# What a noise...



## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

I am now awake at what I deem to be an ungodly hour (insomnia will do that to you; any normal waking hour to anyone else is horrible to you) and shaken from an experience I hoped never to have. I'm still somewhat scared and need a little help.

This morning, sometime around eight (so half an hour ago, no wonder I'm still jittery) I did my usual 'wake-up-for-the-third-or-fourth-time-tonight/this-morning' and lay in bed trying to get back to sleep, when I heard a horrible, unearthly noise coming from the direction of Quillamina's house.

She was screaming. I don't know how many of you have heard your hedgehogs do it, but it is nerve-shattering to hear your own baby making such a horrible sound. My instant reaction was to flip on the light and yell for my mother while removing my poor little girl from her house to look her over for injury.

What did I find? Nothing. Her toes are all still there, there were no hairs wrapped around her feet cutting off the circulation - although they were very dirty, as per usual - she hadn't given herself a particularly hard poke with a quill, her eyes were fine, there was no blood anywhere. She's completely unhurt, but still, she made that sound I had hoped I would never hear either of my hedgies make.

So my question is, WHY. Why, if she isn't hurt, would she scream like that? The sound was unmistakable, it couldn't have been anything else. I know it came from Quillamina, but I don't know why. Is it possible that she simply had a terrifying nightmare? I know they will sometimes do that when very scared, and there doesn't seem to be any other reason that she could have done it. She was acting normal when I pulled her out of her house, and she stopped screaming when I yelled, so maybe the sound of my voice woke her and pulled her out of a nightmare? I really need some answers, guys, I'm extremely upset over this and I have no idea why it happened.


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## Imperator (Jul 27, 2010)

Aw man, that's really scary. I don't know whats wrong but big hugs to you and Quillamina. Hope she's settled down now and everything is fine! Maybe she just misses you!


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

Are you kidding? Little beast went right back to sleep as if nothing happened, while I'm still scared half to death. I don't think she much cares what I think, the silly git.


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## Tasha (Feb 24, 2009)

Im afraid i can't help with why she did it (I hope she's ok), but my baby did the same thing about six months ago. The worst noise i have ever heard came form the living room while i was in bed. I flew over to Henry, hit the light and looked in his cage. He looked a little shocked but that could be because i flew the light on so quick, but other than that, nothing wrong. In fact i think i was more upset and bothered than he was! He even stayed up for the rest of night. I haven't heard him do it since and i hope i never do.

Not sure if this helps at all but thought you might like to know someone else it happened to who's hedgie was completely fine. Hope yours is too. xx


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

The infamous hedgehog scream of death. Sounds just like someone is slaughtering them. I've had it happen a few times here and it's guaranteed to have every human and cat in the house run for the hedgie room... even those humans who are not hedgie people. :lol: 

Often it is because something is pissing them off. Emma did it one time because we had arranged her cage differently so she sat and screamed about it. :lol: Pebbles got a nail caught in her blankie and when she tried to walk out of her igloo, blankie was coming with her, so she screamed. 

Most of the time you will find no reason for it. It's happened here that we had no clue who even did it. :lol:


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## Imperator (Jul 27, 2010)

Maybe hedgehogs can see ghosts O.O


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## Tasha (Feb 24, 2009)

Nancy said:


> Often it is because something is pissing them off. Emma did it one time because we had arranged her cage differently so she sat and screamed about it.


Brilliant! Love a hedgie that knows exactly what she wants and isn't afraid to tell you! :lol:


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

Nothing's been changed in her house, so that can't be it. She also doesn't have a blanket in there with her, so she can't have gotten her nail stuck on it. Oddly, I was the only one who actually heard the noise. Dad slept through it, and Mom didn't know about it until I yelled for her and told her what had happened.

If it's probably nothing, then that's good and I'm just freaking out over nothing again, but I just wanted to be sure. It's just such an unholy sound, I was so scared that something had happened to her.


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

This story gave me chills, I totally feel for you. I would be frightened to hear that and I hope I never do. I would have been frazzled after that too


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

She actually did it AGAIN about half an hour ago. It was softer this time, and further muffled by my headphones, but I still heard it clearly. I'm keeping an eye on her tonight, just in case something is wrong with her. 

I'm taking my dog in to the vet tomorrow (he has pancreatitis and has been having diarrhea, so we need his enzymes checked) so if Quillamina continues with the screaming - because it is SO not normal behaviour for her - I'm going to call and ask if they can see her, too. It depends on which vet is in, though, only two of them can actually examine her. The third doesn't see small animaks, sadly. One of the two who does is usually in, though, so chances are if she needs to go, they can see her. Our emergency vet is worse than useless, as we learned during the cancer nightmare, so they're out of the question if something's up.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Could she be dreaming? I've had some really vocal sleepers.


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## fracturedcircle (May 31, 2010)

Sweetie screamed once in one of his first nights at our place. he got stuck under the bedding paper (of course we got rid of it). he wasn't actually squeezed hard or anything, but the scream awakened my stepdad, which is no small feat.


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

Mom thought maybe she had a nightmare. That would be my guess, I think, since she's not hurt and she isn't acting sick. She's sleeping peacefully in her bed now, so I don't think I have anything to worry about. Thanks for all your help, everyone.


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

I've never had the experience yet, but I'm assuming its this...


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

It was something like that, although Quilly has a very different voice. Not so high-pitched, and it didn't sound quite like she was screaming her throat raw. The one in that video sounds like he or she is making their poor little throat hurt, you know, sort of like how a human's voice changes when their throat gets hoarse? ...Am I making any sense at all here?


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

Oh yeah, if I had to guess from that video, that hedgie had probably been screaming for a little bit before they actually recorded it, since its not like a video of a vet visit where the hog starts to scream, just starts off in the middle. Its a good educaitonal video though for owners who were not aware of the noise their little guys can make. I'm with the others, maybe she was having some sort of nightmare, and it indeed sucks that it happened to you, would freak me right the **** out.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

That seems more of crying than screaming... though I have not yet had the displeasure of hearing the hedgie scream of death. But I would guess it would be far more terrifying.


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

I'd seen that video before, but it's so much more upsetting when your own hog does it. She really scared me, but she seems okay. She's asleep at the minute, but I imagine she'll be waking up soon enough to do some wheeling. I really hope she doesn't do it again, I swear to god my heart stopped for a few seconds when I heard her start.


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