# Am I the only one?



## Needlenose (Sep 17, 2010)

Which a spastic hedige? I put Widget to bed after lights out again last night and I swear he tears around that cage like there's a hurricane coming. Not sure what normal hedgie movement and behavior is but not sure if it looks like a hedgie running at top speed around his cage as such:

Widget: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
(nomnomnomnomnomnom)
(drinkdrinkdrinkdrink)
Widget: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
(wheelwheelwheelwheelwheelwheelwheelwheelwheelwheel)Pause(wheelwheelwheelwheelwheelwheelwheelwheelwheelwheelwheel)
Widget: AHHHHOMGOMGOMGOMGAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
(nomnomnomnomnomnomnom)
(crumbmunchcrumbmunchcrumbmunch)
(drinkdrinkdrinkdrinkdrinkdrinkdrinkdrinkdrink)Pause&crumbmunch(drinkdrinkdrinkdrinkdrinkdrinkdrink)
Widget:OMGAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHFIREFIREFIREFIRE!!!!!!! Oh hey a cricket! Thanks! (munchmunchmunch) Aheam: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHWE'REALLGONNADIEAHHHHHH!!!!
(Wheelwheelwheelwheel)

And so on and so forth. :shock: 

Just wondering if this is normal or if he needs therapy?


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## MomLady (Aug 14, 2010)

He'd be weird if he didn't. 

I think they all do their own thing.

Check the food, check the water, go back into house, come back out. Check for treats in oatmeal tube. Run on wheel. Repeat all night.

It makes sense if you think like a hedgie.


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## abrowndog (Nov 26, 2010)

Prissy-pants does it, too. She also get extremely offended when you catch her in the act. She freezes with a "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?" expression, puts her tail in the air and marches to her pigloo with all the dignity she can muster.


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## EryBee (May 23, 2010)

Just as long as he is eating a drinking, his weight is consistent, and he is peeing and pooping like normal he should be fine. Have you checked all these things?


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

The only thing Snarf does different is to alternately walk purposely towards something, then seemingly either fall asleep or change his mind: "I think, I'll go get a bite to...wait!...where was I going?"...or...stops mid-stride to stare off into space...I think he's in contact with his mother-ship at these times. :roll:


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## Needlenose (Sep 17, 2010)

Yes all noming, pooing, drinking and weeing functions are nominal. Altho he seems to output more than he inputs. Of course I have a greyhound, so...nothing new there. :roll: 

He must be making up for sleeping all day long by tearing around at top speed. Either that or his little paws on the cage floor just make it sound more frantic than it really is.

patterpatterpatterpatterpatterpatter

Widget:AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! :shock:


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## Olympia (Aug 4, 2010)

Zoé does that too and I love that she doesn`t care who`s watching when she does it.  I was worried too the first time she went crazy like that, Clémentine has never done it.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Needlenose said:


> Widget: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
> (nomnomnomnomnomnom)
> (drinkdrinkdrinkdrink)
> Widget: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
> ...


 :lol: :lol: 
I love it!! Yeah - I think Widget is a normal hedgie.


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## Needlenose (Sep 17, 2010)

OK good. I was worried for a bit. :mrgreen: I'll just assume he's a normal hedgie then. That is until I come across his stash of espresso. :roll:


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## Nebular (Dec 28, 2010)

Norman goes a little weird too. He'll scurry out of his hiding place, run from one side of the wheel base to the other over, and over, and over, and over, and over... then realise he's hungry, then back to running around the wheel base, then sit and stare, trying so hard to figure out just what it is he's trying to do, grab a drink of water, stare, run around the base a few times again, then hop on the wheel, stare, only to remember that all he wanted to do all along was just run on the wheel. :roll:


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Nebular said:


> Norman goes a little weird too. He'll scurry out of his hiding place, run from one side of the wheel base to the other over, and over, and over, and over, and over... then realise he's hungry, then back to running around the wheel base, then sit and stare, trying so hard to figure out just what it is he's trying to do, grab a drink of water, stare, run around the base a few times again, then hop on the wheel, stare, only to remember that all he wanted to do all along was just run on the wheel. :roll:


This might be the most accurate description of night-time hedgie behavior ever written. I think what clinches the title is this statement: 'only to remember that all he wanted to do all along was just run on the wheel'. That is EXACTLY what it seems like. :roll:


