My Hedgie has a potty problem.

[Ilhedgieowner]

As the title state my hedgehog has a potty problem, well actually two of them. He has his own little litter box, which he uses, but he seems to like to throw his poop outside the cage, he is constantly doing this, throwing them all over the floor, into curtains, on to furniture. I mean it's not a simple flick outside, he really gets into and tosses it. I've even been pegged with it while sitting at my computer desk. Anyhow, his other problem is he not only throws his poop, but it seems no matter how many times i bathe him, or clean him, as soon as he goes back to his cage, he goes to the bathroom, and sticks his headquills into his poo and gets it to matt his quills together. I don't really know why he is doing this, the vet here that doctors hedgies (who is over an hour away) only knows physical ailments, not really nature so they have no clue. I can't go to a pet store, because he's a rescue hedgie a pet store bought him to try and sell in their store, but no vets around here doctor them so legally they couldn't sell him. So they turned him into the pet port, where I adopted him. Biggest problem also is he was in terrible shape, under weight, never been handled before going to the pet port and he was almost 2 years old, had mites, has lost a big patch of headquills. So he definately has grumpy hedgie syndrome, infact he still acts like he doesn't like me until I hold him for about 15 minutes then he calms down and is all sweet and loving. My question is does anyone know how to fix this potty throwing, and potty quill gel problem?

[ChinnieChantel]

Hmmm....what kind of bedding do you use? And what kind of cage? You may have to get a new cage, say the sterlite bins...to keep him from flinging poo. I really don't know how you can change his behavior, just can change his environment. Maybe different bedding can help, or new litter? Otherwise, he is just going to have to get lots of baths! Good luck!

And I thought only chins were the poo flingers!

[Nancy]

This is a new one on me? How exactly does he fling it? Is he digging and it flies out from his digging? Is it coming flying off his wheel as he runs?

[Cimredopyh]

I am amazed @_@

[Hathery]

Laika used to back up to the edge of her cage and purposely poop outside of it onto the floor. I found that if I blocked the corners of her cage w/ obstacles, she stuck to her litter box instead of the poo-outside-the-cage game.

[mmartinez1987]

I will find a random poop on the wall next to the cages.. Sometimes a few feet away on the floor.

[Ilhedgieowner]

Sorry for the long time no answer I honestly lost the addy for this forum. -.-

ChinnieChantel: I use white Aspen shavings and it's kind of a homemade cage, it's basically converted rabbit cage that I added a plastic bottomed tray too with locks so he can be in his bedding and root and all that fun stuff.

Nancy: His poo flinging isn't really while he digs, I mean he finds a nice area where he's pooed alot and just kicks it with his back paws not moving his front ones, then he walks away and goes digging in his front paws.

[threewingedfury]

mine like to poo while they are on the wheel, so I find poo on the wall beside it

[hemi_mygirl]

… This is a new one. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a hedgehog actually flinging poop. When he was still living in a sterilite quarantine bin, Cuda would climb up onto his igloo and poop onto the wall of his cage. I thought that was clever of him, pooping 5 inches up a wall… but flinging poop and pegging the owner? Wow.

Good luck – it sounds like you have quite the little devil on your hands. Hehe.

[smhufflepuff]

Endowned with the powers of anthropomorphism, I can understand: What human would want to live next to their own poop? Nobody. Hedgies doesn't want to either, so he gets rid of it. Smart hog!

...and that explanation works fine until I get to the part about sticking his quills in his poo and having it stuck there.

Gosh, I don't know what to tell you. :( It's certainly sounds unusual.