[junipersmom]

Hi all! My name is Alena. I took home my sweet girl Juniper Berry on Saturday. She was born 2/5/14 so she is just 7 weeks old. She already loves to explore her cage and play on her wheel at night. Me and my boyfriend are trying to handle her only to a minimum of about 45 minutes per night. Last night was her third night at home and I had her in my lap. She had her quills up but I kept petting her hoping she would relax. I can tell she is quilling and I know its imperative she get used to being handled. About 30 minutes into our session she started popping (is that whats its called?) and huffing repeatedly every time I touched her. I pet her for about another two minutes to show her I wasn't scared of her quills. She yawned (SO CUTE) so I figured she was grumpy from being tired (this was about 1am).

Questions: I know she is going to be grumpy, but it still hurts my heart a little bit. I wish she knew how much we love her and her mom and dad just want to play and cuddle! What is the ideal time to play and cuddle with new baby? I'm a nurse and work the 3-11 shift but my boyfriend is always home by 9pm.

If she is really scared/grumpy and huffing/popping repeatedly should we place her back in her environment or try to work through it? I'm sure there is a fine line.

Do sounds bother hedgies when they are trying to sleep during the day? Would the TV on low bother her?

Would she be more playful at night if we kept the lights low? We take her out in a mostly dark room with a little bit of light in the corner just enough to see . Or is she ok with brighter lights at night?

So many questions. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Greetings from chilly New Haven, CT ~ Alena

 

[Draenog]

Welcome! What a cute little hedgie.

Sounds like you're doing the right thing by handling here at least half an hour per day. They can be extra grumpy when quilling. Their new quills are coming through, which can be quite painful! Imagine growing dozens of sharp little quills through your skin...
She might not like it when you pet her on the quills. It's all very sensitive right now! Keep handling her, but avoid touching her quills too much if she makes clear she doesn't like it.

Don't put her back when she's acting grumpy or she'll learn being grumpy = back in the cage. Just keep handling her, let her walk around a bit in your room or let her sleep on your lap. Everything is still very new to her, you've only had her for a couple of days so she still needs some time to adjust and get used to you and her new environment.
Putting an old worn t-shirt in her cage could help her get used to your scent.
Don't expect too much. It takes weeks or months for some hedgehogs to get used to their new owner. Don't push it. If she doesn't like it when you pet her, don't pet her. Find something else she likes instead. Maybe she'll let you pet her quills next month. Or in 4 months. You don't know, it really depends on the hedgehog. They are all different. Some of them will never like it, some of them love it.

I handle mine mostly in the evening, sometimes during the day but he's more likely to go to sleep then if I let him walk around. It's good to make a routine esp with the new ones; try to get her out around the same time every day.
As for sounds during the day, I've never had any problems. They just sleep right through it.

 

[junipersmom]

Thank you for the response! You definitely eased my mind. I hope she gets used to us petting her more and more. Last night I just let her sniff around and explore my lap. I pet her for a few minutes and she did just fine.

Thanks again!

 

[Draenog]

Sounds great And I'm sure she will!