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## ThePliny (Jun 3, 2010)

Yup, Widget sounds par for the course (love the name, btw!)
Pliny's OCD behaviour means that he has to eat whenever he gets put back into his house. No matter what time of day it is. If he is out for a foot bath, cuddles, tube time etc, as soon as I put him in his house he MUST eat. First he tears around 
AHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHOOOOOUUUUUSSSSSEEEEEE STUUUFFFFFFFF
ooooh FOOOD!!!!!!!
NOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOM 
and then he dives under his liner.
Sigh
At least it means I can check to see if he is eating. if Pliny doesn't eat upon immediate placement in the Pliny Palace, I know it is time to be a little worried.
Goofball :roll:


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

"Pliny Palace"
<snort>


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## Needlenose (Sep 17, 2010)

ThePliny said:


> Yup, Widget sounds par for the course (love the name, btw!)


 :lol: Thanks a friend told me he looked like Gizmo from Gremlins, so I should call him Gizmo. I didn't feel he looked anything like a Gizmo. But Widget seemed to work and I told her if you think about it, A widget is a gizmo! :shock: 
I love Pliny's name too, lol! Reminds me of my trip to Italy and hearing the tour guide talk about Pliny the elder. I have a feeling had an actual hedgie been there he would have rolled his eyes at the human Pliny and said "Dude, you are so dumb, I am outta here, loser." And then we would have seen a spastic Widget-esc run for the castle doors. Lava and ash would have rained down upon Pompeii, as a visual pans out, we see the city being buried and the citizens dying all around...and off to the side a tiny little hedgie pittering down the road at top speed, muttering "Lame wads..." :lol: :lol:

At any rate I snuck up Widget last night to see if he was using the new crinkle tube I got him. He wasn't interested in leaving his wheel. :roll:


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Needlenose said:


> I love Pliny's name too, lol! Reminds me of my trip to Italy and hearing the tour guide talk about Pliny the elder. I have a feeling had an actual hedgie been there he would have rolled his eyes at the human Pliny and said "Dude, you are so dumb, I am outta here, loser." And then we would have seen a spastic Widget-esc run for the castle doors. Lava and ash would have rained down upon Pompeii, as a visual pans out, we see the city being buried and the citizens dying all around...and off to the side a tiny little hedgie pittering down the road at top speed, muttering "Lame wads..." :lol: :lol: :roll:


 :shock: 
Holy crap! If you don't do something creative for a living, you should.


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## karennoel (Dec 20, 2010)

Luna does the same thing. Walks around her cage once or twice then runs on her wheel pause runs some more. Hop off rush around the cage, get a bite to eat run back over to the wheel, run some more, run and go into her igloo, then come right back out, sits in the middle and stares into space, attacs her new hanging toy. She is so spastic, I thought there was something wrong with her too the first time I saw her do all this.


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## Needlenose (Sep 17, 2010)

MissC said:


> :shock:
> Holy crap! If you don't do something creative for a living, you should.


 :lol: Thanks!

Actually after I wrote that I started thinking what would be really hilarious is if after Pompeii settled down and all the ash cooled, you had this huge spastic pittering army of hedgies run into the town and loot everything above ground. :lol: Then pitter out wearing gladiator armor and sacks of gold coins on their little heads. Then little Pliny runs back to the city gates, poots on them and then runs away. :lol:

Sadly they didn't tell us anything like that happened. Oh well, they are still digging there. :mrgreen:


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## mcwojo (Dec 29, 2010)

This has got to be one of the funniest posts on here. It's like a story you can't put down :lol: 
Here is a question....when do you see your hedgies doing this. Are you up late at night to watch? I go to bed pretty early so I really feel like I'm missing out here. I swear Hazel knows I'm there and she doesn't do a thing. I layed next to her house one night, when I was actually up a little later than usual, in the dark to see what she does and NOTHING....I have walked in to check on her and caught her in her wheel but not wheeling. I know she does because of the poop all over that I have to clean the next morning. I swear she hears me coming to the door and stops...with that "what do YOU want" look on her face! :roll:


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## Nebular (Dec 28, 2010)

Norman typically does this anytime between shortly after waking up (about 11pm) and an hour or two before the light comes on at 7am. The early night ones I usually happen upon when I'm dragging myself into my room to go to bed. The other ones seem to be in the wee hours of the morning after I've either woken up on my own (who knows why) or been roused by an unusually loud food chomping sound (I'm sure he does it just to mess with me). I'll usually sit and admire him for a few minutes and sometimes be rewarded with the highly amusing "run around like a confused idiot show". :lol:

He'll occasionally notice me watching him which causes him to stand perfectly still for a minute or so (apparently he believes he's invisible when he's not moving) and then picks up exactly where he left off after he feels he's eluded my gaze.


