# New hedgehog owner - got a couple of questions



## Hedgehogger (Dec 8, 2011)

Hello to my fellow hoggers,

I am new to these forums (well more a lurker for information and just recently registered), and I am the proud owner of a pooping machine... er.. hedgehog. I had thought I "read up" on hedgehogs before purchasing the little critter, but there appears to be a lot of information beyond the basic "Caring for your Hedgehog" that I must have missed.

My pudgey little gal seems to like to poop and pee whever she is taken out of her cage and placed on the kitchen floor for play time which more appropriately should be referred to as "poo time." Needless to say my two kids' enthusiasm for the little prickly pear is waning a bit unfortunately. I think I might try putting her into a Sterlite box "poo station" with paper towels for a few minutes before transferring her out of there for play as my wife has been giving me more than a few "I'm going to kill you if you let that vermin poo on the kitchen floor again" looks that she gives out for free.

Buttercup hobbies and interests include sleeping in her igloo, sleeping in her igloo, munchin' on the odd piece of cat food, pooing, and did I mention sleeping in her igloo? A cute as a button as she is, I have to say that our interactions have been fairly limited which is difficult especially with the excitement of having a new, exotic house companion.

I see tons of cute photos of other people's scrub brushes... er hedgehogs curled up in little balls lying on their backs as content as can be smiling for the camera. Buttercup, on the other hand, seems to start flailing her little limbs all the while looking like I'm going to frickazee her or something if I even try to slightly tilt her onto her back while holding her. Is there a trick to this? Do you just flip the little one over quickly or something to have them ball up automatically? I think the racing heartbeat I feel and the little skinny flailing arms and legs just makes me want to gently put her back down into her cage so as to not stress her out.

Reading more, I see that one needs more time to get accustomed to one another, and it has only been about 3 days so maybe I'm rushing things too much. I do notice that boy these hogs have pretty bad eyesight so we try to move slowly with our hands towards her so as not to freak her out. She is actually quite friendly and licks our fingers once she figures out what they are.

I'm in the process of acquiring a heat lamp and thermostat to boost her environment temperature up a bit as I wonder whether that could be making her sleepy. She hasn't even gone on her wheel even.


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## Hedgehogger (Dec 8, 2011)

Oh I see we have a limited edit time on this forum. My other question I wanted to ask was how the heck do you clip the little toenails on the toesies? My gosh I can't even have her hold still on her back without the little limbs moving about it's difficult to imagine trying to clip the nails while avoiding the blood vessel area. She's already got one long nail that gets hooked on a piece of felt bedding we have for her so I'd like to help her out a bit. It's just that she doesn't seem to be a cooperative subject for grooming let alone holding still for any amount of time.

If I place her in a towel on her back, would that immobilize her enough to get the task completed? I might wait a week though, but somehow I get the feeling that she might not change that much. She's a two year old hedgie with a shy temperment, but she does seem friendly enough once she gets a chance to sniff us a little. She is a licker! She was going crazy on my hand licking away I almost thought I felt teeth at one point. I hope the poor eyesight thing and maybe hunger for a fat juicy mealworm like finger doesn't get the best of her.


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## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

hedgehogs are nocturnal and generally don't like being awake before 9-10pm sometimes later so many kids get tired of them easily and lose interest which is only one reason hedgies are not a good kids pet. kids skin is also more sensitive and can easily be injured with quills should the hedgie get scared or mad and ball up or heaven forbid the hedgie bite the kid. 

how old is your hedgie? if she is young then that could also be part of the reason she is lethargic. babies sleep a lot (some up to 22 hours a day). babies also poop and pee more than adults. they are almost like human babies and don't do much but poop and sleep. her lethargy could also be you forcing her to be awake during the day when she should be asleep. the pooping and peeing can be helped a little if you keep in mind that just like you or I, hedgies generally have to use the bathroom within minutes (sometimes seconds) after waking up. putting her in an area to use the bathroom first before putting her in her play area is a great idea and will help, but keep in mind she may still have to go more so having a play area with a floor that you can easily clean is ideal (lots use kid swimming pools or pet play pens with some kind of bottom). having to constantly clean poop and pee is just part of being a hedgie parent. 

