SO proud!!!

[kanne]

I got my first hedgehog last Sunday (the 24th of Sept), and yesterday (Thursday) when I got home from work, she had finally eaten all her food AND is completely using her litter pan! I'm so proud!!!! :) (Although while emptying her litter pan I guess a piece of poop landed on the side of the trash can lid, because I accidentally squashed it. Gross.)

[Jeanette]

Hee hee... that's great!
I love it when they use the litter.
I don't force Spiny to use it but he likes to keep a clean house, lol.

[LunaMidnight]

That's cool! :high5: My girls are pretty good about it. Luna is still figuring it out and Isis has pretty much got it, which is funny because she's about half Luna's age and used to poop everywhere. :p

[paris26]

That's pretty impressive for a new hedgie! Don't be mad if she forgets her good housekeeping skills :) It's bound to happen!

[Pringlesmom]

I would be proud too! Do you have any pictures?

[kanne]

I don't have any yet, but an update-

Over the weekend I kept her cage in my room because I had a lot of people over, and I didn't want her to get freaked out. I awoke at 2:30 AM on Sunday morning to this HORRIBLE smell- my whole room smelled AWFUL! I was so mad, I took her cage out to the living room and sprayed my room down- I awoke the next morning to find her wheel full of poop and pee- it was SO nasty!!!

So here's a question- tell me if this is mean. What if I fed her every other night, and then every other night I put her wheel in? OR what if I put her wheel in at night, and then feed her in the morning and take the wheel out?

[LoriL]

You need to feed her daily.

It is perfectly normal for hedgehogs to poop/pee as they wheel. Cleaning a poopy wheel is all part of being a hedgehog owner. :)

She needs to wheel for not only exercise, but to relieve anxiety.

I think it's a great sign that she is wheeling and she left you a nice messy wheel!

I know that when they first poop, it can smell pretty bad. If you don't like the smell of it, then you'll need to find another location for her cage.

[Jeanette]

Yeah. I would be worried if I didn't find a poopy wheel.
Don't be mad at your hedgie! It's not her fault.
And yeah, a lot of people here would be like
'It's like saying to you, what if you only got fed every other day and got to go outside on the days that you didn't get fed?'
Sorry, but that's pretty mean.
hee hee... so you have two choices.
Get used to it, or find someone who will.
*good luck*

[kanne]

ok i wasn't sure about the feeding thing..ha ha ha got it!

maybe i will leave special treats in her litter box ha ha ha. the wheel really wasn't a huge deal, but it was gross- i suppose i will get used to it! :)

[Jeanette]

Well, now that Spiny isn't growing as much, he doesn't make nearly as much poop as he did when I first got him... so hopefully you won't have to deal with sooo much poop forever :)