# hedgehog doesnt like to be held?



## jngy slate (Mar 14, 2009)

i have two female hedgehogs. sisters and in the same litter. one i think maybe doesnt like to be held. i have had them both for about 2 weeks. when i hold her sometimes her heart starts beating real fast. if i just let her sit on me, she wont move. i would do this for about an hour a day, but im not sure if she enjoys it. she seems to be not as grumpy, maybe she is not quilling as badly, maybe she is getting a bit used to me. but she seems to get nervous if i pick her up. i would like to just set her on me and sit but i dont know if she likes it or not. they are about 8 weeks old by the way. ive been handling them both daily since i got them


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## akane (Jan 2, 2013)

Hedgehogs are not very domesticated. They start out not liking to be held or picked up. You have to make them see it's not bad. With some that's easy and with some it will never happen. You just have babies though so there's no reason to give up. Try laying a blanket over her on your lap so she's covered and dark. I have one that will only relax that way and all of mine will search out somewhere covered to rest after awhile. I always have a blanket or hedgie bag. My friendliest hedgehog spends most of her time running around under the blankets while I lay on the bed reading or watching tv. She'll stop to sleep on my leg or feet. She'll run on top of the blankets too but she much prefers when she can burrow unseen around the bed and often touching me the whole time.


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## LittleWontonPoo (Aug 31, 2013)

The quick heart rate could be caused by her sniffing and smelling the air. Smaller animals tend to have a faster heart rate too. 

Baby hedgies in particular looooves their sleep; even when they reach adulthood, they could sleep for 20 hours. As for handling, you mainly need them to start recognizing your scent so they will know that you mean no harm. Having her sleep on your lap while on a blanket would still be a great bonding technique. 

Any hedgie would be nervous if picked up; especially when you first wake them up, so don't worry too much about that! They are prone to be a little sassy, haha. Hedgies tend to take a while to build trust, so take your time and have some patience! 

Also, are they caged together? Even when they are from the same litter, and are sisters, unexpected fights can happen.


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## jngy slate (Mar 14, 2009)

yes they are housed together i could move them apart if i noticed them start to fight. my other little one is doing fine. ive had a few grumps before, but even if they didnt want to be around me, they still would eventually start walking around, if i remember correctly. little shy darling is just a little bit puzzling to me. mostly im getting them out at around 6pm or 8pm. i only get them out for about 15 minutes each. my dads gonna be getting them running wheels soon which they need for exercise one baby is getting a little chubby. lol. i cut the time down to 15 minutes because one doesnt move, and if i lay her on me for us to both chill i might fall asleep. the other one likes to run straight under the couch and stay there sometimes, today i let her walk around the bedroom for a bit for a change of scenery. theres not a huge couch in there. i feel like once she gets a running wheel she may not head straight for the couch, but who knows. hedgie baby wants a cave.


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## jngy slate (Mar 14, 2009)

thank you for the help


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