# new hedgie, doesn't like me



## lilli98 (Jul 12, 2012)

I recently got a new hedgehog from a friend, she didn't socialize him at all, we've had him for a couple weeks now, the first couple nights we had him if you even looked at him he freaked out, but now he will come up to the cage bars and smell my fingers occasionally nibbling on them, but i can hardly get his food and water with out him almost charging me... does any one know how I can get him to trust me????


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## bmaditz (Jun 11, 2012)

You could always try the shirt trick. You wear a shirt to bed for a couple of nights and then put it in the cage under a favorite hiding spot. As the little guy sleeps he'll associate your smell with comfort. I recommend using a hedgie bag or a blanket or shirt to take him out of the cage with. Even if he huffs and jumps still hold him. He should calm down. Just sit and watch TV or just chill while he's safe in his blanket, bag, or shirt. Eventually he should come around. It's always a good idea to swap out shirts. After a few days of one shirt being in his cage have another ready to replace with your smell. I hope this helps


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## lilli98 (Jul 12, 2012)

thanks sooooo much!!!!  I will try the shirt trick and see what happens, I was also wondering if guinea pig balls are safe for hedgies?? I think he would enjoy exploring out side of his cage, but i cant let him roam around free in the house... :|


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## MurE (Aug 29, 2011)

When my hedgehog had a hard time trusting me, I switched him temporarily from eating freely from his bowl to being mainly hand-fed by me. Each day I would come to the cage with his bowl of food and give him food one piece at a time. He didn't want to take the food from me at first so I just put one piece in front of him at a time. When he got more trusting, I held it out and he took it from my hand (tip: hold it in pinched fingers with nails out. Then his biting will only affect your fingernails if he bites too far.) Then I added head petting while he was chewing.

After a while, he knew I was the food-giver and he was okay with me being there while he ate and petting his head. I switched him back to eating freely from his bowl after he got tamer. Even so, he seems to like it a lot when I hang out and give him food like I used to. He'll just sit under his wheel and wait for me to feed him and pet his head even though his full bowl is in the corner. It's pretty cool


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Time, time time. Give it more time. With the really defensive it can take months for them to start to trust you. I have had several over the years who took at least 6 months before they started to trust me. When you take in an unsocialized, or mishandled hedgehog fully expect to spend many months before you start to see improvement in their trust for you. But do keep in mind that they may never adjust and learn to trust you. You may always have a quill ball to deal with. 

Continue to spend time with him daily. If you don't already, get him on a schedule. Get him up at the same time, feed him at the same time, etc. Hedgehogs are very intelligent and quickly learn when to expect certain things to happen. If he will eat them, offer mealworms just after you get him out of his cage. Associating something they really like with you picking them up is a great way to break through to him.

When you take him out at night, what do you do? If you don't have one, get a snuggle bag. Snuggle bags are a wonderful item. They provide the hedgehog with a place to hide and to feel a bit more secure while they still get to learn your movements, sounds, and scent are not going to hurt them. A hedgehog that falls asleep in a snuggle bag while on you, is feeling comfortable enough with you to relax a bit. If this starts to happen, start putting your hand in the bag with them.


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## shawnwk1 (Jul 8, 2011)

please do NOT use a guinea pig ball. there are several reasons for this...do you really know if they are enjoying it or scared to death and trying to get out the best they can? hedgie nails can easily get stuck in the pee slots and they are stuck in a ball with their feces and urine being flung in their face and they are having to breathe it in which isn't good for their respiratory systems. would you like to be stuck in a ball with feces and urine being flung in your face and having to continuously smell that? personally i don't think ANY animal should be put in these.

get an animal play pen (make sure the bars are close enough together they can't get a head stuck or slip out) or a kid's plastic swimming pool for him/her to run around and play in. much safer and healthier options. be careful with the swimming pools though as most of my hedgies have been able to easily pull themselves over the side to escape.


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## bmaditz (Jun 11, 2012)

lilli98 said:


> thanks sooooo much!!!!


 You are so welcome


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## jerseymike1126 (Jan 20, 2011)

hedgehogs poop and pee when they run...so it will be a bathroom ball covering your hedgehog in all sorts of nasty stuff.
plus the hedgehogs can get their nails stuck in the openings causing injury

hogs are not very fast, if they want to run just follow them around.


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## lilli98 (Jul 12, 2012)

thank you all dearly for your advice, I will definitely try these tricks, and thanks for telling me not to get a guinea pig ball, if i had it might have been a disaster!!!


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## lilli98 (Jul 12, 2012)

some websites say that when you pick hedgies up to hold them belly up, should i or should i hold him belly down???
:?:


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## AngelaH (Jul 24, 2012)

My hedgie HATES being belly up, and will fight me and wiggle around to belly down everytime. Its a vulnerable position for them and seems to make most of them uncomfortable. If you are still working on trust and handling, I would pick yours up belly down, they feel safer that way and its more natural and comfortable. The downside for me though is that if I want to inspect her little belly to make sure everything looks good and healthy, its a very difficult task, so once you've established trust and can pick him up belly down, then work on his comfort level belly up. For most hedgies feeling safe with you belly up will take a lot more time.


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## painball54 (Aug 2, 2012)

Since it is a new hedgehog it probably hasn't gotten to know you, hasn't gotten used to you yet. Just be sure to get him/her out every day and play with it, hold it. Just some bonding time. The t-shirt trick i saw early up this topic works well too.


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