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990 views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  RondackHiker 
#1 ·
So Knarla's been a bit itchy, so I gave her a bath with oatmeal and a smidge of olive oil like I've read on here. She was good for the bath, but I have a few questions related to that and other things.

1) While drying her, she was BITING and ripping the towel. I'd lift her free and she'd not touch my fingers, but would attack the towel again once I put her back in it. Any tips to make that less stressful for her?

2) Later on when I held her she was really agitated, so I set her in her cage and she used her litter box. Could that be why she was tense?

3) Any handling tips when I'm stressed or sick? I'm having a massive contact allergic reaction on my legs. It's likely lotion but potentially Knarla (even if it is, we'll keep her and I'll just wash carefully after handling). I'm itchy and tense, and since Knarla was a bit... crazed... earlier I was a little worried about being bit. She's an explorer but it seemed almost frantic last night. Could my mood be making her that way, or is it more likely her personality coming out? Exploring is fine, but I know daily handling is important. Does following her around the house while she roams count as handling?

4) How do I get Vaseline on her ears? I've been touching them daily to prep but she FREAKED at the smell and would thrash and squirm. I got one ear sorta done and got Vaseline around the other one. Any ideas?

And a funny story. She's "bullying" my dog! I know animals don't really bully, but she will stand on her hind legs and sniff around, then run up to him and stop a few inches short of where he is laying. She'll puff and bring down her face quills and he jumps up and moves out of her way. Then she sniffs again and heads right toward him! Poor boy was getting nervous so we let him on the couch. We had to rescue our 80 pound dog from our little hedgehog.
 
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#2 ·
1) Hm...the only thing I can think of is, was the towel washed with any kind of scented detergent or softener? If so, she might not have liked the smell. If that's the case, you might try setting aside one towel for her bath use and make sure you wash it (with her liners) in nonscented detergent/softener.

2) It might've been! I've read some posts on here from people whose hedgehogs will wiggle and want to get away or down from their lap when they need to go potty. Wish Lily had done that! :lol:

3) Our moods can affect their moods sometimes, so if you're stressed or upset one night and it seems like it might be negatively impacting her, it wouldn't hurt to just give her an "exploring" night while you keep an eye on her, or put her back early. Just the act of getting her out counts as a bit of handling and will continue to help her get to know you, even if you don't hold her for long sometimes. The biggest thing is, even if you don't feel up to a long cuddling session or keeping an eye on her for exploring (if you're really sick sometime or something), just take her out for even a couple minutes to check her over for any issues from the previous night.

4) If she doesn't like the smell, you might try using something else. You could try flaxseed oil (though it's a bit messier, but it worked pretty well for Lily's ears), a non-scented lotion, etc. and see if she reacts better. I tried using lanolin on Lily's ears once...biggest temper tantrum my baby ever threw. And she was mad at me the rest of the night and kept randomly huffing and quilling up at me. :roll: :lol:

:lol: That's adorable! I love how much personality she's showing already!
 
#4 ·
The only time Mr. prickles ever got all wiggly on me... I couldn't figure out what he was up to. I was like he was trying to tell me something.

and then he took a pee ALLLLLLLL over my leg. He was trying to tell me something alright. LOL
 
#5 ·
My little Milton always chews his towel! I have one dedicated towel for him and I was it in the same detergent as his liners (free&clear) there's no scent difference and he's used to his baths but he loves to go to town on his towel!
 
#6 ·
Thanks guys! We wash everything in scent free and dye free detergent, otherwise my son and I turn into massive allergic reactions. I won't worry too much about her towel behavior. Hopefully she won't need another full bath for awhile!

She's definitely an explorer type, and not a cuddler, so as long as I get to hold and check her out daily, I'll keep letting her do her thing. She does interact and play pretty well with DS and I right after work, so as long as she gets some daily handling I won't worry too much. Even while exploring she's pretty happy to be caught.

And the moods... I've worked with horses who were very sensitive before, so I'll just stay mellow while working with her. We were likely feeding off of one another last night!
 
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