# Non-bond-able hedgie? =/



## myhedgiePotter (Nov 8, 2008)

Hi there everyone, I'm Bekkah.
I posted once before on this site, in the beginning when I had my hedgehog Harry. I desperately tried bonding with him, but alas, he seemed im-bond-able. So after a year and a half of trying, I gave up. Really, I can't hold him with my hands, he won't un-ball and the only time he'd ever un-ball was to try to find a place to bury in and go back to sleep. =/

I'm now desperately trying again to bond with him, maybe I shouldn't quit so quickly? I really do love Harry, so, so much...but what's the point of having a pet that just sits in his cage, eats and sleeps all day? =/

I won't give him up, oh not at all, I'm just a bit disappointed that my first hedgehog was anti-social. >< Maybe I should have gotten him as a baby? I don't know anything about his past, the uncle who gave him to me doesn't know anything about it either. I dunno. >>
So, I need some advice. What are some really good ways to bond with your hedgehog? He refuses to eat meal worms and crickets, so I can't give him any treats. =/
Does anyone know any good food for hedgehogs, treats and regular meals? He is really a picky eater and I usually feed him Meow Mix.

Thanks for your help so far, guys. <3


----------



## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

You may never be able to cuddle him. Some are just not into being touched at all. How does he act if you have him out beside you while watching TV? Have you tried him at different times of the day and evening/night? I've had a couple that were totally antisocial until midnight and then turned into a different social hedgie. Also try handling him using dim or in red light. For some, that makes a difference. 

If all that fails, where is his cage located? Sit his cage near you as you watch tv or are on the computer in the evening. Talk to him and from the security of his cage he may become interested in you. Good luck


----------



## jdlover90 (Jun 14, 2010)

Here is what I have done so far that seems to be working for my new little guy (just got him yesterday). I put a towel over my bed, used his fleece blanket to coax him out of his cage, and once he was wrapped up in that I placed him on my bed so that he could roam on the towel. He's still a pooper, so I can't just have him randomly walk on my bed without protection! :lol: 

But maybe you could do this with him everyday, just let him explore, let him sniff you. Don't force him to be held by you, but let him sniff you for a bit instead maybe? By now I would figure he knew your scent...did you place a shirt you wear a lot in his cage so he knows your scent and can sleep with it? Just curious.

Let me know what you do and if it works out!


----------



## krbshappy71 (Jul 17, 2009)

myhedgiePotter said:


> Hi there everyone, I'm Bekkah.
> I posted once before on this site, in the beginning when I had my hedgehog Harry. I desperately tried bonding with him, but alas, he seemed im-bond-able. So after a year and a half of trying, I gave up. Really, I can't hold him with my hands, he won't un-ball and the only time he'd ever un-ball was to try to find a place to bury in and go back to sleep. =/
> 
> I'm now desperately trying again to bond with him, maybe I shouldn't quit so quickly? I really do love Harry, so, so much...but what's the point of having a pet that just sits in his cage, eats and sleeps all day? =/
> ...


Psst, Meow Mix isn't the greatest food, or is that just as a treat?

That aside, I do believe that some just wont bond. Just like a dog that wont play fetch though, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy them in other ways. Have you tried a play pen with toys and just lay along side the playpen to watch him discover treats in the toys? (late at night when he is active) Have you considered setting up a night cam so you can watch his antics? Fish aren't cuddly either but people still enjoy having them in their lives.

I have one cuddler and one antisocial one. I have decided that its ok for Whyte to be antisocial as long as does not outright attack me. He is still my responsiblity and if I don't want to take that risk with the next hedgehog then maybe hedgehogs aren't right for me. We simply cannot make them be something they are not.


----------



## jdlover90 (Jun 14, 2010)

This is true. Maybe you just have a hedgie that likes to do his own thing and doesn't quite like to cuddle and snuggle. But that's okay, I'm sure you love him for who he is.  

I'm starting to find that my new little guy is so adventurous that he doesn't quite like to cuddle or anything yet either. He'll let me pick him up, but not for a very long period of time without trying to get down. All hedgie's have different personalities. 

Good luck with him though!


----------



## hedgiesrule (Jan 19, 2009)

I get a shirt (no loose strings) and put Freya on my lap in it and she just snuggles in there and falls asleep on my lap and I'll watch movies, read, use my laptop, whatever, and she'll just sleep. That's what I usually do for bonding. Sometimes (once I've set her in her litter box and given her lots of time there, she tends to use my shirt as a bathroom...:? ) I'll just set her on my shirt and let her crawl around me. Most of the time she ends up sitting by my neck, trying to burrow in my hair. That's when I take her off me. I can't stand it, she tickles the heck out of me and I really don't wanna have to untangle her from my hair. But, then, I could always put my hair up. Doesn't stop the tickling though. :lol: 
Hope I helped.  
hr


----------