if she is a baby or hasn't had a wheel before she may not know what it is so you might have to place her on it (preferably at night when she's awake for play) and gently and slowly turn it so she gets the idea (they usually catch on pretty quick)

yes their eyesight is believed to be bad so slowly reaching around and for them is great so they don't get so startled. 

what is the temp in her cage now? a heating source is extremely important especially this time of year so she doesn't go into hibernation which can kill her. yes it is possible she is too cold and that could be another reason for the lethargy. how does she sleep? is she in a tight ball or more relaxed or sprawled out? not a sure fire way to tell, but a good one to tell if she's cold. is her belly cold? 

flipping them onto their backs is generally not something that hedgies like and shouldn't really be done as it causes undo stress on them. hedgies are prey animals and are fearful animals anyway and putting them on their back makes them feel more vulnerable to a predator. those that do tolerate it its because they trust their owners and have a very close bond with their owners. bonding can take up to years and for some hedgies they never bond with their owners while others bond very quickly. bonding takes consistency and patience. you have to handle your hedgie EVERY single day (the longer the better, but no less than 30 minutes a day). hedgies don't just give trust, you have to earn it and then continuously work to keep it.
clipping nails you can read up on here, there's lots of good threads on it. 
i wouldn't let her lick your hand though because you're teaching her that it's okay and she will end up biting thinking it's food and then she will start doing it to your kids and biting them because she thinks its okay.


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## Hedgehogger (Dec 8, 2011)

Thanks for the reply. She is over two years old so she's not a baby any more. I believe the temperature of her cage is about 23C, but I've boosted the house temperature up a bit to 26C to see if that makes her more comfortable. I'm waiting for my heat lamp and thermostat control to be delivered, and I need to get a thermometer. She isn't bothered too much during the day except for maybe some noises around 11-12 pm and 5-6 pm, and she seems to stay pretty much curled up into an oblong ball (can't see her head anywhere) when she's sleeping.

The poo station actually did work out quite well. We got a LCD monitor cardboard box with low sides, placed newspaper in that, and covered the floor with paper towel taped to the sides. Sure enough BUttercup did her business, and we just quickly covered it up with some more papertowel so she wouldn't step in it too much. We let her walk around for a bit until she chose a corner to hang out in, and we picked her up a few times to try to get her used to being held. She was okay, but a little squirmy. She certainly won't sit still in your hands for any length of time as she is constantly looking at the ground for an escape route.

Her belly is medium warm so I don't think she's chilled or anything. I didn't realize the licking thing was bad. I used to have a pet mouse that did that, but she would only lick people she really liked (namely me). She would never bite afterwards so I think it was more a sign of affection more than anything. I did pop her onto her wheel yesterday, and placed my hand next to her so she wouldn't immediately head to her igloo. She did walk a little in each direction, but boy she's a chubby one. The width of her body is basically the width of the wheel which is a pretty big 9-10" wheel! She caused the wheel to spin and shake a bit so I might have to take it off the stand and mount it to the cage bars to make it more stable feeling. I'm sure the shakiness isn't that appealing to her.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

What kind of wheel is it? Most store wheels are dangerous for hedgehogs, and the only safe one you could find at a pet store is a Comfort Wheel. If the wheel is only 9-10" in diameter, you have the wrong size, which is most likely why she's not running on it. You need the biggest wheel they sell, which is 12" in diameter, the Giant Comfort Wheel. However, I would highly recommend one of LarryT's wheels - http://www.carolinastormhedgehogs.com/t ... wheel.html They're safe, silent, and I think she would be a lot more comfortable running on one, since they're stable and wouldn't shake or move around while she's running.

For handling, she's probably trying to find someplace to hide when you have her in your hands. One of the best ways to acclimate her to handling is to hold her in your lap for half hour to two hours each night, and cover her with a blanket. Yes, you don't really get to see her then...But that will probably make her more comfortable, and more likely to calm down and either snuggle up on you for a nap or maybe feel free to calmly explore on you underneath the blanket.


