Just my luck to get stuck with Satan's hedgehog

[Chels]

I got my hedgehog about a month ago when she was 6 weeks old. She was nice, then bratty, now she's literally evil. Yesterday I could stroke her head and pick her up, and today when I even went near her she would huff, puff, and if I got too close she would try to bite me. She's so unenjoyable. All she is, is a hassle. She used to let me pet her and hold her and we even took naps together. What happened to the precious baby I used to have?

[Lyndypop]

It could be that she's in pain. I'm no expert but if my hedgehog suddenly got aggressive, I would take her to the vet to make sure something wasn't wrong.

[Immortalia]

Sounds like a perfectly normal quilling baby to me. She's around 10 weeks now?
Imagine having sharp spines poking through your skin, then some giant hand wants to keep petting you, while your skin is inflamed from the spines.

Also, hedgehogs can go through personality changes as they grow/quill/hit puberty. We've had several members whose hedgies go from something sweet, to one who wants nothing to do with humans.

Did you read through the personality and behavioural threads? Have you read through the stickies?

[Lyndypop]

Quilling could definitely be it. It just sounded odd when the almost behavior change was overnight. XP

[MurE]

Poggles was very anti-touch when he was quilling... actually, he's still pretty anti-touch when it comes to his back. However, he almost always lets me pet his forehead and gently touch his chin, or pet his white sides. He has to have time to adjust to me first though and it has to be quiet and stress-free.

See if you can bribe your baby to love you with food. When Poggles was quilling, we found other ways to spend time together and bond. Food was always a good option. A moisturizing oatmeal bath may also make a quilling baby feel better. Just keep touching on the back to a minimum.

Good luck!

[jerseymike1126]

imagine your back had a bunch of quills poking through your skin, i am willing to bet you would be grumpy! just stick with it and she will calm down

also know lots of hedgehogs do not like getting their quills pet, if she is not rolled up into a ball all the time then she isn't that bad

[Chels]

She doesn't roll into a ball, she stands aggressively while huffing and puffing. She has been losing quills since I brought her home and she's always been somewhat of a brat, but now she's literally evil. I can't go near her. She's about 11 weeks old.

[jerseymike1126]

she will most likely lighten up when she gets used to you. does she have a cuddle sack or something to hide in to make herself feel safe while you have her out? i would get one with straps and carrying her around so she gets used to your smell

[jerseymike1126]

http://www.etsy.com/listing/104579538/cuddle-carrier

[LizardGirl]

You're poor girl, she's not being evil or angry. She's terrified, in pain, or both. If she's still losing quills her whole back and head is still hurting from quilling, and being afraid is just a natural part of hedgehog behavior. You need to encourage her to lose her fear of handling or whatever it is, by being patient and gentle even when she doesn't seem to be responding. Do you have any large animal smells around the house? All my hedgehogs react violently to dog smells, they HATE it. But when I wash dog smells off they go back to being angels. Something to consider. Remember to never become frustrated and treat her any less than totally gently, it'll only make her more afraid. It sounds like quilling is being rough on her and she needs a lot of TLC.