[Cloud]

Hey, the names Alex and I've been a hedgehog owner for 3 days now (I tried to spoof the AA greeting, but now that I read it over it kind of looks stupid...) As you might have noticed I am a little immature at times, but I assure you I'm a very caring owner, I lub ma hedgie <3.

Yupyup, I am 19, live alone and decided I wanted a pet. I've actually wanted a hedgehog since I was about 10, My uncle had one and I absolutely loved it. Then I saw an Albino hedgie and wanted one named Cloud. Let's see... I got her 3 days ago, she is 2 months old (her bday is April 22nd) so yes she is quilling (I've found numerous spines, and they all have a ball thing at the end, I heard that if they do it means she is quilling and probably doesn't have mites).

I was kind of skeptic about naming her Cloud because it seems more appropriate for a guy, but I don't care, her name is Cloud! I got her 3 days ago, I noticed someone was selling a hedgehog (the previous owners were moving into a building that did not allow pets), so I jumped on the opportunity. Obviously I read up as much as I could about them (I like being prepared) and decided it was time I could handle it.

So the first day I brought home Cloud she was very scared and huffed at me pretty much all the time (I was kind of expecting it), I put a shirt I was wearing into her bed area for her to get use to my scent and I think it worked pretty well. On the second day she didn't huff at me AS much, only when I moved... , I also put her on my bed and she explored my sheets, it was kind of funny, she pretty much walked around my entire bed and she really likes my comforter (it is fleece...I think...I like comfortable bedding too...) She didn't eat a lot or drink, but she did eat some, so I waited cause I assumed it was her being scared of her new home. Sure enough yesterday and today she ate and drank a lot, so I'm pretty happy about that.

Yesterday I also noticed she had a little dirt or poop on her side spines, so I decided to give her a bath... She didn't really seem to like it and she pooped like 3 times, but afterwards she seemed really playful ( I think it was cause her spines where hurting (she is quilling) and she seemed less fussy about me petting her spines).

At night I noticed that she loves going under her shaving (they are aspen shaving, heard they were good) and trying to dig under the cage. Is it just because hedgehogs like digging, or is there an underlying cause? Would her nails be discomforting or something? Yeah, I don't think I should see a vet about it, but if anyone thinks otherwise please say so.

Yup, I lurk here pretty often recently so I'll be around. Pics to come. Peace!

 

[LizardGirl]

Welcome to HHC and congrats on your new hedgie!

 

[Cloud]

Thank you thank you. It's about 1 a.m. here, and this is usually the time she walks around a lot. I like playing with her now.

 

[LarryT]

HHC is a must for the new owner lots of helpful people here to help with anything hedgie :mrgreen:
Sounds like u have done your research
I would try to take her off the aspen shavings and try some fleece liners.
I dont want to beat a dead horse :lol: but fleece is alot better than any wood shavings.
Post some pics of your new hedgie so everyone can see :mrgreen:

 

[dorasdaddy]

What are you feeding her right now? I only ask because when we first got Dora we assumed that hedgehog food was the right way to go so i know how easy it is to make that mistake. Please refer to the dry cat food list for proper foods, if you havent already done so.

And Welcome to HHC, happy learning!

 

[Cloud]

HHC is a must for the new owner lots of helpful people here to help with anything hedgie :mrgreen:
Sounds like u have done your research
I would try to take her off the aspen shavings and try some fleece liners.
I dont want to beat a dead horse :lol: but fleece is alot better than any wood shavings.
Post some pics of your new hedgie so everyone can see :mrgreen:

I don't know about the fleece liners, she seems to really like digging and walking underneath the aspen shavings, also she's not exactly potty trained, is fleece easy to clean? I'll get some and see how it works out.

What are you feeding her right now? I only ask because when we first got Dora we assumed that hedgehog food was the right way to go so i know how easy it is to make that mistake. Please refer to the dry cat food list for proper foods, if you havent already done so.

And Welcome to HHC, happy learning!

http://www.nutrience.com/eng/products/cat/dry/kitten_growth.php

This is what I got Cloud, her owner gave me it (she didn't finish the bag). I checked it for stuff hedgehogs shouldn't eat and it seems good in that department, she does seem to eat it sparingly though (I think it more has to do with her still being scared of the new home and stuff), and the only other thing I have fed her was tuna and apples (pretty much the only stuff I eat as well... xd oh and she annointed after I gave her each...I shouldn't have given her a piece of apple RIGHT after I gave her a shower...). Any advice on this department would be awesome .

 

[dorasdaddy]

fleece liners are great to clean, just pick the poop off and toss them in the wash... you can cut a bunch of fleece up into strips for her to dig in. you can get fleece blankets pretty cheap an cut them to fit you cage, this way you can have several liners on hand and just do a load when you get enough dirty ones to fill the wash. as far as the food i saw two things in it i would try to shy away from..lactic acid (hedgies are lactose intolerant) and citric acid (hedgies shouldnt have citrus) also the fat content is way too high. should be 15% or less.

 

[LizardGirl]

The food looks alright, but I'd second adding some lower fat foods to make a mix, or weaning her off of it. Unless she has a hard time keeping weight on, it is a bit high in fat. If you look in the Diet and Nutrition section, Reaper has a dry food list (recently updated) posted there.