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## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

glad i could help some. only thing i might mention is not to use newspaper stick with paper towels. some newspapers inks produces toxic fumes to hedgies when they pee on it. 

and the squirming to be let down is pretty typical especially in a new home. she needs time to get used to you, but some hedgies are just explorers and don't like to cuddle. you might try holding her after she has an hour or so in her play pen when she is wore out and tired, she may lay down on you then (this is what i have to do with my boys they are just too excited to play when i first wake them up, but then they calm down after they've played). 

try putting her wheel in her play area with her sometimes they will check it out more and start to try using it if it's in a place where they are already playing, but be sure to put it back in the cage when you put her up. the fact that she did walk a couple steps on it is usually a good sign that they will try it again, but not always. sounds like the wheel could definitely benefit her if she is overweight. can she roll up in a ball all the way? if she can't or if she has fat rolls around her legs then she's probably overweight. you may think about slowly changing her food to a food specifically for weight loss (most brands carry a reduced fat/weight loss one). do NOT try to limit her food or it can cause serious sometimes fatal problems. free feed her like i'm assuming you are already doing, but slowly start switching her food. the weight loss food and getting her to use her wheel will help dramatically. 

do you have any pics of her?


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## cylaura (Jan 13, 2011)

Welcome to HHC! We have a ton of great information here, but I'll try and give what advice I can. I know it can all be overwhelming to a new owner!

My hedgie, Liam, really doesn't like being on his back much either, so don't worry about that with your girl. When I wake him up, I usually scoop him into my hands on his back so I can get a good look at his face and feet. Usually, he starts doing the flailing, "put-me-down" dance within 30 seconds or so. I like to imagine that all of those cute hedgie-ball pictures were taken in this magical 30-second window. :lol: 

Hedgies are poop machines, and they usually have to go pretty soon after waking up. Putting Buttercup in a box to do her business first is a great idea. I usually wake Liam up after I've put in his fresh food and treats for the night, so when I put him down he eats a little, does his business, and is ready to cuddle. Sometimes I still encounter an accident, but this method usually works pretty well, especially with older hedgies who have more bowel control. For playtime, I usually let Liam snuggle with me on the couch (I cover him up with a fleece blanket) and pet him. Sometimes he just sleeps, and sometimes he comes out to play and crawls all over my lap, up my arms, noms on my hair, etc. It just depends. Most people let the individual hog set the tone. This probably can be frustrating/boring for kids, but I think it's good for them to experience different kind of pets. As long as they know to be gentle and quieter with hedgehogs, I'm think hedgies can be really nice pets, especially if they have good parents to help them out.  

I'm not sure what you're feeding her, but using insects as treats can be really fun, especially for little kids! A lot of people will let their hedgies "hunt" crickets in the bathtub - and this is good exercise for them, too. In addition to crickets, mealworms are also popular, but they are higher in fat. Some people also feed dubia roaches (they are small, and can't fly/jump). I know a lot of people can be squeamish about having insects in the house (I know it took me a long time to work up the courage) but, since hedgehogs are insectivores, they make a great addition to their diet. 

Because hedgehogs can't see very well, they use their other senses, especially smell and taste, to explore around them, and fingers can look and smell a lot like food. A lot of hedgehogs lick something before they decide to chomp down (and their teeth hurt!) so that's what shawnwk1 was warning about. If Buttercup licks and never bites, though, you can definitely let her keep doing it.  I would advise to wash your hands before you handle her, just to get any lingers food smells off of your fingers!

I hope this helps! Good luck with making progress. And we love to see pictures around here!


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## Hedgehogger (Dec 8, 2011)

Thanks for the welcome and advice! Yeah, if BC would hold still for like 2 seconds outside of her igloo I'd take a photo. I'll try to snap some tonight while she's in the "poo station." I might have to make a "playhog station" box too as things soak through the second layer of paper towel while she's walking about. Too much information? Yeah, I know. I'm not sure where these "cuddly" hedgehogs are coming from, but ours is more like a "search for an escape route so they don't frickazee me" type hedgehog.

