# This is Emma



## cop (Dec 27, 2008)

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum, I have been viewing for a few days and now I thought I'd introduce you all to Emma.

http://i39.tinypic.com/w7oehy.jpg

I have gathered that the majority of the users on here are from The States, so I think it is important to tell you that I am from Lancashire in England where it is considerably colder and unusual to have a hedgehog as a pet. Also I hope you can understand some of the language I use. Sometimes British can be misinterpreted to some Yanks... but here goes 

Last week we went into a pet-shop where my brother works, he had told me they had a hedgehog in, and being in the UK, owning a hedgehog as a pet is very unusual, I had never heard of the idea before. Anyway I teased my brother telling him I really wanted it.

I told my girlfriend about it and the (expensive) price-tag, we looked at various videos on YouTube and information on Wiki etc - just out of interest.

We went into to buy hamster bedding. One of the shop assistants got her out of her cage and my girlfriend just fell in love with her. They wrapped her up and we brought her home for Christmas.

We have had her for a week now, having never seen a pet hedgehog before it has been interesting trying to understand her behaviour and browsing this site to check if we are looking after her correctly.

She appears to be healthy, she is a bit grumpy when we wake her up but she starts being sociable after a few minutes. Only having her for a week, she has admittedly been spoiled (mainly by me).

Today I read that she should only have 3 mealworms a week... last week she was having 4-5 a day (I couldn't get over how sweet it was listening to her munching them) So now she is a on strict diet. I blame the pet shop for giving us a massive box of worms, there must have been 300+ in there.

They also gave us hay and straw, which stunk the house out - it was also very messy, we looked at various pictures of other owners' set-ups - so she has blankets now.

The pet-store also gave us a Zoo Zone plastic tank, and an Exo Terra Heat Mat (for glass cages only). With concerns for our house burning down, I seeked advise from another pet-store owner, she explained that she knows somebody in Scotland (where its really really cold) who breeds hedgehogs outside, so she would be ok without the mat in (as long as she has somewhere warm to sleep in).

I had a little scare yesterday, I think she slipped into the early stages of hibernation. Normally we leave her until she wakes up at night, but last night she wasn't getting up. When I stroke her quills she "huffs", but she didn't this time, her quills reacted - but that was it.

I pulled her out of her (slipper) bed, but she just stayed in a ball, normally she would peak out but there was nothing... she was just prickly. I kept her warm with my body heat, then we got a microwavable Snuggle Pad and wrapped her in my blanket on my lap, and after about 15 mins she eventually came round.

This afternoon we got the heat mat out and placed it on the table, it doesn't seem to get hot at all, so I might risk sticking it in her cage under her blanket. We put a snuggle pad in there too, but I think that petstore owner who knows the breeder has been mis-informed.

She has had somewhat of a exciting Christmas period, things should start coming to normality now and she should get a good routine going. When friends come round, they are intrigued and they want to see her, so I suppose it's been quite stressful.

I am in the process of litter training her, I have read a post on here about placing it where she poops, but she appears to her business around it but I suppose it will take time.

She has a big enough cage (100 x 50cm) and she come out to investigate every night. She doesn't appear to use her wheel, but she likes walking underneath it. She also likes her Toilet roll, Pringles tin and tissue box.

If you guys have any hints or tips, I would love to hear them. She seems happy enough, But I still quite concerned about keeping her warm. If anyone can think of a safe way of doing so I would like to know.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Welcome to HHC! Emma is a sweetie.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Welcome to the world of being a hedgehog caretaker. You may be quite surprised by the number of folks on here from your side of the pond. We have a few.

The 3 mealworms a week thing really makes me laugh. Mine get at least 3 each night. I've never really had a problem with obese hedgehogs. 

Those under tank heaters just are not a good idea in my opinion. They warm the floor but the air temperature may still be lacking. I'm a little surprised to hear that someone is breeding hedgehogs outside. African Hedgehogs do not hibernate like your Europeans and if they attempt to hibernate they can become extremely sick or die. I must wonder about how someone is breeding outdoors. Perhaps they have a building?

As to heating. You'll find several threads on here about how people accomplish this important task. I personally use oil-filled radiator style space heaters. Been using them for years. Others on here use a ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat/rheostat, but with a plastic sided enclosure it probably isn't a good idea. You can do a search to find more information on that style of heater.


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## cop (Dec 27, 2008)

Thanks for the welcome messages  

It's certainly an interesting experience having Emma with us. I'm still unsure what to make of the heating, if anyone has a plastic tank or a similar set up to mine, I would love to know how people in the UK or in countries with a colder climate heat their hedgies.

We have just put in the Heat Mat under her blankets, also it is warmer upstairs in our room at night so we might just see what it's like having her cage in with us tonight...

The bothersome thing I find with Emma is that after I have tidied her place up, cleaned the litter which she has scattered over her blanket, and wiped up her mess, I check her out in the morning and she has totally trashed the place again... seriously, I can't comprehend how much devastation can be done by such as small creature in such a short space of time! :mrgreen:


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

My experience is that when they are new to you and their new home they tend to trash the place more. My most recent addition trashed her cage nightly but each night she seemed to do less and less. My thoughts are that once they start to suss out what is going on they start to settle and stop trashing the place as much. Of course there are those that always trash their cages, but mine typically have always settled down. Try to get her on a schedule it seems to help them settle down faster.

One thought. Is her wheel a solid surface & how big is it? If the wheel isn't big enough or has an inappropriate surface, she probably won't use it. The trashing of her cage could be due to her not using a wheel. I've had a couple that trashed their cage because they couldn't have a wheel (usually while they were recovering from a surgery). They get bored and need something to do.

