# Still hissing and puffing



## mujib_rewrite (Mar 14, 2014)

Hello! I have my hedgie Marley for around 1 year already. But she still hisses and puffs when I try to hold her (or even peek at her home). I tried putting my face towel (with my sweat) in her home but I don't think it's helping with anything. Any other steps I have to do to go around this problem? I barely see her quills at rest.


----------



## Mczahar (Mar 14, 2014)

So I am a first time hedge owner. 

My girl had a miscarriage before we got her and when she first came to our house she was not happy. The breeders who had her encouraged us to just be patient with her and it was/is great advice. I tried to make sure to let her know that I wasn't bothered by her spikes and in the evenings I would have her sit with me and let her roam and get comfy. (For the first week she was a ball of spikes and I held her in my hand the whole time). We have had her for about 6 months now and she still puffs and spikes when I wake her up but the rest of the time she is chill.

So be patient and persistent. Good luck.


----------



## TheSmellyHedgie (Sep 26, 2013)

How frequently are you handling her and for how long? Hedgehogs need at least 30 minutes of handling daily, or else they will most likely stay grouchy.


----------



## miyonette22 (Apr 21, 2013)

I had my Albino girl for a more than year now and she is the same as your hedgehog. It's her personality and that's what she is. She is plain grumpy and I loved her for that. I can hold her with quills upright. She wouldn't want to be be held for too long and would just love to roam around the room. When I find her quills at rest, it will bother me and think that she may be feeling something wrong. I just thought that she would not be her if she is not grouchy. Hahaha...

I can bond with her longer after she finishes a meal because that's the only time she might be feeling sleepy but not on my hand but beside me under a towel. I enjoy the time she jumps on my hand even though I'm not doing anything. And also the times when she simultaneously balls and unballs. I don't know, she just keeps on doing it when it's her time. She may be jealous because I bond with the hoglets first. hihihi...

Hedgehogs have their own personalities. We just have to know them better. And I also believe that they may have inherited that trait from their parents especially if they were bred by backyard breeders or breeders that don't have time to tame their hoglets before they sell them to you because they have so many hoglets and breeder pairs. She came from them.

But if you really wanted her to be like a cuddler, spoil her until she opens up to you. Make a routine that will be in favor of her. Know what she likes and don't like. Make her feel that she's a royal. But just like what I said, if that's her personality, we should accept that and get used on how both of you interact with each other. She loves you. She just don't wanna be touched. Good luck!


----------



## rodanthi (Feb 7, 2014)

Have you had any better responses after a bath or footbath? I haven't had Hector long enough to know whether or not he'll come around to me, but as it currently stands, he is puffy and hissy when I wake him up, and while he is happy to cuddle, he will go back to the puffing an hissing if I disturb him at all. I mean like any movement.

BUT he absolutely can't get enough of my neck/shoulder hollow shortly after I take him out of his footbath, and doesn't mind my hands on his back to keep him secure.

So he has regular footbaths for cleanliness, and also so he can practise being nice to me.


----------



## Ashley.dear (Mar 31, 2014)

My girl is huffy whenever I try to take her out of the cage, I usually just have to be patient and let her sniff my fingers a few times. Once she's out of her cage, she's totally chill. What I do is just take all the things out of her cage (wheel and hidey-hut), and just feed her a couple mealworms. Then she starts roaming her cage, and I get to pick her up after a couple minutes. I think it's just a matter of associating your hand with being OK. I'm not sure scent will help, my girl pooed all over the shirt I put in her travel carrier when I first got her.


----------



## knikkole (Jan 21, 2014)

I've had the same problem with my hedgehog. Everyone's advice was to just handle him but that didn't help me. Turns out he didn't have enough space, we tried out a big play pen so he could run around in the evening and his attitude has completely turned around! Hedgehogs can be very picky about things like this, their environment, food, and treats, etc can make them moody. Maybe try out different food or make sure he has enough room


----------



## knikkole (Jan 21, 2014)

Also what rodanthi said, have you ever tried giving her a bath? Sometimes their skin can get dry and cause discomfort. An oatmeal bath always seems to make my little guy happy


----------

