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just some concerns and questions

1748 Views 8 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  kristinmarissa
So I'm obviously new to this whole hedgehog thing, and kind of being neurotic about it, but I really want it to work out. So we (my boyfriend and I) have had Pasta Batman for over a month and a half, and she's about 8-10 months old. I just get worried because I'm not sure if she's happy or if she likes us. We try to let her out to run around the same time every night but the past few nights she's just hid under something and slept. She's also been a little more hissy lately. A few nights ago she was running around and we were sitting on the floor and she would come up to us and smell us happily (seeming) and crawl on us and stuff, but then the next few nights she wasn't so friendly. She doesn't really seem like she wants to be taken out and mostly she just sleeps all the time. I never see her in her cage unless she's eating, she's mostly sleeping or hiding under stuff. It seems as though maybe she used her wheel once, as we found a little bit of poop on it, but no more since then. Also I read on this forum about hedgehogs who will sleep on their owners or who like to be petted, but she doesn't really do that or seem very affectionate. :( For a month or so after we got her, she would sometimes nap on us but never anymore. And she won't sit still long enough to be held really. She's either running around or burrowing/hiding/sleeping and no in between.
We've done various things to socialize her: I put a shirt I had worn for a few days in her cage and she loves to sleep under it, we give her treats every time we take her out, before we let her run on the floor we sit w/ her on the couch and let her run around (always w/ the lights out), and we let her run around on the floor for an hour or so a night.
Sometimes I don't even know if she recognizes us as something other than just her surroundings. She barely interacts w/ us. :( I get so sad when I read posts about sweet, friendly, affectionate hedgehogs and wonder if she'll ever be like that. We got her at a pet store, so maybe that's a problem?
Anyway, I guess I'm just wondering if there's anything else we can do to further the bond or make her happier, or if we should just be resigned to the fact that she's not very affectionate. Or is she just acting like a normal hedgehog and I'm being overly worried? I'm used to cats, so maybe I'm expecting too much!
Sorry this is so long, I really appreciate any help and responses you can give!!
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So it looks like maybe she's run in her wheel a few more times, which is good...and yes, we do dim the lights when we take her out :)
Maybe she is just an "explorer" and not as cuddly. Is not that she's mean or even very afraid, as even when we first got her she didn't really ball up. She's just kind of...aloof.
Sometimes I hold her in my hands a little bit even though I can tell she wants to get down and run around. Do you think if I continue holding her for a bit every time we take her out she'll get to like it more, or will she just start to hate it and me?
Also, last night we had her out on the couch w/ us and she kept running from me toward my boyfriend, then she found a spot beside him and kind of splatted out, it seemed (her 2 front legs were laid out to the side, anyway). Do you think it's possible that she's bonded w/ him and not me? It seems like maybe that's the case...
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So just an update: Tonight after a bath, we wrapped her in a towel and gave her some treats and then she curled up between my legs and after smelling my hand a little bit, took a nap with her chin in my hand and her little nose against my palm. So cute! She's been doing that more lately, smelling me, licking a little, then resting her chin against my hand, so I figure that's a good sign! :) Thanks for your responses, I appreciate all of them.
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