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

Snarf has no schedule so he'll wander around before it's dark. He ALWAYS does his little zone-out-alien-time when he's wandering around the livingroom...runs like mad to the same corner then runs to the same spot and either has some <ahem> private time or stares off into space. the best is when his eyes s-l-o-w-l-y close and he falls over, fast asleep, chin hitting the carpet.

Some hedgies won't do anything if there's any light (some say even their PC power indicator is too much) or if there's anyone in the room...Snarf waited until we turned off the lights the first few weeks but now he comes out with lights on...eats...<ahem> plays...runs around...wheels...it may just take some time...


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## ThePliny (Jun 3, 2010)

er, actually, there is evidence for a hedgehog at Pompeii 
This entry is from WF Jashemiski 'The Natural History of Pompeii' A weighty, but awesome book I conveniently have on myshelf
20. Erinaceus Europaeus L.
English: hedgehog, Italian, ricco
Faunal Remains
A mandible of this species was found in an Augustan or later deposit in the forum excavations
Comment
Pliny (NH 8.133-135) writes of an economic use for the hedgehog, in the utilization of their spiny hides for dressing cloth in the garment industry. the presence of osteological remains of this species in the forum of Pompeii might, just possibly, be linked to human exploitation of the animal, but it is more likely that hte bones derive from a natural death.' 

Bam - there is me dorking out for the evening! :lol: Welcome to my life.
Someday I will get around to posting all the images of hedgehogs I have found in museums from ancient Greece and its environs.
Team academic signing off now......


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## mcwojo (Dec 29, 2010)

Last night on my my way to bed I poked my head in on her and she was wheeling. She stopped dead in her, poopy, tracks and just stared at me. She appeared to be thinking, what the heck, and just stared at me. She sniffed a little turned around and just stood there again. I decided to leave her alone so I closed the door and went to bed. What a goof!! :lol:


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## Needlenose (Sep 17, 2010)

ThePliny said:


> er, actually, there is evidence for a hedgehog at Pompeii
> 
> Pliny (NH 8.133-135) writes of an economic use for the hedgehog, in the utilization of their spiny hides for dressing cloth in the garment industry. the presence of osteological remains of this species in the forum of Pompeii might, just possibly, be linked to human exploitation of the animal, but it is more likely that hte bones derive from a natural death.'


Hedgie wearing a gladiator helmet: See! This is just reparations! (Scurries off pulling and intricate fresco on a wagon behind him)


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## ThePliny (Jun 3, 2010)

Ok - totally a good thing I wasn't drinking anything, cos it totally would have been snorted out my nose! gah!
I can just see the little barbaric army of Hedgehogs - starting with Pompeii, terrorizing the villas of Baiae and Herculaneum. The original Naples mafia. With general Pliny leading them all:
'Snarf - I told you to leave the... snarf.. SNARF.. Hellooooo, earth to planet Snarf... are you even paying attention..? gah. Someone give the boy a statue to move or something'
'Luna - stop attacking the frescoes. Just because they are attached to the wall doesn't mean you have to tear them to bits! Honestly. Can we can the head artifact-hog in here to deal with this situation. Seriously Luna, that is a pristine example of the 4th style of Pompeian wall painting!'
'Widget, yes Widget, you have shiny, shiny armour on. I know, it is very exciting. But perhaps you could focus on trying to head off the approaching band of pirates. Look, they have shiny armour too...'
'Can someone PLEASE tell the hoglets that the library is not a jungle gym....!"
(at this point Pliny is thumping his head against an atrium wall, cursing quietly in Latin)
Oh yeah. I can just imagine the terror unleashed by a herd of rampaging hedgehogs with plunder on their mind....


