# hedgehog never EVER comes out



## benschnell (Feb 27, 2014)

Hello,
I'm desperate!

My girlfriend and I got a hedgehog from owners off of kijiji (a site like craigslist) so we dont really know anything about the previous owners. They didnt even know how hold he was but thought he was around 9months-a year, which makes him close to two now, as we got him last march.
We take him out nearly every day (days missed are rare, that is) but he never comes out. He runs on his wheel and occasionally we find him in his case eating or whatever but for the most part he just stays in his case buried in a blanket, or shirt, or whatever cloth material is there. When we take him out he just stays in a ball and hisses until he goes back in. After maybe 20 minutes of not touching him he'll start to run around, but if you try to touch him he balls back up. Giving him beans and vegetables will get him out, but he balls back up right away. He's constantly hissing while in his ball.

Would love some advice because, after a year, he's starting to stress me out. To be honest would love to see him act as a normal hedgehog as its hard to continue a relationship where there's never any reciprocation. I dont know if he was abused at his previous home or whatever, but would love some expert advise on how to go about socializing him, cuz what we're doing isnt working.

Thanks,
Ben


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## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

Hi Ben,
First let me ask, has he seen a vet? He may be acting worse than what would be expected if there is something physically wrong with him.
That being said there is really no telling what happened to him previously so he may have some issues. What I would suggest is to hold him on your lap and let him "root" into your elbow. You can even cover him up w/ a blanket or something so he feels safer. If he won't unroll while you are holding him, just put him on your arm, near your elbow and sort of put your hand on his rump or back (even if he is prickled up) - apply a little pressure and sort of pat and rock him a little like you would a baby. I don't know if this is making sense, but I have done this to hedgehogs and it worked to calm them down and lower the quills. You might have to keep on trying it for a while. It sounds like you are getting frustrated and he might be picking up on this so just try to relax and not take it personally and just keep trying. It is pretty normal for some hedgies to spaz out every time you move or try to touch them. I just rescued a 3 1/2 year old hedgie and she doesn't want to be held at all. She doesn't ball up but she squirms constantly and tries to get away. When she is in her little fleece bag she huffs and puffs if I move, talk, or anything. I have to sit there just perfectly still and she is OK but if I dare to talk, forget it, she gets mad.
I can only say to you to keep him out longer, try to let him run loose in some certain room of the house and take away all the clothes and stuff for him to hide in the room. Give him toys like a paper bag (I know, fun!) tubes, etc. and just let him do his thing.
You can even put down weird things like sox and slippers, leather purses, etc. Some of them like to play with strange things.
I am rambling now, but I hope some of these suggestions help.

Another thing you could try is putting a couple of drops of Bach's Rescue Remedy in his water. I had read an article about that on the Hedgehog Welfare Society website a while back. It is supposed to calm them down. You would have to read up about it to find out exactly how to use it, etc. but I think it is fairly harmless. It is an aroma therapy type of thing and has a soothing effect.

Good luck,
Susan H.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Welcome to the forum!  I'm gonna ask you a bunch of questions to get a little more information about his cage & such.

- Do you have a heating set up for him? Do you know what temperature his cage is at?
- Does he have a lighting schedule of 12-14 hours of light during the day time? Is there any light in the room where his cage is at night?
- Can you describe more of his cage set up? What kind of cage is it? How big is it? Does he just have his wheel, food/water bowls, & cloth to hide in?
- What do you do with him when you get him out? Do you just sit with him sitting on the floor?

To be honest, he sounds like a normal hedgehog - this is what they act like usually. The friendly snuggly hedgehogs that you see in pictures all over the internet tend to be like that after months of socialization. There's very few that will be very friendly and snuggly right off the bat, and they're usually new babies, from good breeders that have put a lot of time into socializing them before they were sold.

Some things you can try to socialize him - make sure you're continuing to get him out every night, for at least half an hour. Sounds like you're doing that, so that's great! Try leaving him covered up in a blanket on your lap when you get him out - a lot of hedgehogs are more confident and willing to come out and explore if they're covered up, since they feel safer. For the beginning, just try and stay still or move slowly if you need to move to keep him from falling or something. Don't try to pet him or grab for him once he shows his face. Just let him decide whether to explore around on your lap under the blanket or if he wants to just curl up and go to sleep. Either way, that's good - if he's comfortable enough to sleep on you, he can't be convinced you're going to eat him! Even if he just sleeps on you every night, that will be a good association in his mind - your smell means nice comfy warm spot to sleep.