Two hours on a lap? Riiiiight! I'm more than willing, but I have a feeling that Buttercuppers will be looking for an exit as she has that "Igloo igloo where are yooou" look in her little bulgey nearsighted eyes. Also, I'm not too keen on being pooped or peed on really. Gosh did anyone see that Sugarglider things to know before you buy one Youtube video? I think we hedgehog owners have it good in comparison. Um, I don't think that's water on that girl's arm! I have a feeling that some animals just aren't meant for domestication. Hedgehogs I'm still on the fence about so far.






That point about hedgehogs being poop machines should reeeally be put up on the list as number one so people know what they are getting into.

I've opened a can of worms. Um, mealworms for the little critter, and we give her one of two when she's exploring her poo station so I think that maybe makes her happy? I actually do wash before and after handling the spikey pudgeball so unless she likes the taste of soap scent (?) I'll just assume it's a hopeful sign of affection as long as I don't feel little nibbly teeth on me.

I'll nix the newspaper liner in the poo station. It is under a layer of paper towels, but I see that it does get a good soaking! She has the cutest lengthy, furry arms and legs even while they are flailing, and they aren't pudgey. I've never seen her roll up into a complete ball, but she does tuck her head under when sleeping. I'll have to get some photos to demonstrate.

The wheel is a big red solid surface wheel with a sort of thin metal support stand. It has little ribs on the running surface, but basically it looks like a microwave or cake pan/cover. I didn't realize it was wobbly until she got her whole body weight on it and was walking a bit on it. I also didn't realize how wide-bodied she is. The wheel is pretty big - I didn't measure it, but it looks like it is about the right size for her. We have a pretty big cage so it sits on one end of her enclosure with a couple of inches of clearance above. I did consider the Carolina Wheel as the video with Adam Lambert singing along was quite convincing and mesmerizing actually, but luckily a very nice lady here in Calgary was selling some of her hedgehog items we I bought the wheel from her. I actually drove across the entire city the other night to get the wheel so we could see Buttercup in action running merrily away just like in the video, but no such luck. I don't think the place I got her from ever had a wheel for her so maybe it's all too new.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Poop is usually one of the drawbacks listed on here when people ask for negatives associated with hedgehogs. Youtube videos aren't a good source of information as most of them have old, wrong, and even harmful information. Usually once you first take them out and they get their business done with, the risk of being pooped/peed on will be less, so you'd be safe to hold her for awhile. If you have her covered with the blanket, you may find that she feels more protected and more inclined to settle down. Hedgehogs are shy, quiet creatures that don't usually like being in the center of attention or out in the open until they're comfortable in their surroundings. Because she's still getting used to your family and home, it's understandable that she usually is looking for a place to hide. Most cuddly hedgehogs that you see pictures and videos of have been with their owners for months or years, and their open cuddling is a sign of the time and patience their owner has put into bonding with them.

The wheel you described sounds like the Comfort Wheel, so that's good at least. If she's a bigger hog (a good thing to buy would be a digital kitchen scale so you can weigh her, and keep an eye on her weight - sudden changes in weight can be a first clue of illness or something wrong), you'll probably need to secure the Comfort Wheel so that it doesn't tip over when she steps on it. If she didn't have a wheel before, it could definitely be that she doesn't understand how to use one, but the problem could also be the wobbliness of the wheel. If you find that she continues to avoid it, I'd really suggest trying out one of Larry's CSWs. Yes, they're more expensive, but they're well worth it in safety, silence, sturdiness, and easy to clean. As you'll find if/when she starts running, hedgehogs poop when they run, so the wheel will get covered in poop as well. Comfort Wheels are a pain to clean and usually require being left to soak in warm water for awhile before you even try to scrub them.


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## Hedgehogger (Dec 8, 2011)

Woo hoo! SUCCESS!!!! I'm soooo happy! The blanket trick really worked well as Buttercup settled right now. Actually she initially freaked out when I placed her in it. She was biting and chewing on every fold of her pink blankie that she could get her chompers on! We were like :shock: oh oh maybe she's trying to eat the blanket. Luckily her teeth are small so nothing came loose, but I think she was just trying to figure out what it was. After a few minutes of drooling, slobbering chewing, she "self-annointed" with some frothiness which was pretty gross, but hey who am I to judge a hedgehog, she cozied herself into place on everyone's laps.

