# Activity Concerns



## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

So its been about a week since I got the HedgieCam working in my hogs cage, a cheap day/night security camera from Radio Shack. This is setup currently in Loki's cage, as I already know Hester's routine, since she doesn't mind monitor/tv light. So I've been learning the ways of my boy, and he's so shy compared to what I thought he was. He was always my shy guy, but the way he acts inside his cage almost makes me feel sad for him.

Its not so much the sound I think, I sit in a laz-e-boy chair which makes those classic squeaking noises when putting the back down or the foot rest up. There is always a tv going at night in here, sometimes music. If I get up, the chair makes noise, and he doesn't react to the noise, but when I move across the floor, and I'm a light stepper for my size, I unintentionally sneak up on people due to my light step (and I'm 6'4" and 300 pounds so it usually scares people too, heh).

But I pondering if there is anything I might be able to do to help him with this paranoid act. He doesn't even see me, the cage is covered at night since he likes total darkness, but the movement and sometimes other things set him off to go hide. While I was typing this, I had been watching him on my tv. One of my cats came in to eat from the food dish in here, and dropped a kibble on the floor. The noise did make him stop, the cat dropped another one, and he went back into his house. I would guess in maybe 10 minutes or so, he'll probably come out, or he'll just go back to sleep and be up in a couple of more hours to eat some more.

Whats got me really concerned is recently he seems to not be wheeling like he was, at least there isn't a lot of evidence. He's fine health wise, no decrease in food or personality. I just trimmed his nails last night thinking maybe they were getting to be too long, but actually they were in good shape. He was not pleased about the bath though, and now we're on a URI watch cause he did the "put up visor and hunch down to the ground" angry move at me, in the tub, so when he got down low, he shoved his nose under the water and snorted up water.

So anyone have any ideas on how to correct this? The only thing I can think of is the fact the AC was removed from the window, and maybe the noise from it was distracting enough for him to wheel, cause he use to wheel even when I was sitting here, he just seems to be acting very paranoid lately.

Ideally moving him to a different room would be the best plan, but there isn't another room he can go into. About the only thing I can think of is having a fan going to generate that white noise like the a/c had and see if that helps him out. Otherwise I'm afraid he's going to act like this, and its kind of unfair he can't enjoy him.










Giving me that "How dare you bath me and trim my nails" look.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

Hi there,
You said you had the AC on before. Now that it has been removed, maybe you can use a small fan or a sound machine to produce some sort of white noise again?


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

Heh! You mentioned the fan! Sorry, it's been a long day - but that would be my suggestion as well


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

I keep a radio on in my hedgies room and it does seem to help keep them use to noises. I use to keep the radio on 24/7 but now I just have it on during the night time hours.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

A radio not only helps them get used to different sounds but it also helps muffle other sounds. I've had a radio on 24/7 in my hedgie room for years. Make sure you use a station that is on air all night or else it will revert to static when they go off the air. 

Sometimes they just need time to get used to the noises but some of them will always be sensitive. Try speaking before you make sudden moves or enter the room. Even the quietest and lightest you step, they still hear it so announce yourself and say what you are doing. That will help him know it is you. 

I've had hedgies that scared themselves crunching their own kibble.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Poor, sweet Loki. 
I hope the radio helps.
Also, that picture of him is adorable, even if he is upset at you.


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## Sela (Apr 10, 2010)

Aw, poor little guy. I hope you figure out a solution soon, good luck, Puffers.

He's adorable, by the way. <3 I love the ticked-off face, it's one of my favourite hedgepiggy expressions.


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

Made a few discoveries tonight, and deleted the post that was originally here. For one I've noticed a lot of scratching, I think dry skin, if it was mites I'd expect both to have them, but he was scratching up a storm tonight, he woke up about 10:30, ate, drank, used the bathroom, and for the 30 minutes he was up, was constantly scratching himself. He hadn't before so in part I'm guessing it was his bath, but either way I'll pick up some Flaxseed tommorrow and see if they'll eat it on their food (haven't tried it yet), and by Friday I'll pick up some Revolution, they both should be treated though I've seen zero signs of mites, just dry skin.

A second discovery which is a major one for him, is the fact he wasn't getting his 100% darkness that he must have to wheel. On Friday I had done their full cage cleaning, something I typically do on Sundays, but I wanted to zip tie up their lamp lights, install Hester's thermometer and of course the Hedgie Cam into his cage. In the process I removed the black out panels I had cut for their doors because they were shedding threads big time onto the floor (didn't want it getting into the cage), and also removed the towels I have hanging from either side. One towel is thinner than the other, the thicker one was on the right side that faces the TV. When I put them back up, I had them switched.

