Are Hedgies Sharp?

[jk_chinchilla]

I have what is probably a really stupid question...but...I've been looking at everyone's pictures of their hedgies and they look so cute! I have chinchillas (that's why I'm on this site to begin with) and I was wondering if you can hold hedgies...are they sharp? What do their quills feel like?

[Jeanette]

They are sharp only if they poke you the wrong way! lol.
You can pet a hh from front to back (not back to front) and the quills feel pretty smooth.
You just have to be careful because they could ball up and put up their quills... then it's not so smart to start petting them, lol.

They can be very cute and cuddly when they want to! lmao

[groovychic]

Hedgies can be very sharp. Especially when they are very little.....I remember little "holes" in my fingertips and even drawing blood a few times. Kahlua is still not friendly and tends to poke everyone (your hands actually get used to it). Herbie is a cuddlebug and rarely ever quills up. You can pet him and snuggle most of the time.

[hemi_mygirl]

I don't find them particularly "sharp", although the quills can be a bit of a shock to those who aren't used to it. Hemi never drew blood by poking me. The worst "injury" from her quills I can remember is a cat scratch type thing. No blood, just a bit red.

[herbiesmom]

Snow is a larger hedgie and his quills are very sharp if he means them to be. He has drawn blood like a pin prick from me once or twice. Herbie is a smaller hedgie and his quills are not that bad even when he is in a ball and trying to poke you. The quills when a hedgie is in a ball leave a feeling like you have rubbed your hand across sand paper at first. After a while your hands adjust and they don't bother you anymore. Petting laid down quills feels kind of like touching a pile of q tips in the middle. They are not fuzzy kind of like soft plastic or fingernails.

[Mouser'sMommie]

When my friends ask, I tell them he feels like a backwards pin cushion. :laugh:

[PrettyHate]

They arent sharp- until you step on one!

[greychins]

They arent sharp- until you step on one!

OWCH!

[Dr_DooLottle]

sometimes they'd itch for a while, after getting poked, but yeah, you get used to it after a while, until they jump out of your hand, and impale you... (see related thread in somewhere else. hehe)

[LunaMidnight]

My girls are only hard to pick up when they're grumpy and puffed up, then they feel like a cactus. :p