Yes, all the poop and pee is worth it to have a warm little critter cuddle up in a blanket on your lap! She's just like a newborn baby. I had her lying on my tummy and arm for about an hour with no poo or pee in sight. She slept a little and was so chill it was great. I think my daughter got some really good bonding time in too as she's less scared of Buttercup now. The blanket is the key!

In fact, after I placed her back in her enclosure, she went rooting around everywhere looking for something. I was sure she was trying to find the pink blanket so we actually cut a large square of the fabric and now she's a happy camper all cuddled underneath it in her igloo.

Thanks everyone for the tips! They really helped.

Here's some pix!

[attachment=0:1tdyerpw]IMG_3669_crop.JPG[/attachment:1tdyerpw]

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I definitely might order one of the Carolina wheels are the one I have doesn't have a bearing or anything so it just spins on a stalk I think which isn't that smooth.


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## Hedgehogger (Dec 8, 2011)

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## Hedgehogger (Dec 8, 2011)

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BTW I was even successful at clipping a few toenails while she was chewing away on her blankie! Such progress! I feel like a hedgehog veteran now.


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## cylaura (Jan 13, 2011)

Hooray! I'm so glad you guys had a good bonding session. All the struggles we go through make the good times more worth it, I think. 

Buttercup is so cute! I just love her pointy ears!


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## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

congrats she is cute. keep up with her bonding every single night and in no time she will be impressing you, melting hearts, and cracking you up more and more.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

YAY!  Glad you guys got some great snuggle time with her! She's absolutely adorable, too! She does look a tiny bit on the hefty side, but once she picks up the wheel habit, that may help, as well as changing the food if it has a high fat content. And so glad your daughter's starting to warm up to her too! Hedgies can definitely be intimidating when they're nothing but quilly popping balls, which is why we usually don't recommend them as children's pets, but there are several members on here that have kids who like to take part in hedgie care and cuddling. Hopefully Buttercup and your daughter will continue to fall in love with each other!

Also, I just wanted to mention to keep an eye on her with the wooden bedding you're using. Any wood bedding can carry mites in it and pass them on to Buttercup, which will require medicine to get rid of. Signs to look for include losing lots of quills, lots of scratching, and flaky skin. Risk of mites is why most members on here like to use fabric liners, since those are cheaper, cleaner, and don't carry any risk of mites.


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## Hedgehogger (Dec 8, 2011)

Talk about night and day! I think someone came in and swapped our previously shy, hidden hedgie for a different one entirely! I noticed some hedgie um "products" on her wheel this morning so she must have been at it during the night. Boy I would never have realized that a little bonding time would have made such a huge difference in personality. It was so funny to see her searching around her pen everywhere for that pink blankie yesterday. She even lifted up her igloo and tube and looked behind her wheel just searching and searching. I'm glad we chose one that we could cut up and give her a swatch to sleep under in her igloo. She's like a little baby!

I'll have to go pick up some fleece and make some liners then if the aspen isn't a good idea. She sure seems to like to burrow so I thought the aspen would be okay. I've only seen her scratch a couple of times, and she's lost a couple of quills inside the blanket. She looks okay other wise - it's kind of hard to see her skin really. Can you actually see mites?


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## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

some mites can be seen sometimes if that makes any sense :lol: she could just be quilling, but a vet visit for mite check and treatment isn't a bad idea. if she is quilling though remember that just like a human baby teething (cause that's essentially what's going on with the quilling) it hurts them and she may be more sensitive to being touched on her back so you may wanna avoid touching her back for awhile. if she gets really grouchy a warm bath with aveeno oatmeal body wash can help soothe her skin, but hedgies are very prone to dry skin which causes a whole new set of issues with a grouchy hedgie and they shouldn't be given more than 1 or 2 baths a month IF even that much. since she seems to be warming up to you though and is happy i'd hold off on the bath as long as you possibly can not just for the dry skin issues, but also because baths terrify hedgies and it is possible that giving her a bath while she is still settling into her home and working on a bond with you can potentially damage any progress you've made with her and cause her to go back to being withdrawn and grouchy.

