Is this normal?

[Tara]

My hedgie (SquishMitten) doesn't curl in a ball unless sleeping. He won't curl up and snuggle in my hands or lap. He just wiggles n tries to run away. I guess what I'm asking is .. Is it normal for a hedgie to not curl up in a ball but only to sleep? Is it also a normal thing for him to NEVER be calm enough to just hold?

[hedgielover]

It's normal for some hedgehogs. Mine does the same thing as soon as I pick him up he's squirming at light speed trying to get away. Sometimes I get to hold him a little longer if I take him out during the day and he's a little sleepy.

[Tara]

I even put him in his ball for as long as he wants to be and let him have full run of the house and hours later try to hold him and he still tries to just run away. Is there anything I can do to bond with him and have him get close to me?

[MrPinball]

Sounds normal to me. How old is your hedgie?

Pinball is 2 1/2 months old and the only time he sits still is if I wake him and he's tired. He will be somewhat in a daze ("Why d'you have to wake me?!").

But most of the time he is just plain wired. The more I let him play (thinking he will wear himself out), the more wound up he gets. Literally trying to bounce off the walls, trying to dive off of coffee tables and the couch.

Don't let that discourage you from trying to bond with him. You're still bonding with him just by spending time together. He may not ever be a cuddler, maybe he's just a sporty boy you know

[momIImany]

You can't bond with him if he's running around your house in a plastic ball. You need to hold him, even if its with a fleece blanket. He needs cuddle time and human touch.

[alexvdl]

I disagree with momIImany on this one. Some hedgehogs aren't cuddlers. Yes she should take the time to hold him regularly, but if he's running in his ball and following her around the house, that's it's own form of bonding.

[Nancy]

Some hedgehog will never be cuddlers but they can't bond while running around in a ball. Let him run around on you. He may not sit still, but he'es on you. Offer him treats while he'es running around on you. The treats can be his own kibble, given one at a time. It will help him bond.

[RondackHiker]

Knarla is an explorer. She's happiest charging around, full speed. Usually I try to do playtime in her pen or in the ball after dinner, and then snuggle time when watching TV. Our snuggle time is her running over my lap and hands. That has led to a tumble in the past, but luckily she was okay.

Playtime helps mellow her a bit. If she runs out of the cage, when I put her back during DS's bedtime she will eat and then run on her wheel. Then she'll just climb all over me. The only time she was still and snuggly was when she was recovering from a hibernation attempt.

Some are just explorers. If yours isn't balling, he's likely not afraid of you, he just wants to see everything! Holding Knarla in a bit of fleece helps mellow her a bit. She'll burrow through the fleece rather than try to charge off.

[hedgielover]

With Koloth I'm lucky because our apartment is hedgehog proof aside from the kitchen and bedroom which we keep closed off. During the evening Koloth runs around the apartment and he is able to come and go from his cage on his own. Instead of trying to hold him for a few hours straight I scoop him up occasionally and hold him as long as he'll let me then I let him scurry off again. While he's running about we're usually walking around the apartment so we can stop to pet him if our paths cross or sit on the floor and watch him wander, sometimes he'll come and investigate us or try to climb on me. You can mimic this with a playpen or hedgehog proof room. It didn't take long for Koloth to find some favourite spots in the apartment, usually he likes to sleep behind the living room curtain and he has a little litter box in the corner he picked. He also likes to find the cat's food bowl and climb in it to eat the cat's leftovers and the cat usually follows the hedgehog around for the whole evening. I talk to Koloth all the time, if he tries go into the kitchen while someone is coming in or out then we tell him "no kitchens, get out" and gently heard him with our feet now he seems to understand and turns around almost as soon as we say. Also if I call out "Koloth it's dinner time" he usually comes running back to his cage on his own. Sometimes when I stoop down to talk to him he stops and looks at me and sniffs the air like crazy. Before I go to bed I close up the hedgehog cage and spend a few minutes sitting beside it and watching him, I can pet him a little while he's eating or running on his wheel which was not possible at all with my other hedgehog.

I miss the long hedgehog cuddles I used to get from my other hedgehog but having an active hedgehog is fun too.