# should I 'force the love'? ...lol



## brandy (Aug 23, 2013)

I'm a new hedgie owner, got my first girl yesterday!  
She obviously is uncomfortable with me, being that she is 7mths old (so they said) and in an entirely new house and new people. 
Shes scared and hissing, hiding too. how long should i let her be, before I begin handling her? 
any advice on how to go about the bonding would be greatly appreciated. 

Yesterday when i brought her home, i did pick her up once to remove her from cage to wash the cage and change bedding. she hissed and hid in a ball. 
**her cage, OMG had those wood stove pellets (the kind that you would burn in a furnace) for bedding, YES FOR BEDDING! poor baby girl awe  prob all full of chemicals and nasty stuff, not to mention hard and uncomfortable!


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Opinions will vary on how soon to handle her. I'm of the "Start tonight." school of insta-bond, no break for the tiny.

Put something that smells like you (a worn shirt, or wear around some of her fleece/sleep with some of her fleece) in her sleeping area so she starts to associate your smell with safety. Some hedgehogs hate the smell of deodorant, so you might need to get a bit creative. (My little guy gets bandannas since he kept trying to eat the armpits of shirts.)

For the first few nights, don't push it too hard. Pick her up and transfer her to your lap -- let her stay covered (bring her fleece or a snuggle sack or a tshirt) so she can feel safe in a ball, take a nap, or even explore from the safety of darkness & cover.

Have fun, and congratulations!


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## brandy (Aug 23, 2013)

yeah thanks  

ok i put my t-shirt in there now, that i slept in. definitely smells like me and my bed. (no deodorant! lol) 
Im going to pet store soon to get a water bottle, a litter tray and a smaller cozier hide-hole, since hers is HUGE taking up 1/3 of the habitat. 
she only had wood stove pellets to lay on  no fleece or bedding or anything, the poor girl, so im going to spoil her today! then tonight, we shall bond  hopefully she will let me sneak a picture hehe.


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

I love going on pampering trips! If you haven't checked out LizardGirl's book yet, it's pretty awesome and will give you a solid intro to hedgehog-caretaking.

I like bowls over water bottles. Little hedgehogs can tip 'em over or get bedding in them, but I like them because it lets them slurp up as much as they want instead of getting a drip-by-drip from the bottle. Totally your choice, though!

You can grab a chunk of fleece and just trim it to size, no sewing or hemming needed. It's a really nice bedding since it's easy to clean, reusable, soft, etc. Are you in Prince George? There's a Fabricland on Hart Hwy that should see it for a few dollars a yard. Just get it big enough to cover the base, then cut the leftover into 2" scraps for burrowing.

Do you have a wheel for her? You can make your own, or buy from a store, but make sure it's a solid running surface & 12" diameter.

Have fun!


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## brandy (Aug 23, 2013)

ya im in pg  yes she came with a wheel but its mesh bottomoed so i removed it as i read can be dangerous. i live up hart hwy right beside fabric land i'll definitely hit it up  
currently i have a water bottle and dish lol.. dish is catching the faulty bottles constant dripping... 
on my way to petland  thx again


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Fantastic!

For store-bought wheels, check out the largest possible size Comfort Wheel or Flying Saucer. Otherwise, it's not that hard to make a bucket wheel, and in PG you'll absolutely have a neighbour you can borrow tools from if necessary.


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## brandy (Aug 23, 2013)

what a small world hey? ..that you live in the same place as me and you so happened to be the one to reply to me!  it was fate.. lol definitely cool
Is it night time yet?!? I'm so excited to start handling and bonding with her 

I used to raise rabbits so i understand the importance of one on one handling time, to tame them and bond. 

I just got rid of the hidey hole all together, and gave her fleece to burrow under.I got her a large safety wheele (pink lol) and a litter tray & got her toys, alfalfa cubes, a mineral/salt lick, and hedgie food to mix in her cat food.


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

I'm actually down in Vancouver, but I do fieldwork so I'm in & out of most towns with an airport in the province. If I'm travelling, I always want to pick up a little treat for those left at home, including my hedgehog, so I think I've got a mental map of every fleece-provider in BC by now! 

I haven't heard of using alfalfa cubes or mineral licks with hedgehogs; I wonder what she'll think of it! Most hedgehog foods are full of fillers, so read the ingredient lists carefully.

I hope tonight goes a bit calmer. And I know; I'm totally awaiting nightfall to rouse my little beastie.


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## brandy (Aug 23, 2013)

oh the petland ppl suggested a mineral lick and said they eat alfalfa hay. and she did go straight foe the hay hehe.. ya the food is just to add to the catfood because the hedgie food had insects in it.. hopefully its ok. the catfoods a pricey no biproducts or fillers brand also.  held her for a little bit but she basically was upset the whole time. she kept peeking at me and hissing like oh.. r you still here? lol


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Yeah, petstores usually think that hedgehogs are rodents and recommend chews & licks. They aren't rodents, so their teeth don't grow back if they get chipped or anything. I totally recommend reading that book I linked before -- it'll cover a lot of things you'll otherwise get bad information on.

Sounds about normal for first few days behaviour. Just don't get put off; keep taking her out to visit with you and learn that you're not going to eat her.


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## GeekGrrlLauren (Aug 16, 2013)

Annie&Tibbers said:


> Some hedgehogs hate the smell of deodorant, so you might need to get a bit creative. (My little guy gets bandannas since he kept trying to eat the armpits of shirts.)


Truer words, never spoken! Baron is always trying to nom my pits. Awfully tickly!


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