# New hedgehog owner-help me?



## LittleMiss (Sep 3, 2009)

About two months ago I got my first hedgehog, my boy Myles. He is the sweetest little guy in the world loves to be held and played with, and his quills do not hurt at all even when he gets scared and goes into a ball. Then about a month later I got my girl Ivy, and she is scared of me, and every sound she hears. And her quills hurt when I get poked, often her quills break my skin. 
The point here is why are their quills so different, is that normal? and is there anyway I can get my girl to be less scared?

Now for my next question, can hedgehogs catch human illnesses? I might have come down with the flu, and I'm afraid to play with them. I don't want to get them sick, but I also don't want to leave them alone till I'm better because I don't know how long that will be.








My girl Ivy







My boy Myles


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

If she is younger, her quills may be sharper than your males. Young adult and baby quills tend to be pretty sharp compared to older adults. With that said, there are older adults that just have wicked sharp quills. I had a 2.5 year old male that came to me who's quills were sharper than any other hedgehog I've encountered. Basically even as adults some their quills can vary in thickness and sharpness.

Some hedgehogs are just more defensive than others. If you have only had her a short time she could be taking longer to adjust to her new home and to bond with you. Spend lots of good quality time with her. I've had rescues take a year before they fully learned to trust me. And I've had adults who I had since they were 7 weeks that were just jumpy and defensive hedgehogs.

As far as illness. I tend to lean on the side of caution and minimize contact with my hedgehogs when I'm sick. I've never had one get anything from me, but I don't take many risks when it comes to their well being either.


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## LittleMiss (Sep 3, 2009)

Okay, I'll have my mother get them out till I'm better, or atleast well enough to were they wont catch anything from me. 

Age could be a factor between my hedgies quills, my boy is a month or two older than my girl. As for Ivy's personality, it has improved greatly since I first got her, she's just still very jumpy and timid. I also can't get her to eat meal worms, where Myles eats them like crazy. Is it possible my girl just doesn't like them?


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Just to make sure...you are keeping them both seperated right? Males and females can't even have supervised play time together, they should never come into contact with each other. If they have been together at all, there is a good chance your female is pregnant...and you need to read up on the threads in the breeding section

If this is something you already know and have kept them totally seperate, then please forgive me for posting this but I just needed to make sure


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

LittleMiss said:


> I also can't get her to eat meal worms, where Myles eats them like crazy. Is it possible my girl just doesn't like them?


some hedgehog don't like them. Some prefer them live to dead others prefer them dead. Quigley thankfully is not that picky he will eat canned, live, or freshly dead. If you are feeding freeze dried then pickier hedgehogs tend not to eat them because they have less of a smell so that could be a reason as well.


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## LittleMiss (Sep 3, 2009)

I give them live meal worms, but have also tried newly dead ones, Myles doesn't care how they are and eats them up, but Ivy flat out ignores them. I feel bad because I'd like to give her a treat every now and then, but I'm not really sure what else to try.

And yes nikki I know that  I did a lot of research before I got my babbies. I never let them be near eachother, usually for play time I take one out for a bit, then the other. Or if I have a friend over, or my mom wants to play with my boy I have both out but FAR away from one another.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

I'm really glad to hear that..I hope you realize that I didn't mean anything personal about it, just so many people don't think of that. 

Good luck with your babies


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## LittleMiss (Sep 3, 2009)

I know, thanks


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## padawanslacker (Oct 24, 2008)

The only illness I know for certain can be passed between humans and hedgehogs is fungal infections. Ringworm is the classic one, but I did once share an infection of athlete's foot fungus with a young hedgehog named Velcro. There were no actual feet involved--he had it behind his ears and I got it on my hands. Considering the likelihood of randomly getting athlete's foot on your hands, I probably got it from handling him--and what's worse, his quills left enough tiny scratches and punctures in my skin for the fungal organisms to burrow deep down. We both ended up on some serious anti-fungal medications.

Just for the record, Velcro was a pet-store hedgehog--the last one I ever got. He was a sweet, sweet boy, but ill from the beginning, and contagious too, most likely. 

I don't believe I've ever shared another illness with a hedgehog, but I make a habit of cleaning my hands before and after I handle one . . . it can't hurt. And it's likely to keep you from getting nipped, just in case you smell too much like lunch.


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## LittleMiss (Sep 3, 2009)

Myles is always niping at my mom because she always handles food before touching him :lol: She always wonders why and when I tell her she just tells me I'm wrong. (She's not very bright some times)


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

padawanslacker said:


> The only illness I know for certain can be passed between humans and hedgehogs is fungal infections. Ringworm is the classic one, but I did once share an infection of athlete's foot fungus with a young hedgehog named Velcro.


