm in love!  

Just wanted to say hi and welcome to HHC!


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

He IS a cutie. Don't you love annointing pics???

If you want to post pics from Photobucket, it's really easy: just hover over the pick; move cursor to IMG Code and click in box; now paste in your HHC message. If *I* can do it ANYone can do it!! :lol:


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## ThePliny (Jun 3, 2010)

Toki is very handsome. He looks like quite the charming little hog!


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## haleylove (Jan 19, 2011)

I don't have advice because I don't even have my hedgehog yet, but congrats! Toki is absolutely adorable.  Welcome to HHC.


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## mcwojo (Dec 29, 2010)

I have no suggestions as everyone has answered them for you and I am no expert by any means. I have had Hazel for 6wks. She is quite the huffy balling little pile of quills. She is quilling right now so I'm hoping she will chill shortly. Loki is adorable..he looks a lot like my Hazel. I was told she was salt and pepper but I'm not too sure about that. Do you know what color classification Loki is. They have very similar color and markings. I think Hazels snout is a little darker. I love the way the lay on their sides and do the splat on their tummies. They are just too cute. Hazel has poopy boots almost every day. I think it bothers me more than it does her. She will NOT let me touch her feet as hard as I try that is a definate NO on her end. I have been wrestling with trying to cut her names. There is no way she will let me put her in the burrito roll and she won't let me scruff her so I am at my wits end about that. They are growing straight (at least for now) so they shouldn't hurt her feet. I occasionally can get a front nail or two but very rarely! Have fun with your Loki and good luck.


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## tokihog (Jan 28, 2011)

mcwojo, I never though I could clip toki's nails but i did! My boyfriend was holding him in his hands and one of his back feet was hanging off so I poked it and touched it and he didn't care so I made a mad dash for the clipers. Toki didn't even know anythig was goin on. We did the same thing with his other foot. 
I am calling Toki a salt and pepper pinto though Idk what everyone else would call him.
Thanks to everyone who replied! I will have to tell Toki how good he looks! Its gonna make him blush!


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## RalphsMum (Oct 14, 2010)

oh my! he is quite the cutie...and a poser!  
Looks like you won't be joining us in the Grumpy hedgehog thread! Lucky you! :lol:


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