# Female biting at male's quills



## bncromer (Oct 7, 2013)

I'm fostering a male. Brought him home last night and introduced him to my female. No intention whatsoever of breeding the two. One of them squeaked, but I couldn't tell which one and they weren't THAT close to each other at the time. My female has been oddly curious about him. She'll inspect his quills and eventually bites them and latched onto them. She actually anointed tonight after doing so. What kind of behavior is this?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

If you don't have any intention of breeding them, they shouldn't be around each other at all. Letting them be around each other at ALL risks potential mating (which risks your female's health), and also stresses the female's system since hedgehogs are induced ovulators - letting her be around him makes her body start ovulating. It's safest for both of them to stay apart. And to be honest (though it's too late at this point), they should have been quarantined for at least 30 days in case either one has something that could pass to the other. Like I said, too late now, but just keep that in mind for future situations. 

My guess for the behavior is just typical curious behavior & checking him out, but I'm not a breeder, so I can't say for sure it's not mating-related. It doesn't sound necessarily aggressive to me, but still not something I'd encourage.


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## Soyala_Amaya (Aug 1, 2011)

Frankly, if you looked away for even a second, you could have a pregnant female. Hedgehog mating takes about 3 seconds, and that's it. I would prepare as if she is. If you have no intentions of breeding, you should never put a male and female next to each other.


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## bncromer (Oct 7, 2013)

He's still getting used to the new environment, so he's still a little scared, which I'm working on. He hasn't mounted, so I highly doubt she's pregnant, but I thank you guys for the advice. My female's not used to other hedgies being around so maybe it IS just curious behavior, which might explain why she anointed (she's interested in the new smell).


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Please don't let them have contact again. Its very hard on the female healthwise and frustrating for the male which can make him aggressive with you. If she was close enough to bite his quills then she was close enough for them to breed. Him being in a new environment wouldn't have stopped him no matter how scared he was.

Oh and the squeaking is a breeding behaviour.


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## Soyala_Amaya (Aug 1, 2011)

I'm just going to repeat, breeding takes LITERAL seconds. Unless you can swear on the life and health of your hedgehog that you NEVER looked away EVER for ANYTHING, your eyes tracked them 100% with no interruptions, you should go into possible pregnant preparations. If you can swear that, then that's the only way it's absolutely not a possibility since they WERE "that close" (able to touch each other is as close as it gets)


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