Just wanted to note: pink eye and bordatella (a kind of bacteria that causes coughing for us and kennel cough in them) can be spread between people and pets, as well as herpes (so if you have a cold sore, be SURE to wash your hands).

Anytime you're sick wash your hands and arms well with soap and warm water before handling. I also change my shirt to be sure I didn't get any germs on an area my hedgie may be touching. Also don't cough or sneeze in their direction. You don't have to totally not go around them, just minimize interaction and take precautions before touching them or anything in their cages. And if they start showing any symptoms, get to the vet immediately.

Hope you feel better soon!


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## LittleMiss (Sep 3, 2009)

I've been doing all of those things, I don't give them as much play time as I usually do because I've got a really bad cough, and my mom just found out she has swine flu, and I either gave it to her, or will catch it. I wash up change shirts and just handle them enough to wake them up a little and maybe give Myles a mealworm.

Oh, and I've got a couple other questions:
What kind of fruits can they eat? and will/can they eat veggies?
How often should I give them a bath?
And Is it safe to wipe down their cages with clorox(sp?) wipes when I clean their cages?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

If you use the search function up in the left corner of the boards, you will be able to find an answer to the fruits/veggies, and bathtime. Both things have been talked about quite a bit.  As for Clorox wipes, I think there's better alternatives to cleaning the cage. A lot of people on here use vinegar/water solutions to wipe down wheels and cages, and I know that a few people, me included, use chlorhexidine solution, which you can buy online (or maybe in a store, but I'm not sure). I make wipes out of the diluted chlorhexidine solution and they work great and I know they're completely safe for Lily.


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## LittleMiss (Sep 3, 2009)

Okay thanks. I'll try one of those next time I clean their cages.


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## Tiltowait (Aug 30, 2009)

Most viruses are incommunicable between different species. Reading about influenza in particular, apparently only H7N7 has the characteristic of being communicable between humans and non-human animals. That said, they _will_ communicate between species if the virus mutates. This is pretty rare. H1N1, for instance, is the cause of most flus, and comes in four flavors including human, avian, and swine influenza. The non-human variants rarely become an illness in humans. Only prolonged exposure to avian and swine flus that have not mutated will result in illness (because the virus has a chance to mutate).

So anyway, viruses will only transmit to pets on very rare occasions. It is the profoundly unfortunate owner whose pet catches a human virus. Even then, it will probably just be a cold. That doesn't mean you ought not to be cautious. You might as well. But your hedgies probably won't get sick.

I don't know as much about bacterial infections. I'd imagine they are more easily communicated, since they don't inherently rely on human cell biology and human DNA. Fungal infections, as we have read, are communicable. So if you have a virus, your pets are fine. Bacteria and fungi are another story, and I would quarantine the infected for the duration of the illness.


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## LittleMiss (Sep 3, 2009)

I'm going to just keep time limited with them, and wash my hands and change shirts if I need to pick them up. I was just officially told I have H1N1 and it's too late to get me on meds so I have to wait like a week or so till I can be around people (I kinda feel like an outcast)  Good thing my hedgies will always love me.

Also I've started to notice that Ivy has a little bit of dry skin, which might be because I used baby shampoo to wash her (I didn't realize until today that baby shampoo drys out their skin) I bought some aveeno oatmeal bath to wash them in insted. But I also read that flax seed oil on their food can help. Will they actually eat it? or ignore their food? Myles isn't really picky, but Ivy turns her nose up at most things.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

LittleMiss said:


> I'm going to just keep time limited with them, and wash my hands and change shirts if I need to pick them up. I was just officially told I have H1N1 and it's too late to get me on meds so I have to wait like a week or so till I can be around people (I kinda feel like an outcast)  Good thing my hedgies will always love me.
> 
> Also I've started to notice that Ivy has a little bit of dry skin, which might be because I used baby shampoo to wash her (I didn't realize until today that baby shampoo drys out their skin) I bought some aveeno oatmeal bath to wash them in insted. But I also read that flax seed oil on their food can help. Will they actually eat it? or ignore their food? Myles isn't really picky, but Ivy turns her nose up at most things.


Hope you get well soon


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

LittleMiss said:


> Also I've started to notice that Ivy has a little bit of dry skin, which might be because I used baby shampoo to wash her (I didn't realize until today that baby shampoo drys out their skin) I bought some aveeno oatmeal bath to wash them in insted. But I also read that flax seed oil on their food can help. Will they actually eat it? or ignore their food? Myles isn't really picky, but Ivy turns her nose up at most things.


I don't think she would notice it, but sometimes they like to surprise us. :lol: But flaxseed oil doesn't have a taste, and very little smell, so with luck she won't notice it. Lily doesn't mind whether her food has oil on it or not.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

Quilgey will not eat his food with flax seed oil on it. If his food gets a little bit wet he ignores it so I think that was his problem with the flax oil. There is no harm in trying it though.


