# Skittish Around Me



## StandInTheStorm (Jul 7, 2015)

Hello! My name is Samantha, and my little guy's name is Sylvester. I believe he was born in March, and I picked him up on the third of May. 

The issue I'm having is he's pretty huffy around me. I think that I might need to purchase a heater for his cage, because I'm a bit nervous about him getting sick or something (I place a couple of blankets on his cage at night, because I prefer to have my fan on me while I sleep). I leave the fan off during the day, and remove the blankets (this way he has a proper lighting time, more or less). 

I gave him a bath not too long after I got him (a week or two in). He, obviously, did not enjoy said bath and it was rather short. Due to this, I think I made have made him hate baths. I'm going to try to play some folk music from here on out during his bath times.

I generally take him places with me (during car rides, and things as such), as its nice for me to be able to somewhat bond with him, I think, but I'm rather sure it's not a great idea for him (car rides). I feel as if he's been even grumpier with me in this past week.

I also don't let him roam in my room too often, because I'm afraid of him getting hurt or lost. 

I dunno.

Any ideas for things I could improve on/ do?


----------



## writergirlmel (May 16, 2015)

Congratulations! You have a normal hedgehog.

Hedgehogs are a "long haul" animal when it comes to bonding. It can take weeks, months, or longer for them to trust you, and some of them never stop huffing. 

But let me address the cage first. Do you have a thermometer to monitor the exact temperature inside the cage? A way to maintain the temperature consistently? A lamp on a timer to give him a consistent 12-14 hours of light (that begins and ends at the same time) each day? You need all those things. For hedgehogs, your set-up is critical. If you do it right, your life with your hedgie won't be issue free, but it'll be a lot easier. 

As for bonding... Are you handling him for at least half an hour every evening? You need to be. The only way to bond is to interact with him. Hold him, pet him, let him climb on you, let him sleep on you..whatever. But it needs to happen every single day for at least 30 minutes. Longer is even better. The more time and effort you put in, the more he'll give back (in his own hedgie way). Also, if you haven't already, try the t-shirt trick. Sleep in a t-shirt for a couple of nights or carry a small piece of fleece inside your clothes for a few days and then put it in his cage. That will help him associate your scent with safety.

As for baths...well, a lot of hedgies don't like them. Same with clipping nails. But it has to be done. At least neither is a daily thing!


----------

