More Questions

[Breigh]

Now that I have Harley home, I'm a little unsure of what I can do to help him settle in.

When we got him home I put him in his new home with some food and water, paper towl and yesterday's news under his wheel, an igloo, hedgie bag, toys etc.

When we got him home he nosed around a little then hid under his hedgie bag and apparently went to sleep.

This morning I got up at 5:30am and he was awake, within about 10 minutes of me getting up he waddled into his igloo, curled up and went to sleep. It's no 8:30pm and he is still in there.. is that normal?

What sleeping hours should I expect? I know they are nocturnal but around what time in the evening do they wake up?

I've been happy to leave him alone for the first day because he's new and I want him to get used to his new home... but later, is it ok to wake him during the day to play, bathe or clean his cage?

How does this all work?

[nicole1719]

Harley is still pretty young right? Thistle is just now starting to be more awake and playful. When I brought her home she was asleep ALL the time, she now gets up and plays in the evening, and doesn't automatically curl up and go to sleep every time i get her up! The first month I had her the only reason I knew she would ever be awake is from the poopy wheel in the morning!

I personally would wake Thistle up to get her out (otherwise i would probably never see her!) sometimes she is willing to play and explore, others she just wants to go back to sleep! I often let her sleep in the pouch of a hoodie while i'm wearing it so she gets used to my scent, and it's warm and cozy in there for her!

[Breigh]

Yeah he's only a few months old (16 weeks) so I guess he still needs his baby sleep.

My husband is working on the ramp for his cage so we got him out (my husband had to cuz I'm still timid when he gets huffy, it's only been 1 day)

We got him out and I tried to hold him for a bit but my dog (a yorkie) is beside himself about this whole thing and he shakes and tries to get near every second Harley is in sight.

So I got a hedgie bag and let Harley curl up in it, so now he's laying in the hedgie bag in my lap sleeping.

I don't want to push him too much or anger him, as I want him to bond with me rather than fear me or want to hide every time I come around.

One thing that makes me go a little eeek... is that I feel slightly sneezy / itchy after handling him. I'm praying to god that it's just from him being in the shavings etc before and it will be a little better after a bath.

I mean I have 2 cats and 1 dog... which I'm also allergic to and built up a resistance. I guess I'll have to do the same with him hehe

[LunaMidnight]

I think alot of people get itchy after holding a hog for the first few times because of the quills and I read that hedgehogs are hypo-allergenic, so alot of people who can't have pets can have a hog. :)

[illinidairychic]

If your hands are itchy he might need a bath. Sometiems it gets like that if they have annointed a lot. You will also get use to the quills over time :)

[herbiesmom]

My boys sleep from 6 am until about 9 pm unless I wake them up for cage cleaning or bath time. When Herbie was a baby, 3-4 months old he slept about 20 hours per day and would only wake up to play and eat for about 30 minutes at a time before becoming exhausted and laying down to sleep.