Is he just really tame?

[Breigh]

So I've had Harley for 3 days now and I've had him out of his cage a few times. Usually in his hedgie bag as I don't want him to feel like he's being manhandled right away...

Most times I took him out was when I was showing him to people back in Canada on my webcam hehe

He's still a baby (born June 11, 2006) so he sleeps a lot and I've had to wake him almost every time I took him out. He tries to get back in his igloo or will stick his quills up and hiss a bit when I try to pick him up (I don't let this stop me though as I don't want it to become a habit)

Once I have him out, he really only sticks his quills up if my hand goes near his face unexpectedly, or if I touch him when he isn't looking. Which I also assume is natural.

Anyway, my question is about him curling up into a ball. I haven't seen him do this once! Is this a good or bad thing? Does it mean he feels at least a little comfortable with me holding him and the breeder has handled him a lot, making him quite tame? or are there other reasons that he isn't doing it.

Should he be doing it at least sometimes?

[Vincent]

Edmund was like that with me. :) I expected him to be huffy, but he curls into a ball VERY rarely. I think it has to do a lot with the way they're raised; he was handled by humans very young, so he's not afraid of much. I think it also has to do with their personality. Edmund is very curious, and when he's curled up, he can't see anything. He'd much rather run around and nibble stuff. I think it's a great thing!

[FiaSpice]

don't be afraid, Litchi doesn't know what a ball is! She did it long engouh to get a pic only 2 times. Other than that when it did happend (when I wake her up) it lasted like 2 second "Mommy, why are you waking me up? Oh wait, I want to play with you!"

[LunaMidnight]

Isis never balls up anymore either. The first time she ever did it was when she was still at the store and I went in to hold her but she eventually un-balled and was busy checking me out. Now the only time she does it is if I startle her while she's asleep and she stops when she realizes that it's just me. :)

[nicole1719]

Thistle isn't very bally either! She'll do it when once in a while if I first wake her up from under a pillow on the couch (only place she will curl into a ball from), but if this makes any sense, she'll just kind of stay in the ball she was sleeping in, not a pokey angry one...she curled right up on my chest last night to sleep, with her feet poking her face and her head resting on my chest...so cute!

[herbiesmom]

My snow only balls if he is asleep when I touch him or if I turn him onto his back and then only for a few seconds. The first time we held him in the pet store, he curled up on his side and went to sleep in my son's hand. He is a total sweetheart. You just have a very sweet baby.

[Nancy]

Huffing and putting his quills up as are taking him out of his cage is perfectly normal. Many of even the most friendly hedgehogs do that. It is a territorial thing.

Some hedgehogs never ball up. We have a couple that we cannot get to ball up. :)