# Adopted an abused hedgie.



## elysia (Feb 22, 2015)

A few months ago we adopted a hedgie that we are sure came from a bad home. her ears are pretty torn up the people ive talked to said it was from being put in with another hedgehog and they fought. on top of that she has some kind of pain (nailpolish maybe) on her back im not sure how to get off. She does not like men at all(we know the previous owners bf wasnt nice towards animals so i think thats what thats about) and is very skittish in general. She will uncurl after awhile in my hands but the slightest move or noise has her back in her ball. Even after this long with her she doesnt seem to be relaxing when it comes to being handled is there anything i can do for her or has her previous life just trained her to always act this way. I love her and just want her to be happy.


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## Draenog (Feb 27, 2012)

First of all, welcome! 

It looks like she has tattered ears, not torn. This is very common for hedgehogs, it's simply build up gunk (from dead skin cells). You can clean them during bath time, a bit of vaseline can help.

The nailpolish is most likely from the breeder, a lot of breeders use colours to mark their babies so they can tell them apart. Some use nailpolish.

Some hedgehogs are just very skittish it can take a while before they warm up to you. Try to take her out for at least half an hour per day.
Is she a cuddler or an explorer? If she likes to cuddle, just sit with her on your lap in a cuddle bag and let her sleep. If she prefers to explore you can make a playpen or use a hedgehog safe room for her to run around.

If you haven't tried it yet you can wear an old shirt for a couple of days or sleep with a piece of fleece and put it in her cage. It will smell like you and when she sleeps in it it will help her getting more used to your scent.

She's adorable!


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## Soyala_Amaya (Aug 1, 2011)

I've used all natural lanolin nipple cream to great affect on tattered ears, it stays put better than vasoline and the hedgies love to lick it.


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## PricklePrincess (Feb 13, 2014)

My hedgehog had nail polish on her when I first got her. She was quilling too so quills would come loose and still be stuck in the nail polish goop. I found that during or after bath time was the best for scraping at it with my fingernails. It was always a little softer then. Eventually it all came off but it definitely took a few months!


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## Katten (May 10, 2014)

Hello!

I have a hedgehog that came from a rough background as well, and the best advice I can give you is to be patient and not to be offended by your hedgie's temper tantrums. 

My hedgehog personally did not get to experience much outside of her cage in her first two years of life, so I've tried my hardest to expose her to as many new experiences as possible. 

I went slowly at first, but it seems that she loves to explore and try new things, so I create new environments for her all the time. All you really need is a bunch of old cardboard boxes, an exacto knife, and some packing tape, and you can make a hedgehog playground! I also bring her to different environments in my neighbourhood and let her walk around on all the different textures. For example, she's got grass in my back yard, concrete on the sidewalk, wood and gravel at the playground, ashphalt at the playground, dirt at the park, etc. She really loves exploring. (Unfortunately, it's cold and snowy right now. I once made a little snowball for her and brought it inside, but that was one thing she didn't like... xD)

At first, just sit and observe her without making a sound (unless she gets into something she shouldn't, then obviously stop her). After a few weeks pass and she gets comfortable looking around the room, start speaking to her in a very soft voice. Eventually, increase the volume of your voice until you can actually speak around her without her getting freaked out. 

But yeah, the most important thing to remember is that your hedgehog has been through a lot, so every bit of progress they make is worth celebrating, no matter how tiny it is. You may never have a snuggly hedgehog, and you may get bitten, but your hedgehog is safe now and that's the best thing that could have happened for her.


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