[autumn]

I just got my first hedgehog this past Wednesday. The first two days were great he never puffed up when you touched him or jump at new noises. The third day he started biting. He would just be laying with you and then CHOP. He bit about 7 times in 2 days. The lady that sold him to me said they don't bite so it shocked me. He also had buggers flying out of his nose since the day I got him.... I took him back today

However I did not give up on owning a hedgehog, they had just got a new one in. An albino girl. She is so ugly she is cute. I just got her about 3 hours ago so I have not tired to handle her or anything because I want her to get used to her new house. she seems REALLY jumpy though. Every time you touch her she jumps. So my questions are...

1. Is it really a good idea to give them a bath when you first get them? If so what kind of soap is best?

2. I know the warning sounds and stuff but is it normal for them to play tugawar and stuff with blankets? Is that a sign they are teething.

3. what are some good ways to help her get used to me?

4. Is biting normal? I washed my hands before I handled the other hedgehog. he never bit my fingers mostly arms and once on my wrist.

5. The pet store told me to give her a food that has mil worms already in it... is that a good idea or should i switch her?

sorry this was so long... I really want things to work out with this one!!!! They are so cute and seem like really cool pets. Any advice is welcomed!!!!!!

 

[LizardGirl]

Welcome to HHC!

First thing to know, it takes a WHILE for a hedgie to get used to you, and comfortable. Don't expect any hedgie to take to you instantly, and never roll up/bite/hiss/etc.

Do you have a vet for your hedgie? It's always good to take your hedgie in when you get him/her for a well-pet visit, to get to know the vet and make sure your hedgie is healthy.

1. No, unless she is absolutely filthy I would not recommend bathing her for at least two weeks. Give her a chance to settle in and get used to you. When you do bathe her, use a bath wash with collodial oatmeal, like Aveeno Baby Wash or Aveeno Soothing Relief. You can also put plain (no flavored) oatmeal in a sock and swish it in the bath water. If you have flax seed oil, a few drops on her back are also recommended.

More info here: viewtopic.php?f=33&t=74

2. Chewing and tugging on fabric/hoodie strings is normal. Sometimes they are trying to annoint with it, and sometimes they are just trying to act ferocious. :lol: Hedgies don't go through any teething like puppies or humans.

3. First thing recommended would be to put a worn t-shirt that smells like you in her cage, to sleep in. This will get her comfortable to your scent. Then, just patience handling her will earn her trust.

4. Biting is not something to let her make a habit of. Usually hedgies bite out of fear or by accident, thinking you are food. Washing your hands with a different soap, and keeping appetizing fingers away from her mouth will help.

5. Do you have the name of the food given to her? The best food we know of for hedgies right now is a high quality, low fat cat food. Commercially made hedgehog foods are usually nutritionally-deficient that they will kill the hedgie being fed them. I'd recommend feeding a mix of several foods. Good ones are listed here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15

Good luck, and don't forget to ask any other questions you may have!

 

[autumn]

The Food they told me to buy is insectivore-fare and hedgehog complete by Exotic Nutrition. With the first hedgehog I had they had told me to buy Eagle Pack kitten formula. Is any of that okay to give her? she likes to pick the mil worms out of the hedgehog complete and leave the rest. LOL She is a pig.

 

[Zalea]

If the first hedgie had boogers coming from his nose and was unreactive to most sounds/touch, it sounds like he needed a vet checkup because of a possibly respiratory infection/illness and was biting because he didn't feel well. I would call up the place you got him from and tell them to get him into a vet for a checkup ASAP before they try to sell him to anyone else.
As for the lady telling you they don't bite, that's ridiculous of her to tell you. Any animal that has teeth can bite. Hedgehogs don't bite often and usually don't without provocation, but there are always exceptions--especially when they aren't well socialized and get annoyed by interaction.

Hedgehogs are generally jumpy when they get somewhere new and are around new people. You're a big blur to them and for all they know you want to eat them. My hedgie still jumps when touched, because it's startling to him. She will probably always do that. It's best to give them 24 hours with no interaction so they can settle in to the cage and new smells around.

Commercial foods made for hedgehogs are generally unacceptable because they aren't nutritionally sound. Insectivore-fare is a big no-no. It's made of entirely by-products--so you're basically feeding your hedgie the stuff left over from animals after the actual meat is gone. Hedgehog complete is more acceptable, but it should only be used as part of a cat food mix because it doesn't offer total nutrition either. The best bet when it comes to hedgehog food is to totally by-pass the commercial foods and just buy 2-3 good cat foods and mix them together. The list that LizardGirl posted has foods that are all suitable for a hedgehog diet. Pick a few off there and slowly introduce one to your hedgie, then add in the others one at a time a week or so after each other.

 

[chaos_emerald]

please make sure the pet store gets that poor, sick hedgie to the vet
bless it's heart.

 

[autumn]

I called the pet store... they are RUDE!!! They said he is not sick, and I just didn't know how to handle him. (he has continued to bite) Keeping in mind this is the same lady who told me when I got him that she didn't know what sex he was because it was to hard to tell. (WHATEVER!!! You could CLEARLY see he was a boy once you KNEW what to look for!) I feel bad I took him back but I LOVE my new one I got from a different store. she is REALLY jumpy but doesn't bite no matter how scared she has been.

 

[Zalea]

If you're in the States, you should report the shop to the USDA. I would say that hedgie is in dire need of vet care. I'm afraid I'd have flipped out on that woman...She should at least consider the fact that he might need a check-up. *sigh* Anyway. Shops are supposed to have USDA licenses to sell hedgies in most cases. At the very least, you could try to get them to look into whether she needs a license or anything can be done. Here is an information page from the Hedgehog Welfare Society with links to the USDA site and contact info: http://www.hedgehogwelfare.org/USDA_Info.htm

In any case, I'm glad your new little one is warming up to you.

 

[nikki]

i'm confused...in your first post you say you took the first one back and they had just gotten an albino in so you got her...then later on you say you got the second one from a different pet shop than the first?

 

[kristinmarissa]

Actually, my hedgehog had the same problem--the nose thing--when I first got her. I think it was because she was so scared by the change that she was sniffing violently and that's why she was so...excuse the term...snotty. I remember we were worried that she had a cold or something, and were talking about taking her to the vet but once she settled in, it went away. So maybe that hedgehog wasn't necessarily sick, just really scared and nervous. I don't know, I'm just saying it's an option. The pet store still sounds like they're doing a terrible job though, between telling you they never bite and not knowing what sex they are! I mean, come on, how hard is that?