[7petmom]

Hi all. My name is Cara, and I am now mom to a rescue hedgie I've named Dim Sum. We haven't even been able to sex him/her, as Dim Sum is a very scared hedgie and won't do anything but roll in a ball, huff and carry on. S/he was in deplorable conditions on consignment in a store.
Apparently, a mom bought Dim Sum for her kid and the child was scared of Dim Sum, who inadvertently has been dropped and lord only knows what else. They kept Anyway, I'm a veterinary technician and couldn't leave poor Dim Sum there.
I've never owned a hedgie but had been considering one for a long time. All I know about Dim Sum is that he/she is a year old and hasn't had ANY human contact for some time. Last night, we had a small breakthrough and I was able to hold him/her and we unrolled for a few minutes and sat in my hand sniffing. I couldn't move, though, because we'd immediately roll back up and huff.
We're also a VERY messy hedgie, so I have some housing questions that I'll post in the appropriate places. Oy, do we make a ROYAL mess!!
Just wanted to introduce myself, since I'm sure I'll have tons of questions, as I'm learning as I go.

Oh, and my username is a result of having 4 dogs, 2 cats and now Dim Sum. Such is the life of a vet tech.

 

[Nancy]

Hi. Welcome to HHC.

To check the sex of a shy hedgehog you can put him/her in a clear container and look underneath. I have a small plastic aquarium I use but a glass backing dish will work great too.

 

[7petmom]

Hi. Welcome to HHC.

To check the sex of a shy hedgehog you can put him/her in a clear container and look underneath. I have a small plastic aquarium I use but a glass backing dish will work great too.

Thanks. I did read that, but if he/she is out of the cage we are so tightly rolled that I think I own a pet sea urchin! Only in my hand did we unroll for a minute, and when I tried to move, forget it!

 

[Nancy]

Yeah, that is a possibility but give him/her a few days to adjust and then try. It may take a while before she is confident enough to stand.