Treats can sometimes help, just make sure you don't handfeed since that can encourage biting. Mealworms are a common favorite, but if he has a favorite veggie or meat, that works too. Try and find a favorite treat that he's only going to get when he's out with you. That can help the association that you = good things.

Lastly, the environment. Make sure the room isn't too bright, especially if you want to encourage him to move around and explore the room with you watching. Only one lamp on is usually enough, if that's doable. Make sure you don't have anything loud going on, but some background noise of the radio or tv can help cover up your sounds (sniffing, coughing, etc.) that might startle him more in silence.

Keep in mind that those tips aren't magic. This may just be his personality and there may not be much you can do to change that. Hedgehogs aren't like dogs - there's rarely much reciprocation or actual show of affection. The closest most owners get is a hedgehog that's happy to snuggle up and sleep on them. Like you said, it's possible that he was abused in some way in his past home, but at the very least, he definitely wasn't socialized. That can be hard to reverse, but you guys might still be able to do it. Just go slowly and try not to expect too much from him. He really is being a normal hedgehog.


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## benschnell (Feb 27, 2014)

Hey,
First, thanks a lot for the two replies! I'm at work right now and just wanted to say that I'm grateful,
I'll reply fully tonight to all your questions! Thanks again


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## benschnell (Feb 27, 2014)

Susan,
We've never taken Hobson to a vet. We live in Ottawa, ON and hedgehogs are technically illegal here. With that said, we didn't get him from a breeder but from someone who was dehoming him. I'm sure we _could_ find an exotic vet who would be fine to look at him but we haven't. That might be a starting point.
He definitely does enjoy being under a blanket more than being exposed, and when I have him out and nestled into my lap (between my legs), he's comes out of his ball quicker than otherwise.
As to your suggestion, I've been getting a little more intense with trying to get him to come out, which explains why I've posted here, but I've also just recently starting doing what you suggested in placing my hand on him while balled and applying pressure, so as not to really give him the option. I'll continue with this and maybe after a while it'll have some effect.
If I let him loose on the floor he'll stay balled for about 5-10minutes, and then he'll go running for a corner. I'll try to set up some toys and socks to distract him.
Thanks for the suggestions,

Kelsey, 
Its pretty cold up here but we always have a portable heater next to his cage to keep him warm specifically, and then the apartment is mild or warm depending on the central heating. 
We don't have a lighting schedule for him, do you suggest this? At the moment he just gets natural light from the window, so is on a regular daily cycle. Should we set up a lamp specially?
The cage isn't huge but there's room for food and water, a wheel, and some space for him to walk around and hide in his blanket/shirt/whichever material. We used to have the whole bottom lined but he would just convert it into a nest and pull it all to the open space. Since this always happened now we dont line the entire thing but just give him a shirt or blanket in which to do this. We just upgraded his wheel not too long ago so it spins better and has more room for him (width wise). Since its the only team he really seems to be having fun we thought this was important.
When we have him out he's always balled up initially, so we just sit with him on our laps. Lately I've been forcing him to be pet as I described. He'll get some treats which causes him to come out. Sometimes he'll run around on the bed or wherever which is awesome, but then if you try to touch him he'll just ball back up. 
I'll take your suggest and try getting him to sleep with me.

Thanks for the tips,
Ben


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

You should definitely start looking for a vet. Even if you don't need to take him in right now, you'll certainly need a vet at some point, and it'll be much better to have one you already know than to be panicking & trying to find one in an emergency situation.

Personally, I wouldn't pressure him to come out of a ball. That doesn't sound like it's going to do much to increase his trust in you - it should be his decision that he feels comfortable enough to come out. And like you noted, that's more likely to be when he's covered up or feels safer rather than out & exposed.

Yup, it'd be a good idea to set up a lamp specifically for his cage, or at least leave the room light on for 12-14 hours a day. Daylight isn't always enough, and definitely isn't enough during the winter when days are shorter. Lack of light can end up cause hibernation issues. A lot of people just take a lamp & put it near the cage, and you can buy a timer to hook the lamp up to so that you don't have to worry about turning it on/off. You should also get a digital thermometer so you know what the exact temperature is in his cage. 

He may always stay balled up when you first get him out - if I remember correctly, it took Lily a couple of years before she would allow me to wake her and pick her up without going into a ball. Even then, if she was particularly grumpy on that night, or if I woke her at the wrong time (too early in the day), she'd still sometimes ball up at first.

It's going to be baby steps with him.  Don't push him too fast and take each day one at a time. Hedgehogs in general take a LOT of patience, and rehomed hedgehogs that haven't been well-socialized take even more. Hopefully in time he'll reward your patience.


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