worried...

[oksk89]

i recently got 2 new chocolate hedgies and boy are they different. one of them is sooooo offensive. if he just sees me he spikes and/or balls up, while making huffing noises. but the other one is so nice. he almost never balls or spikes. only when hes really really scared... i put my hand in front of him and i accidentally hit the cage with my leg and he just got scared and spiked up... i really hate it when hedgies spike up... its so scary...

anyway... im sad... the really nice hedgie (no names yet) was sniffing my hand and stuff... so i thought "wow, this guy is a nice one" and i proceeded to pet him. THATS when he suddenly puffed and jumped at me... i was SO scared. i never saw it ocming.... i thought i was going well with my hedgie but now im so sad. he hates me. :(

[Schmuzzle's Mom]

First of all i think i could tell you that you need to relax...having a new pet/pets is always exciting yet stressfull on a new animal. New Hedgies need time to get used to you and all the popping and jumping is just their little way of saying "Oooh you are big and scary and might be trying to harm me"......you see they are actually as scared of you as you are of them!! :rolleyes:

So now that you know that the three of you all feel the same, what would you like someone to do the first time they met you............approach you and try to pick you up? No......you would like to talk to them first and get to know them a little bit first right? So spend time sitting and talking to your new pets and let them know that your smell is associated with good things only! Maybe once you feel secure introducing your hand into the cage, offer a few bugs or special treats for them to take from your hand so that they can associate you with good things. i feed frozen defrosted bugs that don't move LOL :slurp:

About the huffing and jumping......my hoglet did that alot when I first got her and she stayed in a ball alot too.......this is where they feel safest. They will come out more when they feel that you are not a danger to them. I have had my baby about 1 month now and she still gets a little huffy when I go and wake her up from sleeping, but she quickly settles down now. Also, they can be very grumpy during quilling.......I know my Muzz was a different Hog during that time.....she just liked to cuddle and not play much.

Try just alot of cuddle time with your "pigs in a blanket" :laugh: so to speak, one at a time. At first I always held and picked up Muzz with a small cloth to make us both feel more secure. Cuddle time with a bit of cloth that holds your scent is a great way to associate you with security for them too, as well as leaving a personal item like old shirt etc that smells like you in their cage.

I'm sure all the three of you need is time and you will be surprised what a difference a few weeks will make......everyone just need some time to adjust to the new surroundings..

Good luck and keep us all updated on your progress....... :)

[Moose]

Schmuzzle's mom gave some great advice. You gotta try to relax and remain calm. Don't psych yourself out too much. If you start out feeling apprehensive and wary, your hedgie will probably sense that and remain balled up. Balling and being huffy is their defense mechanism so the more huffy they are the more engaging you should be. Talk to them softly (I even sang and hummed to my baby) and don't make sudden moves. They don't see very well so they react to shadows. Dim the lights and anything else you can think of to make them feel at ease. This will help you bond. It is up to you to make this relationship work. :) Spend at least an hour a night with each hedgie. It's not going to happen over night. Do NOT think they hate you. They don't and are just scared. They are by nature bit jumpy. Think positive!!! Consistency and Patience is the key. Don't give up! You'll get there.

[Ododad]

Not all hedgies are the same. In fact, they each have their own distinct personalities. One seems to have accepted you quickly while the other seems to need more time. Perfectly normal. The longer you have them, and as they grow you will see that they are not the same at all. Each have different likes and dislikes and it's up to you to learn these. One thing will remain the same though, hedgies can, and do ball up. It is their only method of defence. It's all they have to protect themself. You will have to get used to that. It is their nature. Does not mean in any way that they hate you. It means they are frightened, That's all. Don't take it personally. Some take a long time for you to earn their trust, and some are friendly from the start. All hedgies are different. Remember that. They don't hate you, they are just scared when they ball up. You have nothing to be sad about. From what you describe, they are acting perfectly normal. They can smell and sense your fear. Perhaps a regular sunggle time, at first with a cloth and then with your bare hands when you are comfortable with that will go a long, long way towards making friends. Offering treats never hurts either. They will get to know the sound of your voice and your smell in their on good time. A hedgies trust must be earned. You simply must get over being scared of the hissing, balling and spiking up. It is normal for them and even though with time, they will get used to you and rarely do it, they will always hiss and jump and ball up from time to time. It is just what they do. The more you get used to them, and you must handle them to do that, the more you learn about them, and the more they learn about you. It takes time. With some hedgies, it takes a lot of time. Don't ever give up. Trust me, the love they will return to you will be more than worth the effort and soon you will wonder what it was you were scared of in the first place!

[lmnopeejoeee]

I recently got my heggie and had the same problem. I noticed though that the calmer you are the calmer your heggie is. I also used a pair of leather gloves at first because my heggie refused to go near me. So i GENTLY picked it up and it just started getting used to me that way. The best way for mine to feel comfortable was in my lap. But when i was getting mine used to me i made sure i was in a quiet room with the tv off. Also try handfeeding it mealworms to get it used to being around you. Good Luck