# What did i do? Scared?



## Mylo1607 (Dec 4, 2015)

So I have had my baby Mylo for a year now. When I got him he was so livley and would do laps around his cage when he saw me and loved playing peekaboo and all this cute stuff. But slowly over time that all came to a complete stop. He doesn't even run in his ball anymore or like to go outside (which was his fav) I've tried everything. I spoil him rotten and he just hates being near people now(he's been like this for months). All he does is hiss and run to hide.Vet said he's not sick either. and I wonder if getting him a mate will help. He stayed with a female heggie for a week and anointed right away and was happy, according to them. I don't know what to do I just want him happy again and not so angry. He lets my scratch his tumny for short periods of time and hides under me if he can't find a place to burrow if I try to play with him so I know he's not scared. And also, he has been biting random objects latley. Like his bowl instead of his food, ball, and my boyfriends nose.. Is he okay. Why!?!? Help please


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Ok, something may have changed for him. No getting him a mate won't make him "happy" 
The ball is not a great toy, one you can't really tell if they like them or just trying to escape them and are stuck. They also use the bathroom in the ball. It doesn't really have anywhere to go but on your hedgehog. Think about a porta potty, would you want trapped in it if it tips over? The ventilation holes can catch toes and nails.
How often are you handling him?


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

A mate is a very very bad idea, anytime he was near the female he would want to breed her, non-stop. This is very unhealthy for him and for the female as well, she would be pregnant all the time. 

What is the temperature in his cage? Do you have a light schedule? What are you feeding him? Does he have a wheel in his cage. Has anything changed in the home, new person, new pet etc. Are you holding him daily?

All these things can help us try to figure out what is wrong.


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## teddythehedgie (Nov 22, 2015)

nikki said:


> A mate is a very very bad idea, anytime he was near the female he would want to breed her, non-stop. This is very unhealthy for him and for the female as well, she would be pregnant all the time.
> 
> What is the temperature in his cage? Do you have a light schedule? What are you feeding him? Does he have a wheel in his cage. Has anything changed in the home, new person, new pet etc. Are you holding him daily?
> 
> All these things can help us try to figure out what is wrong.


Out of sheer curiosity, why would it be bad for a boy to mate a lot? You'd think it's every guy's dream.... heh :lol:


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## FinnickHog (Dec 1, 2014)

It's worse for the girl than for the boy. Having babies every time a female is able is really bad for her health. This can be said for females of most species. Babies require a lot of vitamins, minerals, and food to make. And that's before they're even born! It can deplete the mother's stores and cause all sorts of problems. Fragile bones due to calcium leeching is the first one that comes to mind, as I've seen it firsthand. It's not pretty.

That's why with breeding all sorts of animals it's good to have multiple females for one male, and to have only one or two litters a year.

On top of that, mating itself is very stressful for the female. It makes her hormones go all wacky and some boys bite.

Hope that answers your question, Teddy!


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## Slava (May 29, 2015)

if he's eating, drinking, and exercising normally, then he is ok. have you been bonding with your hedgie daily? he needs to stay associating your scent and voice with safety.


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## twobytwopets (Feb 2, 2014)

Slava said:


> if he's eating, drinking, and exercising normally, then he is ok.


It would seem that would be the case. However it isn't. 
Hedgehogs are prey animals. They will try and remain as normal as possible for as long as they can. They will continue to eat, drink, and behave as normal as they can. If they stop eating, drinking, or behave in a different manner they become an easy target. They don't want to be an easy target. Easy targets are surely going to be an easy lunch.


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## Slava (May 29, 2015)

twobytwopets said:


> It would seem that would be the case. However it isn't.
> Hedgehogs are prey animals. They will try and remain as normal as possible for as long as they can. They will continue to eat, drink, and behave as normal as they can. If they stop eating, drinking, or behave in a different manner they become an easy target. They don't want to be an easy target. Easy targets are surely going to be an easy lunch.


Oh okay, that's just what I've been hearing everyone say around here. Makes sense. Well, I say if he's very inactive, take him in for a vet visit.


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## Mylo1607 (Dec 4, 2015)

Thanks for all the help, I have been to multiple vets and no one has much experience with understand hedgehog behaviour. I have cut down on playing with him not because he's scared he just hates it so much that I feel bad taking him out. So it's a no on a mate but I still feel so awful. Maybe he's just not sociable and that's that. Would it be bad for me to just leave him be and refil his food and water and clean everything as needed. It's been like 9 months with no change


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Not interacting with him isn't good either. Its only going to make it worse. He will become more and more unsocial, to the point you won't likely be able to interact at all. It will also make it more difficult later when you need to interact with him for health problems.

He may always be a little defensive, but even with defensive hedgehogs there is often something we can do to make life easier. Often that is just changing how we interact. If you haven't already, read through the sticky thread in the behavior forum. Lots of good stories about defensive hedgehogs. Maybe it will help you determine if he is one of those.

Now if he was once social, I'm leaning more to something changed. Maybe it was a bad experience. 

What is your schedule like with him? Describe a typical evening. For instance an evening may be something like wake them at 8pm. Give them mealworms to say sorry for waking you. Let them go into a snuggle bag, or snuggle down into a blanket. Then go sit, read email, browse HHC, or quietly watch television. At 10pm, get up, put them back in their cage with fresh food/water and turn out the light and tell them good night.

Sometimes a schedule can help them to understand what to expect and when to expect it. Some seem to want that.


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## Mylo1607 (Dec 4, 2015)

Well I found he's most active around 5 am 3 am 8 pm and 11 pm. So I usually take him out at 8 or on weekends during the day. So I went a few days and didn't touch him I just talked to him and the weirdest thing happened today. So I finally took him out he diddnt huff or puff so I put him in his ball. Then he balled up and hisses so I took him out and put him in a blankie to set him on my stomach while I do homework. And I was talk in and sing in to him and he went CRAZY. He was running around in the blanket so fast for like 15 minutes. When I said his name he's continue to run around. So I set him on the floor seeing if hed come out of the blanket. Which he didn't he just got crabby so I took him to his cage to get something to eat. After he ate instead of running to his courner and burrowing he did something diffrent he tried to hide under his wheel which I've never seen. So I tried to get him to play more after continues hugging when all the sudden he looked at me and just joulted to the other side of his cage and went under the blankie and started running around in it. And then he found a little pocket in the blanket and for like 10 minutes started like shaking and wiggling when I talked. Not sure if that's him being happy or somethings wrong. It was SO odd of him


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## Mylo1607 (Dec 4, 2015)

*huffing. I'm worried it was him being sad/scared because when he used to be excited to see me hed look up at me. This time he watched me from a far for a few seconds but would huff and puff and try to avoid me. I'm so nervous but excited.


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## jessv (Jun 17, 2015)

Hold him everyday no matter what even if he is grumpy, my hedgies can go thought times when they are moody for a few weeks, What type of bedding do you use? I find that is the biggest factor and if their skin is dry or itchy my little ones are much huffier. Also my babies Love to play with empty toilet paper tubes by far their favourite toy!!


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## Mylo1607 (Dec 4, 2015)

Okay I'll make sure to hold him even though he will do everything in his power to get away (like right now) I do put olive oil on him so he's not too dry. And I have blankets as bedding which he seems to love


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