since she's a digger which most are since that's kinda what hedgies do in the wild and other you can cut up a fleece blanket into small strips (not too small that she can choke on them since some like to fill their mouths up with them) and put them into some kind of a "dig box" (it can be anything from an old corner litterbox, shoebox, cake pan, really anything that won't hurt them). some hedgies really enjoy a dig box and others like mine don't pay them any attention except for the occasional times i'll find jakob on the bottom of the dig box under all the fleece sleeping. you can also hide treats (crickets, their own food even, etc.) in the dig box which will provide for more stimulation for her when she goes flying through the box to find them all (unless you have a night vision camera in her room like some of us do then you probably won't see her do this much since she will do most of her playing when you're asleep, but try a dig box in the play pen too then you might see her play with it)


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

She's probably not quilling if she's 2 years old, but minor quill loss and scratching could also be due to dry skin. Sometimes if the infestation is really bad, you can see mites, but it just depends. I never saw them on my Lily when she had them, but when I was at a pet store once and holding the two hedgie girls they had there, they had mites crawling all over them, and I even found them on my shirt when I got out of the store. :? But as shawn said, a vet visit might be a good idea in the next couple weeks, both to check for mites (or just get started with treatment) and as a wellness visit. It's a good idea to meet your chosen vet before you have a hedgie emergency, and make sure they know something about hedgehogs, as many vets don't (even ones who say they do). As far as just starting mites treatment, the reason it might be a better idea is because mites are hard to diagnose even for vets since they often don't show up on scrape tests. The treatment won't hurt either way, even if she doesn't actually have them, and it doesn't cost much. You want to use kitten Revolution to treat mites, and if the vet tries to go with Ivermectin, do NOT agree to it. It's usually given in shot form, and an overdose can paralyze and kill your hedgie. Revolution is given topically and is completely safe and almost impossible to overdose.


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## Hedgehogger (Dec 8, 2011)

Whoops on the bath time! We just gave her a nice warm soak in the tub with the Aveeno no scent moisturing bath soap and toothbrush scrub. She didn't seem worse for wear really as she's all cuddled up and snoozing on my daughter's lap now. I don't think we had her in the poo station long enough though as I had to get a plastic spoon to scoop out the um floaties. Ugh, what I do for my kids. :roll: 

We'll see about the vet check. She seems to be doing pretty good so far so I don't want to add the stress of visiting a vet clinic with all the barking etc to the list. Thanks for the mite info though.

Do people also treat mites with olive oil? I thought I saw a photo someone posted with their hedgie next to a bottle of olive oil. 

We did visit Frabricland this afternoon and picked out a pretty cool fleece sheet to make liners with. My wife though mentioned that someone switched over from chips to fleece and regretted it due to the mess and smell? I was going to swap the chips out, but now I'm not so sure...


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

:lol: Oh, the dreaded bath poops...Those usually happen no matter how much they already go before you put them in the water. The warm water just makes them go or something...Lots of fun for us! :roll: 

Understandable, just make sure you do look for a hedgie-knowledgeable vet so you're prepared in case of emergency. Don't want to be scrambling at the last second, looking for someone! Olive oil will get rid of the mites for a time, as it'll suffocate the adult mites and kill them. But it's short-term relief only, as it won't get rid of the eggs. You need medication to actually get rid of them completely.

The mess/smell kind of depends on the hedgehog. If that person had a baby, I'm guessing that might've had a lot to do with it. Babies poop a LOT more than adults, and also have stronger-smelling urine and poop. Personally I've not had any issues with having Lily on liners, but she does stay pretty neat. I usually only have to change her liner every few days, maybe twice a week. Since you already have the fabric, you could at least try it for a week or two and see how you like it, and if you're really not happy with it, change back? I think liners are less trouble than the mess of shavings and the constant risk of mites, but it all depends on personal preference. Another thing that helps with having liners is if your hog is litter-trained, or at least goes mostly on her wheel. Then you can put a litterbox underneath the wheel, which helps keep the liner cleaner as well, and you can spot clean the litterbox each day to keep the smell down.


