# Every time I hold my hedgehog she defecates on me!



## eibanez91 (May 30, 2010)

Every single time ive held she she always poops all over me! Its really gross but maybe someone can help me is that just what they do? She's new ive had her for about 4 days. I try not to mind because I love her a lot but any pointers???!


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Welcome to the world of owning hedgehogs. There are 2 places they are almost always going to poop on. 
1) Their wheel
2) You
The first time I ever held my boy, he promptly peed on me, and then curled up and went to sleep in my hands for the entire hour we spent talking to his breeder. 

That being said, when you wake her up, give her about 30 min to roam in her cage, eat if she wants, and to poop and pee. That will usually cut down on the number of poop incidents, but it's still not a total guarantee.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

You can hold her on a piece of fleece fabric, so that if she poops its on that and not on you. If she's a baby it should get better as she gets older.


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## eibanez91 (May 30, 2010)

:idea: ahh makes sense because i tend to pick her up as soon as I hear her eating. Its because she like wakes up for like 20 min tops to walk roam eat drink and go back to bed! I feel like I cant spend time with her XP But thats very understandable  thanks for the help!
Also she never goes in a ball! at least with me  i put her in the position and she freaked out! Maybe some don't like it? but she does love her fruit i give her  thankx any help means a lot!


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## eibanez91 (May 30, 2010)

shes only six weeks so yea i hope so


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## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

eibanez91 said:


> :idea: ahh makes sense because i tend to pick her up as soon as I hear her eating. Its because she like wakes up for like 20 min tops to walk roam eat drink and go back to bed! I feel like I cant spend time with her XP But thats very understandable  thanks for the help!
> Also she never goes in a ball! at least with me  i put her in the position and she freaked out! Maybe some don't like it? but she does love her fruit i give her  thankx any help means a lot!


Not going into a ball is a good thing!!
Means she isn't scared


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## eibanez91 (May 30, 2010)

yea.. i read that its just there so cute when they do that XP lol


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## smhufflepuff (Aug 28, 2008)

Get a small animal litter box and some unscented baby wipes. 

When you're handling her, watch for the signs of imminent pooping and peeing: pointy rear end, tail lifting, the wide-legged stance. Once you see any of these things, place her in her litter box (or at least hold her pooing-end over it) until she's done. 

The baby wipes are for you... when you don't catch things in time and end up messy.


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## MoonbeamHH (May 3, 2010)

My wonderful snowball likes to poop on me, so most of the time I buy puppy pads, well I got mine for 3 bucks for 100 of them at a garage sale, I cut it in half and let her poop n pee on that. Sometimes I put her in the tub while cleaning her feet, she'll go in there. And yeh watch for rear end lifting, etc. You'll know.


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## Amy1024 (Mar 18, 2010)

smhufflepuff said:


> When you're handling her, watch for the signs of imminent pooping and peeing: pointy rear end, tail lifting, the wide-legged stance. Once you see any of these things, place her in her litter box (or at least hold her pooing-end over it) until she's done.


 :lol: First time I saw Hershi lifting her tail, I was like, "aww, your tail is so cute!" and then she pooped and peed on me.


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## nationofamanda (Jan 19, 2010)

i have now had three hedgehogs.
hammy never pooped on me once in the three years we were together. (she once peed on my bed though. that was fun.) her cage was always clean except her horrible poopy wheel.
the two new ones however...
lulabelle will poop on me if she is woken up. other than that she is the hedgehog equivalent to a neat freak. she is always clean, and hardly ever even has poop boots because she prefers to only go under her wheel.
peach can and will poop on me every time we play together no matter what. i have honestly never seen such a filthy little piggy. she creates so much poop that i am constantly wondering where it all comes from. she guaranteed poops twice in her bath, once while i'm drying her off, and usually afterwords for good measure. her cage in the morning, every morning is a stinky sight to behold.

you might be able to figure out a way to avoid being pooped on everytime, but for the most part it's just part of being a hedgie parent.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I think my Peaches pooped on me every single day of her life. I'd get her up, she'd turn her back to me and poop and then pee. I was always prepared with a cloth under her. On the other hand, Peaches was also a total neat freak. Except for me, she only pottied on the paper towel under her wheel. Her wheel was always spotless and her liners got washed once a week only because it had been a week because they were never dirty. There was never a food crumb outside her dish either. She kept herself clean as well and maybe had 4 baths in her lifetime up until she was elderly and sick. 

Then there is Lexie who had the nic name Messy Lexie. Her cage was always a poop'd up disaster. She was a big gal with a big appetite and big amount of poop to match. :lol: In her old age she has gotten neater. 

For years my two messiest were boy and girl and my two neatest were boy and girl so sex has nothing to do with neatness. 

My Tweed boys are the exact opposite of each other. Waylon himself is a messy boy and poop boots doesn't adequately describe his feet. His wheel is always a mess too but otherwise he keeps his cage clean. Willie himself is clean as can be and never poopy feet. His wheel is a mess and his cage matches. Not only does he poop all over but he moves his furniture each night as well. :lol: 

Cactus is a super messy boy as well but the rest of them are all pretty much average.


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## Sunshiner (May 12, 2010)

My hedgehog Pixel is a pretty clean little critter. She pooped on me a lot when we first brought her home, but now that she is about 4 months old, she doesn't do it so much. I would say your hedgehog would grow out of it. He is still really young, and if you litter train him, that will help take care of a messy cage...... as long as he is a neat freak. :lol: The wheel, well, I'm not so sure about that. Pixel sometimes makes a HUGE mess on her wheel, and other times she will run on her wheel for a long time and it will be super clean. :shock: Go figure. Good luck!


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## shadowHH (Jul 4, 2010)

well.. you wake up and have to go to, no?

yeah..you have to WAIT and WAKE up and WAKE up and WAKE up the irritable hedgie...and then WAKE them UP.

doesnt work with heidi...either she is up an pooing or peeing...or not up at all..

if you wait long enough THEN maybe you'll have time together..but its gonna be awhile..an if yer is anything like mine...you better be WARM to HOT before even considering to 
cuddle. so bring lots of blankees in case of messes..or wet wipes.

cannot get her to break this habit or go in a corner. I think shes four. The litter box got turned into a play thing of sorts so I gave up.


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