[Voss]

Here's my original post: http://hedgehogcentral.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7393

Well first off this is my first time owning a hedgehog ever, but I've wanted one since I was a child...blame Sonic.

Anyway, I go to meet the gentleman who was rehoming his 6 month old hedgies and he gives me the address to his place of employment. It was an auto body shop, so right away I figured the noise and odor must have been frightening to the little guys inside. He has four little ones for me to choose from and when he takes me to his office, I see this tiny 10gal aquarium with a sheet over it and 4 little guys inside, obviously not the best environment.

They were all sleeping and frankly seemed a little scared, so he tries to wake one up with a **** kitty litter scooper and rolls it over, I wanted to just punch the guy, but I told him I will handle it. Honestly, the only knowledge I have of hedgehogs are from sites like these so while I may be new to them, I know you don't handle them like that.

Anyway, he lets me look over them and to be fair, they seemed in decent condition despite the environment. Clean eyes, nose and ears, the only cause for concern was the length of their nails and they had a little poop on their bottom but overall they seemed healthy based on what I've read here. The one that stuck out right away was the smallest of the bunch, he was just so adorable and really the only one that warmed up to me in the 40 minutes I got to spend with them all, so obviously I took him home. I wish I could have taken them all to keep them in better conditions but I just couldn't afford it. The guy didn't seem like a bad person, I just think he wasn't aware of how to properly take care of hedgies.

Now things are better, I assume he's a he, but he's not comfortable enough for me to take a good look. I put him in his nice new cozy home and he settled right in, of course he completely destroyed it in a few minutes but he seems like quite the explorer. He's eaten fine, he's thirsty and he definitely loves mealworms.

I am curious though as to when would be a good time to maybe give him a little bath and trim his nails, I'm thinking I should wait until he's more comfortable.

That's all I have for now, time for work and I will update you guys when I get home, thanks for reading!

-Pablo

 

[PJM]

Poor little guys! (And I'm hoping they were all either guys or all girls :? )
Congratulations on your new hedgie! Do you have a name picked out?
I am sure that he is going to be very happy with you -a vast improvement over his previous living conditions.
I would wait at least a few days before a bath.

 

[Puffers315]

Like PMJ said, I'd wait a few days, he's definitely going to be twitchy from the autoshop, that's a lot of noise for them to handle. Watch his poop, green poop = stress or upset stomach, but he'll probably relax a lot being out of that place. Makes you ponder what people think about animals, I mean a 10 gallon tank is tiny, like a little spikey inmate.

If his nails are not curling back into the foot, you're safe to wait, they should be short but you're not in danger until they are curling back. Remember to only cut so much of the nail, if you're able to get ahold of his foot and look at it closely, you should be able to see the pink area near the foot which is the wick, don't cut into that. You might have to use some tricks to get at his nails, a good one is during bath time, hogs won't curl into a ball and many times are more concerned with escaping the water. Treats are another trick to distract them, and there's also the burrito method which someone else could explain, you kind of cup them in a washcloth with their rear hanging out and it makes their feet dangle. Personally I always go with hog wrastling in the sink.

PS - I blame Sonic too, and oddly enough I'm sitting here playing the 1st one on my Genesis Emulator.....

 

[Tomato]

Congratulations on your new hedgehog, and I'm glad you were able to bring one home and provide him with such a better and loving home. Have you named him yet? Best of luck and have fun with your little guy!

I blame Sonic too, and oddly enough I'm sitting here playing the 1st one on my Genesis Emulator.....

More proof that video games are influential!

 

[karidaluv]

Congratulations!

Nails will be hard to do if he hasn't warmed up to you yet. I wonder how you could do his nails if he balls up on you right now...hope someone has an answer. I'd say wait until he warms up to you and is able to be around you without balling up, that way you can gently take care of his nails.

Good luck! it's going to be fun!