# Is there any hope for my grumpy hedgehog?



## Emmiller (Aug 26, 2015)

I'm on my 6th week with my first hedgehog pet. I did a lot of research and prepared everything right for him - built a nice c&c cage with fleece liners that I change out, a place to hide, a proper wheel, food, water, treats, a heat source... He's in an out of the way, quiet part of the house, and I got him from a breeder that handled him up until the day I picked him up. That night, I let him alone to get used to his new home and gave him a shirt of mine to get used to the smell of. It warmed my heart to see that he actually slept IN the shirt.

So now, he still does not like me. I go in every night at 8:30 or so to see him and interact for 30 - 60 minutes. He balls up when I try to take him out of his cage, and when/if I do manage to get him out, I put him onto the carpeted floor of the room he's in and all he does is hide and huff the whole time. I've never seen him with his quills down. I've tried everything. I'm quiet and slow when I interact with him. I've even gone to bribery with mealworms.

I have a little sewn fabric pouch that he also likes, so when he's in that, I just pull the whole pouch out and let him sit on my lap for our interaction time. He never comes out of the pouch.

The breeder suggested "saving" him from baths to see if that would help. While the bath at least gets him to uncurl for a while, we are back to square one the next day.

At first I thought it was just quilling, which the breeders warned me he might go through, but 6 weeks of it? He's almost 4 months old, so still a baby, technically, though he's a big baby!

Is there any hope? Is he just one of those grumpy ones that will be perpetually grumpy? If so, that makes me really, really sad. I don't like the idea of a pet I can't interact with. I knew that this could be a possibility, so I can't claim ignorance, but I thought I'd done as well as I could to avoid that by going with a breeder who had handled them. They even said that he never seemed grumpy for them. Is it me???


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Did you interact with him at the breeders? Was he grumpy then?



> That night, I let him alone to get used to his new home


That generally isn't encouraged for this reason. However you don't have the option to un-do it.



> He balls up when I try to take him out of his cage, and when/if I do manage to get him out


If???? No, pick him up, he is in a ball. There is no if. Go in, commit to it, and do it. If you need a piece of cloth to give you confidence or to protect yourself from the quills that's fine. A lot of people use a receiving blanket during bonding, use it to pick him up. By not picking him up when he huffs and sticks his quills you have taught him that it is an effective way to make you leave him alone.

Bonding, will he hang out on your lap? If so just hang out with him on your lap, surf the web, read a book, do something quiet.
If he wants to escape the horror of you lap, break out a hedgehog fort or playpen. Big enough for you to be in. Hedgehog fort is basically couch cushions to block escape. Be in there with him and let him explore you.

He is scared you are going to eat him, your job is to convince him that isn't your plan. 
Yes he could have a grumpy personality. However even grumpier hedgies can come around with persistence and patience. The more you put into him, the more you will get out of him.

Keep handling him everyday. If he balled up, he is in a nice shape that fits in your hand.


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## writergirlmel (May 16, 2015)

Adding to what Two said (which is right on the money)...



Emmiller said:


> He's in an out of the way, quiet part of the house,


That actually might be part of the problem, though if you're committed to the location of the cage, it's just something he'll need to get used to. Many hedgehogs do better when they're consistently around their people -- not in the noisiest part of the house and certainly not right beside a television or other noise producer that's on a lot, but not in the quietist part where they're insulated from the sounds of the household either. Being able to hear the daily sounds of the household familiarizes them with the family. Being isolated outside of bonding time means all those sounds and smells are unfamiliar.



> It warmed my heart to see that he actually slept IN the shirt.


Have you continued to provide him with shirts or snuggle sacks you've slept in/with? The "t-shirt trick" doesn't have to be a one-time thing. It's helpful throughout bonding.



> I have a little sewn fabric pouch that he also likes, so when he's in that, I just pull the whole pouch out and let him sit on my lap for our interaction time. He never comes out of the pouch.


That might always be his preferred method of bonding. Fitzgerald does come out to explore a little bit, but he spends the vast majority of his bonding time snuggled in his snuggle sack -- or inside my shirt (which is why I most often wear two).



> The breeder suggested "saving" him from baths to see if that would help. While the bath at least gets him to uncurl for a while, we are back to square one the next day.


That's an odd suggestion. It almost sounds like the equivalent of, "Torture your hedgehog and then rescue him." I'm not saying baths are torture. They're just a necessary part of hedgehog care on occasion -- much like nail trimming (which most of them also hate). In the end, it seems silly. If he's smart enough to figure out and remember that you got him out of the bath, he's smart enough to figure out and remember that you put him in there in the first place!

Really, the key is just persistence along with patience and consistency. It takes months in some cases.



> At first I thought it was just quilling, which the breeders warned me he might go through, but 6 weeks of it? He's almost 4 months old, so still a baby, technically, though he's a big baby!


They quill off and on for pretty much the first 6 months, to varying degrees. Fitzgerald was starting his "9 week" quilling when we brought him home at 7 weeks old. He quilled actively until 14 weeks old, took a break for a few days and is actively quilling again. He's 16 weeks old.



> Is there any hope?


Yes. It just takes a lot of time, consistency, and persistence. You absolutely must handle him every single day to make it happen, but it'll happen.


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## angiec (Mar 11, 2015)

I too, have a grumpy hedgie. His name is my little Monster. I got him in March, along with my other 2. I came on this forum and I read a sticky about allowing him to be a hedgehog. The problem was, he was never handled in his 7 months. He hissed, and growled. I found that remaining calm, allowing him to sleep on me, I used a towel to cover him up at first, I would place him on my chest and watch tv. He would be on top of my heartbeat and my.lungs. everyday I spend an hour to 2 hours just holding him. He now comes out and dictates to me where he is going. I say no. He hisses and I laugh and still say no. (He tries to burrow into the sofa cushions) I have absolutely fallen in love with my monster. He has bonded with me, and as soon as someone else comes around he hisses and balls up. If he is on me, the quills never hurt. 
He likes being rocked like a baby or while sleeping on my chest, likes me patting his but like a baby. Sometimes, I just pet him. As soon as I start to get tired, I put him back in his cage. Literally we can cuddle together and fall asleep. They are in my living room, so they are used to noises and our voices. Patience. That's all it took. And holding him everyday for an hour.


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