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## Hedgehogger (Dec 8, 2011)

We still might make some strips for bedding so she can dig around with. Yikes @ mites in the pet store! Did you tell the staff there about it? That's pretty bad as it sounds like they would spread to other animals there not to mention people too!

I'll probably try the liners tomorrow and see how things go. Buttercup does seem a little litter trained so far. Maybe it just a girl thing with these hedges. Can't really return the fabric anyways.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Strips would be great! And yup, you better believe I told them...That pet store didn't like me very much while they had hedgehogs. :lol: But they did fix the problem pretty quickly and the next time I visited, the mites were gone, so I was pleased. Though on the plus side, mites seem to be species-specific (or at least so far it seems that the ones our hedgies get are), so they won't try to latch on to other animals or humans. The ones that were on my shirt probably just got lost. :lol: I made sure to put my clothes in the basement when I got home though and immediately showered so that Lily wouldn't get them.


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## Hedgehogger (Dec 8, 2011)

Yikes every time someone mentions mites on this board I get these phantom itchy spots all over! :shock: :lol: Glad to hear that the store did something about it rather than ignoring the situation. I have this strange urge to go bathe in olive oil now for some reason...


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## Hedgehogger (Dec 8, 2011)

Regarding temporary mite treatment, I think that Buttercup would not take too kindly to having extra virgin olive oil drizzled onto her. She probably would be thinking "Oh they are going to eat me for sure!"

Here's some photos of her renovated hedgehog apartment. It's hard to get a good shot of her in her cozy fleeze strip filled igloo, but I think she's pretty comfy in there!

[attachment=1:31bczbqj]IMG_3714.JPG[/attachment:31bczbqj]


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## cylaura (Jan 13, 2011)

Cute! Buttercup's apartment looks great.  I made the switch from wood shavings to fleece after I found this board (a couple months into hedgehog ownership) and it has been awesome. Personally, I've never had any smell issues. I just do what Lilysmommy said: spot clean everyday (pick up stray poops, pieces of food, quills, etc.), change the paper towel under the wheel, and clean the wheel. I usually do a full liner change and cage cleaning once a week. 

It can be hard to see mites in hedgies (especially if the infestation isn't very advanced) so just be on the lookout for other symptoms. The most common are quill loss, itching, and reddish bumps on the skin (from lost quills/scratching) My guy has always lost a few quills here and there, but when he got mites, he was losing a TON: like 15-20 a day. If it seems like she's losing way more quills than normal, or if she seems really agitated and uncomfortable, that would be when I would worry. Again, a wellness visit is a good way to get to know a vet, but it's up to you. 

But so glad she is doing better! Sometimes a little patience and a couple of changes is all it takes.


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## Hedgehogger (Dec 8, 2011)

Thanks! It's funny now to see the various positions she sleeps in now every time we take a peek. Today she was sleeping on her side with all four limbs out to the side, and also right on her belly with her arms one to the side and the other to the side and back. It just looked so funny as compared to how she was before al curled up in a ball. Her environment is much warmer so I think she's much happier now as there is evidence that she is using her wheel at night. I guess I gotta get a nightvision webcam to capture the after hours activities!

I just have a sheet of cardboard underneath the fleece to help tuck the sides under, but I wonder if making a little comforter with the fleece and stuffing to sleep on might be more comfortable. Do you guys have any special beds for your hedgies? I guess they probably would dig underneath and sleep under a special bed though.

Buttercup used to dig down to the plastic to sleep on, but I can't imagine the hard surfaces feel that great against the belly.

I think that she might be a little overweight a I flipped her over to see if she could curl into ball, but nope no such luck. I also saw some little fat baggies around the legs so yeah I suspect the lack of a wheel and all that free buffet eating / snacking / sleeping has put a few pounds on the ol' gal. She only loses a couple of quills a day usually from being in her blankie. Her skin over her shoulders area looks a litle weird - it's like this greyish bumpy texture. Kinda weird looking. 

