Questions

[yaniah]

Alright, I am not a hedgie owner, but I help out at an exotic sanctuary, and they have two hedgies there. No one is ever allow to pet them or play with them because they always puff and do their litte jump at us, even if we go really slowly. How do we get them used to us, or get them to not do that at least? I would love to take these guys out to play but I can't because we can't pick them up. To clean their house, I had made them a hedgie bag, and we just try and pick that up with them in it.

Also, I have never once seen them use their wheel, is there a reason why, do they just maybe no like it, or could they be lazy?

What other kind of toys can they play with? We put in a tiny, tiny stuffed animal in there, that never looks like it is tuched either.

I want to be able to get these guys more active, and used to us, or at least me so they can come out and play a bit. Any advise?

[hemi_mygirl]

The only way to get a hedgehog used to you is to spend time with it. Gently pet it, or pick it up and cuddle. Unless you watch them at night, you'll probably never see them wheel. Make sure the wheels are at least 11 or 12 inches in diameter, or they might not use it regardless. For toys, a toilet paper tube cut lengthwise is always a favorite, as well as crumpled up paper, paper towel pieces, tubes to run through (4 inch diameter), kitten/ping pong balls, and empty boxes.

Hedgehogs are pretty much nocturnal, so you probably won't see them playing, especially if they're really shy. Give them time to come around, and do your best to play with them, or handle them at least once a day in the evening for about half an hour.

[LunaMidnight]

Some hogs will puff and huff when you first go to pick them up no matter how friendly they are and the only way to get them used to you is to pick them up and spend time with them. It can take a long time or it just might not happen at all, some hogs are just like that.

I pretty much never see my girls wheel. If they even think I'm around they freeze and won't move until I go away and if I stand there and don't leave they just run and hide. :laugh:

[herbiesmom]

If you are picking them up during the day they are huffing because they have been awakened. My Snow who is the sweetest boy, will huff if I touch him when he is asleep. As soon as his eyes are all the way open, he puts his quills down and sniffs me. Huffing will not stop unless they are held all the time. They are not huffing out of meanness but out of fear. They are tiny creatures whose only defense is to become a quill ball.

[yaniah]

Well thats kind of my problem, I don't know how to handle them, and I don't think any of the volunteers there ever do. So how am I supposed to pick them up if they are always puffed out? There are two of them, and they are housed in the same house, there are never any fights, they do have a tag on their house as to the names and the sexes, I can not remember if they are boy, boy, or girl, girl, or boy, girl. They did say that one was nicer then the other, but I still can not get them to let me pick them up. I don't like them not getting any play time. I even play with the prairie dogs their like crazy, they love being scratched.

The few times I did try to pet them, when their quills were relaxed they puffed right away, nd I know it is from them not being handled very much, or if at all. So where should I really start with these guys?


The only way to get a hedgehog used to you is to spend time with it. Gently pet it, or pick it up and cuddle. Unless you watch them at night, you'll probably never see them wheel. Make sure the wheels are at least 11 or 12 inches in diameter, or they might not use it regardless. For toys, a toilet paper tube cut lengthwise is always a favorite, as well as crumpled up paper, paper towel pieces, tubes to run through (4 inch diameter), kitten/ping pong balls, and empty boxes.

Hedgehogs are pretty much nocturnal, so you probably won't see them playing, especially if they're really shy. Give them time to come around, and do your best to play with them, or handle them at least once a day in the evening for about half an hour.

[Zoomom]

Sophie always huffs when I pick her up. The easiest way to pick her up is to let her see you coming, wait until she rolls in a ball, and then scoop up the balled the up hedgie. The spines are sharp, but you get used to them pretty quick. After about five seconds Sophie will unball and start walking around, it is just those initial few seconds that she needs to figure out what is going on.

[yaniah]

Thank you. And being that these guys are rescues, I am not quite sure what their exact story is, just that no one there handles them :( I think all the animals there deserve play time, even if it is teasing the alligator a tad bit so he goes from one end of his tub to the other. :) But it is probably going to take a very, very, very long time for these guys to probably turst me isnt it? I mean they may roll into a ball, but not neccissarly come out of the ball right? Things like that.
Sophie always huffs when I pick her up. The easiest way to pick her up is to let her see you coming, wait until she rolls in a ball, and then scoop up the balled the up hedgie. The spines are sharp, but you get used to them pretty quick. After about five seconds Sophie will unball and start walking around, it is just those initial few seconds that she needs to figure out what is going on.

[LunaMidnight]

Some hogs will come out of a ball quickly to look around and some will stay there for a bit and sniff before they'll come out. It depends on the hog. I guess mine trust me but one more than the other.

When I first held Isis at the pet store she poked her nose out and a few minutes later she was out and running around my arms and the second time I went to visit her she un-balled right away. I was lucky though since she's pretty friendly and didn't need much work and she usually never huffs or balls when I go to pick her up.

Luna on the other hand can be super grumpy. I've had her for 5 months now and she will still ball up and pop at me sometimes. She un-balls quickly but she'll still huff and jump if you touch her. We hold her all the time and give her treats but she's still pretty huffy. We keep doing it though because one day she might calm down. But the second I put a meal worm in front of her nose all huffing stops and the quills go completely flat. :winkgrin:

[pixiestix]

What kind of cage or enclosure are they kept in? If it's too cold or too hot they won't be very active at all. Since you're in Illinois I know that its really really really cold out now, so make sure the room temperature where ever they are is at least 75.

When I first got Pixie she was difficult to pick up because she would ball up so tight and I was a little afraid, so I used just a small washcloth to get her out of her cage, and then set her on directly on my lap and sat quietly until she unballed and started exploring. After about a week I was more comfortable with her and picking her up so I stopped using the washcloth altogether.

It just takes some patience and baby steps! Just know they probably wont cuddle with you right away, but every minute you spend time with them, the more likely they will become accustomed to you and let you pet/handle them.

[herbiesmom]

The best way to pick up a hufffy hedgie is to scoop them up. Put one hand on side and the other hand on the other side and slide your hands together underneath the quill ball so your hands make a big bowl like shape and scoop them up. Once they start to unball, then you can put one hand in front of the other and shift their front feet to your other hand kind of forcing them to walk on your hands. If you pick them up every day, they should start to unball quicker. When my Herbie is having a really grumpy day, I wrap him in a baby blanket and sit with him in my lap. I let him come out when he is ready. Some days, he just stays in the blanket and lays down. Other days he comes out and sniffs me all over.