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## LittleMiss (Sep 3, 2009)

Alright, if the oatmeal bath doesn't help I'll try the flax seed oil. I just didn't want to spend $6 on something they wouldn't eat.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

They don't have to eat the flax seed oil it's just one way to use it. You can also put it directly on their backs or in the rinse water of the bath. If you buy flax seed oil capsuls for people you can just break a capsule or poke a hole in it and pore it into the bath onto the hedgehog or in the food. I always use it in Quigley's bath because when I tried it in the food he wouldn't eat it.


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## Bookgobbler (Aug 13, 2009)

Flax for Tama goes directly from the capsule to her back. She refuses to eat if it has flax oil on it and she gets serious dandruff problems so a rinse doesn't really help a lot. This is on top of an oatmeal bath. personally I recommend doing both. if your hedgie doesn't get serious dry skin, a nice rinse with flax oil in it is a good way to evenly coat the skin with it, if the dryness is bad, more direct measures might be better suited.


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## LittleMiss (Sep 3, 2009)

Alright, maybe I'll pick up some of the pills then and try some of the suggestions on here. Myles seems fine, his skin really isn't that dry so I'm not that worried about him. But I've noticed Ivy's skin is pretty bad. I still need to try the oatmeal bath, but I just gave her a bath a week or two ago, I don't want to over wash her (if that's possible)

Also is it normal if their skin is a bright red/pink? I notice it with Myles alot, but it's never that way long, just like a day or so. But it freaks me out, and throws me into a panic attack. But he acts fine, eats, drinks, runs on his wheel, poops, and everything they normaly do.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Oatmeal baths tend to be soothing. And if you follow it with an oil rinse, it would make her feel much better. So an oatmeal bath now, even though she had a bath 2 weeks ago, is not going to harm her. It might actually be better for her, as you are helping to moisturize her skin.

However, if you are really worried about bathing so soon, you can put the flax oil directly onto her back. Also, you can put her in the sink/tub, open a capsule into a small cup, then fill that cup with warm water, then pour that onto her back. I like oil rinses like that better, because I feel that it spreads the oil more evenly across their back, more so than just dropping the oil. 

With Myles, it sounds like he has been scratching a lot, to the point where his skin turns pink. You may not see him scratch, but he is obviously scratching. So it sounds like an oatmeal bath with an oil rinse could be good for him as well.


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## LittleMiss (Sep 3, 2009)

Okay, then after I get some flax seed oil, I'll put some on them both, and maybe give them both baths tomorrow. I thought he was itching but my mom told me that it would only be in area's not all of his skin. It kinda looks like how a person blushes, just ALL his skin is that color. What could cause his itching? I use carefreash bedding, could mites be in it? I thought that was just with woodshavings. I'll post how they are after they've had baths just as an update on their skin.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

A lot of people have found that carefresh is TOO absorbent. And it dried out their hedgies skin, or irritated their skin. There were a few here who used it, and their hedgies were scratching till they had rashes, or all around their muzzles were always red, because the bedding dried their skin and made it itch. Once they made the switch to liners, the problem slowly eased away. This may or may not be the case with you. 

Are they losing a lot of quills? Are they losing more quills then they grow? If you notice their quill coat getting thinner, mites is a possibility. It is also possible that the bedding you are using is contaminated. 

Considering the red is all over his skin, it sounds like a reaction to something, making a switch to liners may be beneficial in his case, at least to see if it was his bedding or not. 

If you are not sure if it is mites or dry skin, it doesn't hurt to get both of them treated with a dose of Revolution, just as a precaution, and see how things go.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Carefresh can harbour mites as can any loose commercial type bedding. As Immortalia mentioned, it can also dry out their skin and is dusty which can irritate skin. I'd put him them liners. Also, when you give a bath, make sure they are very well rinsed. I'd hesitate to put any type of oil on until you find out what is causing the problem. Oils can block the pores in the skin and if by chance this is fungus or a bacterial infection, oils will seal in the infection and make it worse. The vets sell oil free conditioners that won't block pores. Apparently jojoba oil is ok to use but I've not heard that from the vet I'm not 100% certain if it's true.


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## LittleMiss (Sep 3, 2009)

I'm not sure if it's the bedding. I've switched it before thinking that was the problem, and it just happened again. After I use up the bedding I'll try liners. Ivy has no problem with the bedding, she actually loves it, she hated shavings, and I also tried just leaving strips of fleice down and she shoved it all into the corner and ignored it. Atleast with this bedding she lets it be all over and not in one spot that is never touched. Also I haven't noticed Myles skin that red color since the first month or so that I had him. They both had stages where they lost lots of quills but I read that it was probably quilling.


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