I use 2 plastic storage tubes connected via a plastic ferret tunnel. And as mentioned I use an oil-filled radiator style heater. Since I have more than 1 hedgehog, I find this method to work best for me as it keeps the entire room the hedgehogs are in warm. They are also kept in the warmest room in the house, helps on the heating bill .


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## cop (Dec 27, 2008)

Thanks Kalandra

We had her in our room last night, and it appears that she does use her wheel, she must have been on it for about 2 hours. I might get her a bigger one though, as she did slip off a few times as she got a bit of a rhythm going.

And you're right, her cage wasn't as trashed this morning, she must have just figured her wheel out, and she did all her business in her litter tray too (I placed it immediately under her wheel).

I'm thinking about giving her a bath this week, do you have any hints or tips?


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

I don't know what kind of wheel you have, but check to see if you can tilt it. If it is angled downward too far the hedgehog will slide out. You want a slight angle downward to allow any urine (should your hedgehog pee) to run off but not so much that they slide.

There are probably many threads on bath tips. Some hedgehogs like them some don't. Some act freaked out at the first touch of water on their feet. I tend to just put enough warm water in my sink to touch their tummies and cup water over their backs. In all honestly baths around here are very rare. I only give them if the hedgehog is dirty. I also don't use any shampoo unless needed, and when I do I use a human product, Aveeno bath wash unscented.


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## Hedgierrt (Aug 31, 2008)

:lol: Welcome to HHC. Hedgies grow on you and you already sound quite taken in with Miss Emma.

We keep our 2 hedgies in my daughters room and keep it at a balmy 74 degrees. Both seem to do quite well at that temp. We have an electric heater independant for that room. We did have the power go out last week though and thank God we had hand warmers to use to keep them toasty, along with putting them under the covers in bed with us. Always have something on hand if your power goes out

Bathing is an interesting time. Both our hedgies poop when taking a bath. Our girl, Boo, tries to climb out the whole time, and our boy, Henry, just sits in the warm water and sometimes drinks the bathwater. Nails need to be trimmed periodically.

Both our hedgies use a potty box, Henry keeps a tidy cage and Boo is much more messy. :roll: 
Enjoy your Emma! And all things hedgie!


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## numothehedgehog (Aug 30, 2008)

Emma is gorgeous !

Welcome to HHC _and_ the wonderful world of hedgehogs : )


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## cop (Dec 27, 2008)

Hi Hedgierrt and numothehedgehog 

We had to give her a bath yesterday, we had some kind of incident, where she decided to roll around in her own mess. I have a picture - but it's not for the faint hearted, I will post it if there is enough demand.

Everybody is taken by her really, my relatives from Germany wanted to see her, so we took to my parents house a couple of miles down the road, it's much warmer in there and Emma was sunbathing outside her slipper, so we let her venture around the room in the cooler areas... she had loads of meal-worms again, way too many, especially when I said she was on a strict diet.

But now that all the family and close friends have seen her now, she should be getting into a calmer routine of eating and sleeping.

I have put down some newspaper in her cage last night, and looking at the devastation this morning, its seem she has had a good claw on that, I also put some sand-paper infront her her slipper.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

> I also put some sand-paper infront her her slipper.


Please don't use sandpaper anywhere in the cage! Hedgehogs walk on the pads of their feet, not their nails, so all you'll get is bloody paws.


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## cop (Dec 27, 2008)

Thanks LizardGirl, its coming out as we speak. :? I assumed it would help with her toe-nails. After reading hedgierrt's post, I might give them a trim after a bath... but how much should I trim because they do seem quite long? 

I have spotted that she has ripped up her newspaper and lined her tissue box with it. :roll:


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## anna m (Dec 19, 2008)

Please post the pictures of your little one.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

There is a picture in the first post...


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## cop (Dec 27, 2008)

It looks a lot worse than it is, she is absolutely fine now, but you will see why she needed a bath... make sure your not eating :mrgreen:

http://i42.tinypic.com/2dkl7ys.jpg


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Hehe, how cute! I love annointing pics.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Ah the good old mess made from anointing. I've had a couple of "rare" orange and green spotted hedgehogs after they have eaten a bit of green bean and sweet potatoes. 

If you look at her nails you should be able to see where the quick is. If you can't see the quick, try after a bath, it often is more obvious because the nails are soft and clean. You can clip them down close to the quick, just don't clip the quick else you will have a bleeding nail. Should you clip too far, take a little flour or corn starch and dab on the nail. It will help it clot.


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## cop (Dec 27, 2008)

OK... I'm going to ask it... what is anointing exactly? I've looked on the internet and I am just getting religious stuff


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

http://mihog.org/anatomy/anoint.phtml

See if that helps.


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## cop (Dec 27, 2008)

Thanks Kalandra

I also found this on Wiki, it's funny what you find when you type "anointing" AND "hedgehog" into Google...

_"Hedgehogs occasionally perform a ritual called anointing. When the animal comes across a new scent, it will lick and bite the source and then form a scented froth in its mouth and paste it on its spines with its tongue.

It is not known what the specific purpose of this ritual is, but some experts believe anointing camouflages the hedgehog with the new scent of the area and provides a possible poison or source of infection to any predator that gets poked by their spines. Anointing is sometimes also called anting because of a similar behaviour in birds."_

I assumed it was becuase she had too many meal worm. I'm glad is normal, I was quite worried about her.

Learning everyday.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Very normal behavior. Expect to see it if she eats something new or something with a strong flavor or scent. If you see her bite something to taste it then anoint, perfectly normal behavior. Its just one of their interesting quirks.


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