I just happen to peer into his cage and noticed, there was a fair amount of light coming in from the tv/monitor glows, enough that you could see everything to a degree. So I've switched everything around, found my other black out curtain, and got his cage back to 100% darkness. We'll see if he notices tonight, but I think thats been the problem, and this activity change happened I think when I worked on the cage.

But I think thats it, he's a shy guy but not horribly, when he's out with me, he's pretty active and out in the open, and even when he was in the cage during his personal time, he wasn't as paranoid as he was, unless there was light. When moving, he could probably see my shadow on the blanket that was covering the front, the door to the room is between the cage and tv, and when I was peering, I could see the shadow of my arm when waving in front of it.

So hopefully I found the problem, if not then I'll start him on the radio during the day. I was concerned about him eating, cause last night he only ate 4 grams worth of kibble (I do measurements, counting triggers my minor OCD habits and I end up counting the kibble multiple times), he typically eats at least 10, but his eating habits were like this when I first got him and wasn't covering the cage at all.

I'll report in tommorrow night, hopefully I wake up to a messy wheel, but then again he's gotta wake up and notice its pitch black out now.


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

So I do feel somewhat stupid, but it was the light that was bleeding into the cage via the thin towel on the one side, and the blanket covering the front. I ponder how these guys survived in the wild, the amount of light that was bleeding in is about the same the moon is putting out tonight, but then again I guess if he grew up and was living in the wild, he'd be use to it, obviously his previous owners kept him in total darkness all his night life, and that he's just one of those hogs.

So in the end, I just need to be sure he gets hit total darkness.


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## susanaproenca (Aug 14, 2010)

Nice job, Detective Puffers! Glad you had it figured out!


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Don't feel stupid Puffers. It's because of you we learned that Zoey has to have complete darkness. I like how you analyse things & figure out what's wrong. It's encouraging to be involved in the process.


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## Nell (Aug 26, 2010)

Gee, reading this just made me consider the idea of peeping on Ziggy since he's turning out to be a pretty reserved, darkness loving guy. 

I feel like a voyeur :3


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## Puffers315 (Apr 19, 2010)

Thanks guy, and glad I was able to spread the aid of 'total darkness' for Zoey. I now ponder though my first hog Vera, she wasn't overly active, she'd play in her pen for 30 minutes, eat, poop, pee, and then go to sleep, and then random nights she'd be up for 6 hours straight. If I had to guess, she was a 'Total Darkness' hedgehog, but I never figured that out before she passed.

I would have never figured this out without the help of HHC about Loki and the fact his owner said he spent hours every night on his wheel, I got him, the first week I figured he was just adjusting, second week I figured he was still adjusting since he was 2 years old and this was his third home, after a month I really started to wonder, and just tried the black out curtain. And of course after that, he was one active fellow.

As for this past problem, I'm a problem solver type person, be it engines, electronics, computers or whatever, I can't even say why I had peeked inside the cage, I just caught that it wasn't totally dark, and then I waved my hand across the front and saw you could see the shadow on the blanket. Strange how such a small thing can set them off. Of course now with the curtain back in place, he's his usual self.

And then I did the camera, namely because I wanted to see how exactly he was acting in his cage. Hester I knew, she didn't mind the tv/monitor glow too much and I know her routine. Wake up, run on the wheel for a few seconds, go upstairs to her food, eat, drink, run back down, wheel for a little, jump off, run upstairs, eat, back to the wheel, jump off, check her house, check upstairs, run on wheel, check upstairs, check her house, wheel, heh. She's pretty basic, but since I can't see Loki, I had no idea.

I wouldn't call it voyeurism unless he was having boy time out in the cage, heh. Thankfully he's a private boy. He's got a pretty set routine from what I've seen, get up, eat a couple pieces of kibble, run on wheel until he's got to potty, back to the kibble, and then a combo of wheel running, eating and drinking. It also shows me that he's a touch paranoid, even with the curtain. He doesn't react as badly when I get up and move about, but he is still one to duck back into his house, though with the proper darkness, he usually comes back in within a few minutes.

Next I got to work on Hester's diet, despite the amount of running she does, she is starting to look fat to me. Still balls up tight, no extra skin, though has kind of a hump in the shoulder area, I guess we'll see.


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