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## Needlenose (Sep 17, 2010)

ThePliny said:


> Ok - totally a good thing I wasn't drinking anything, cos it totally would have been snorted out my nose! gah!
> I can just see the little barbaric army of Hedgehogs - starting with Pompeii, terrorizing the villas of Baiae and Herculaneum. The original Naples mafia. With general Pliny leading them all:
> 'Snarf - I told you to leave the... snarf.. SNARF.. Hellooooo, earth to planet Snarf... are you even paying attention..? gah. Someone give the boy a statue to move or something'
> 'Luna - stop attacking the frescoes. Just because they are attached to the wall doesn't mean you have to tear them to bits! Honestly. Can we can the head artifact-hog in here to deal with this situation. Seriously Luna, that is a pristine example of the 4th style of Pompeian wall painting!'
> ...


 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## rivoli256 (Mar 1, 2009)

Frickin' brilliant. We should write a "Choose Your Own Hog-venture" story! :twisted: :lol:


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## Alastrina (Sep 18, 2009)

ZOMG, that was one of the funniest hedgie stories I've ever seen. Maybe because I'm familiar with the cast of characters


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## ThePliny (Jun 3, 2010)

Yes! We could have our motley mob of hedgie-characters traveling through history, falling upon important events in the history of the world
Hedgies show up at the battle of Thermoplylae
Hedgies in the Colosseum
Crusader hogs
Hogs in tricorn hats at the battle of Waterloo
stowaways on the ships of the Conquistadors
A hog in a giant, down puffy coat finds the NW passage while searching for mealies

oh yeah... this could go on, and on, and on.....


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## Needlenose (Sep 17, 2010)

Neil Armstrong: That's one small step for man, one giant leap for....what the...?!?!?!

(A hedgie in a space suite and helmet floats by holding a flag adorned with crickets. He throws it in the ground and floats off.)

Armstrong: ......... :shock: 

Reagan: Mr Gorbachev, tear down this...the heck...?!?!

(A terrible rumble emits from the Berlin Wall and suddenly a horde of hedgies as thick as a river burst forth and rip the wall asunder. They all scurry off in one mass, save for one tiny hedgie that runs back momentarily, poots on the wall and then pitters back to the others.)

Carter: Nov 25 1922 after discovering a previously unknown camber in what was King Tut's tomb answered his companion Lord Carnarvon's question "Can you see anything?" With "Yes! Wonderful things! ...Wait...there's something moving...what the...??"

(A band of hedgie's emerge from the tomb with sacks of gold and lapis statues and gems. They all pass by the stunned men. All accept for one little hedgie, who runs back to Carter, poots on him, and then pitters off.)

History is fun! :mrgreen:


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## ThePliny (Jun 3, 2010)

Snort!!!! :lol: 

At Queen Elizabeth's coronation. All is sombre and sophisticated as befitting the ceremony, all of a sudden *poof* a hedgie books it down the aisle at Westminster with the royal crown

The reason the Ghengis Khan was so successful is because a mob of hedgies cleared the way for him. To be fair, they were only looking for grubs. Little did they know what/who they would unleash upon the western world!


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

:ugeek:


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## ThePliny (Jun 3, 2010)

Pffft - whatever Miss C, you know you love every last dork-infused minute of it!


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## MissC (Nov 15, 2010)

ThePliny said:


> Pffft - whatever Miss C, you know you love every last dork-infused minute of it!


"dork-infused"
<snort>


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## kimmypooh (Jan 29, 2011)

You guys are freaking hilarious! at least I will be entertained till my baby comes. :lol:


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## Needlenose (Sep 17, 2010)

I think I figured it out! I was watching Widget for a while last night and I don't think it's "AAAAHHHHHHHHHWE'REALLGONNADIE!!!!" after all! I think it's more "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!SPRINGBREAK!!!!!!!!"

Also, he came over to the cage door and turned into his bed like he was going to settle in, but then just stood there with his hinder to my face for a while. He wasn't going to the bathroom. I have a strong suspicion that my hedgie pooted on me! :?


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Needlenose said:


> Also, he came over to the cage door and turned into his bed like he was going to settle in, but then just stood there with his hinder to my face for a while. He wasn't going to the bathroom. I have a strong suspicion that my hedgie pooted on me! :?


He must be reading your stories!


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## Needlenose (Sep 17, 2010)

Yes...I must remember to change my computer password. :roll: My credit card bill is already weighed down with orders for grubs and chicken I don't recall ordering...


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