Oh well, maybe we'll see about a vet visit. The last vet visit turned me right off as it was about $700, and my cat ended up dying a few weeks later anyways. They took a bunch of xrays and injected some ibuprofen which they charged a ton for. I know they have to run a business, but it seemed more like taking advantage of the situation.


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## cylaura (Jan 13, 2011)

Hedgehogger said:


> I just have a sheet of cardboard underneath the fleece to help tuck the sides under, but I wonder if making a little comforter with the fleece and stuffing to sleep on might be more comfortable. Do you guys have any special beds for your hedgies? I guess they probably would dig underneath and sleep under a special bed though.
> 
> Buttercup used to dig down to the plastic to sleep on, but I can't imagine the hard surfaces feel that great against the belly.


Liam has pretty much always been a "liner diver", as in, he goes underneath his liner and sleeps on the hard plastic instead. I know, it doesn't make any sense, but a lot of hedgies seem to like it this way. :roll: I've gone through a few types of beds/houses, and now I have this:

http://www.amazon.com/Marshall-Pet-Prod ... 750&sr=8-3

It has worked out pretty well for us so far. He usually spends the night under the liner (under the elephant) but he's happy to snooze in the elephant if I get him up during the day. Although be warned, he likes to sleep in the back, right at the base of the trunk (basically the most difficult place to get him out of). :lol: I've seen the type of box house you have before, lots of hedgies seem to like those, probably because they're pretty dark.

As for the vet, I'd look to see if there are any exotic vets in your area. Sometimes those are more knowledgeable about hedgies. Costs can vary widely, though - mine charges $55 for a standard visit (i.e. no extra tests or medications), and that seems to be about the average, maybe towards the low end. I'd definitely call around and find out about costs beforehand, if you can.


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## Hedgehogger (Dec 8, 2011)

That elephant sleeper is so funny! Mine doesn't like the box although she did step into it once or twice looking for her blankie. I think we have to get one of those sleeping bags (or several!) as she never feels very secure outside of her igloo.

One other question - does the poo ever end??? :shock: Buttercup has gotten pretty clever lately as she doesn't do her business in the designated poo station we created for her anymore. I left her in there for a few minutes yesterday, and she basically wandered about investigating every corner and potential hiding place. Sure enough when I thought she was ready for larger pink blankie/cuddling/bonding time she lets fly! Geez I think that fat round body must be like 90% poo storage and 10% hedgehog innards. Okay fine, I wasn't going to let that little "accident" keep me from our bonding time so I clean things up and grab fleece backup blankie # 2.

Sure enough wow there's more coming my way... my wife is getting a little perturbed watching my efforts to say the least as I'm juggling the little critter back into her cage temporarily while I tissue all the items up. I'm determined as a new hedghog owner to go the full ten miles here. A little stinky poo isn't going to stop me. So, all I have left is my grey Oregon souvenir T-shirt that I'm wearing so Buttercup gets positioned on my tummy with a makeshift cover folded over her top. She seems okay with that but is a little hissy. Guess what started to slowly extrude from under the cute little pink tail? That's not chocolate! ArgggGGgggghhhhh...

Running out of options, blankets and tissues, I wave the white flag for the night. I also got a piece stuck onto my finger which yeah really was not a great sensation. I'm bonding with something so far, but it's not the exactly the right thing!

I honestly did not think there was so much um product in such a small creature. I have seen shows about certain animals' prey instincts to let loose when threatened which makes them less appealing for the potential predator, but yikes I really didn't think I would experience so much of that natural instinct happening directly on me. Now I just have to figure out how to fashion a mini-hedgehog diaper out of spares we got downstairs, and we'll be all set.

Score:

Buttercup 3
Scarey Human Wanting some Hedgehog Bonding Love 0

Maybe it was my imagination, I could have swore that I heard her snicker all cozied up in her little igloo... sigh...


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## Hedgehogger (Dec 8, 2011)

Success! All the bonding time has paid off! The little critter, after snoozing a bit on a blankie on me, got popped back into her cage, and she took right off on her wheel running! Well, er, more like walking actually as my daughter commented, but hey soon those fatty haunches will be turned back into slender, well-toned hedgehog muscle.


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