# Mother Still Carrying Hoglets?



## tygersquirt (Dec 28, 2014)

Luna, my breeding hedgehog, had hoglets exactly three weeks ago so they are a very descent size. I walked in on her carrying one of her hoglets and she still hasn't put him down. It's been 20 minutes. She is just running around the cage with him hanging from her mouth. I'm afraid she might hurt the hoglet. I've been breeding for a while now and this has never happened. Please help.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Have you changed anything in her cage? Changed anything in the room? Has there been any loud disturbances around the room & cage? Have you been handling the babies at all? I'm not a breeder so I can't offer much help, but more information can help figure out what could be provoking her.


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## tygersquirt (Dec 28, 2014)

Yes I handle her babies all the time. I did do a complete cage clean out today. Could that be the reason?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

That is definitely the reason. The cage should never be completely cleaned until the babies are weaned and moved out of the cage. I have to admit, I'm a bit surprised if you've done this before and haven't had issues before now. Not cleaning the cage completely is one of the things stated frequently on this section of the forum.

Do you still have the old bedding? It might be a good idea to try and place some of the old bedding back in the cage so it smells like her again. But as I said, I'm not a breeder. It'd be best if you PMed Nancy or Nikki to see if one of them can get back to you quickly on whether that is actually a good idea or not.

Other than that, there probably isn't much you can do other than get out of the room and leave her alone to calm down. She's been disrupted enough and needs time to calm down and hopefully she won't injure or kill the babies.


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## tygersquirt (Dec 28, 2014)

Thank you for your help! She is calmed down now and is nursing and is back to normal. But yes, I've never experienced this before. I'll make sure never to do it again while she has babies. Thank you again!!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Glad she's calmed down already.  Sounds like she's a good mom! Nancy & Nikki have both stated before that it's okay to do spot cleaning and to just remove a handful of bedding (away from the nest - leave nest untouched) a day to replace with clean bedding, but definitely avoid complete cage cleanings until the babies are weaned & such. Once Nancy or Nikki see this, they may have further advice for you, so if they contradict anything I've said, definitely listen to them!

Also, just to make sure it's mentioned, make sure you don't bathe mom or babies until they're all weaned as well. There's been at least one person who tried that & had major mom panicking afterwards & posted for help. Glad this had a good ending!


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## tygersquirt (Dec 28, 2014)

She really is a good mom. Though I had quite a scare tonight. I'll make sure to contact them for more information that I might not know. Every time I think I know what I'm doing, more things tend to pop up. I guess it's all part of the journey. Thank you again for all your help! It's greatly appreciated!


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## DLL (Jun 30, 2018)

Thank you so much to this post and to your replies. I am experiencing it atm. Glad i didn't throw the old beddings yet. I hurridly put it back after I read the replies 😊😊 thank you again


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## Mr.Pricklesworth_Hedgehog (Jul 31, 2017)

Glad this post helped you, but please don’t respond to posts without checking the date, this one is from three years ago.


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## DLL (Jun 30, 2018)

How long did your hedgehog carrying her hoglets until she calm down?


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Do not post on old threads, this one is from 2015 and the OP isn't even on the forum anymore. If you have a question start your own thread.


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