some sad thing i noticed...

[oksk89]

i just realized how cruel we are. we take baby animals from their moms so we can take care of them for our own selffish pleasures. i was watching my hog ride his wheel at night for about 10 seconds. then he would get off to see where he was. then he would get back on and get back off... i just realized that he was doing that to see if he was getting AWAY from his environment. in other words, he was trying to escape... :( i would go nuts if i were confined to some cage... :|

[Nancy]

i just realized how cruel we are. we take baby animals from their moms so we can take care of them for our own selffish pleasures. i was watching my hog ride his wheel at night for about 10 seconds. then he would get off to see where he was. then he would get back on and get back off... i just realized that he was doing that to see if he was getting AWAY from his environment. in other words, he was trying to escape... :( i would go nuts if i were confined to some cage... :|

I think it is mostly the young ones that wheel for a few seconds, get off and then back on. I've also noticed it with some of our adoptees until they are comfortable here. I think it is because they are nervous about us watching and also they don't quite understand that they can run without going anywhere.

My older ones will get on and wheel for hours and if I walk in the room, they stop, look at me and then continue as if I don't exist. :)

[Love4Hedgies]

I agree with Nancy! None of mine really mind wheeling in front of me. :)

[Kalandra]

I think some of them do it just to see if you are watching them and not necessarily because they are nervous due to a new environment. I've had one who lived his entire life with me who would do this. However, he would run really hard, and sit on his wheel while it rocked back and forth. I've had others who would jump off and back on. I've also had hedgehogs do this who had free access to the outside world called my home, and those that would run in and out of their cage to run on their wheels eventhough they had free roam.

Who knows why hedgehogs do what they do. I'm certain that most of the time they do it to keep us wondering what they are thinking.

[Ododad]

i just realized how cruel we are. we take baby animals from their moms so we can take care of them for our own selffish pleasures. i was watching my hog ride his wheel at night for about 10 seconds. then he would get off to see where he was. then he would get back on and get back off... i just realized that he was doing that to see if he was getting AWAY from his environment. in other words, he was trying to escape... :( i would go nuts if i were confined to some cage... :|I disagree. It is not cruel to take a baby from it's mother and give it a loving home. In the wild, a lot of babies die or are eaten. If you have a baby hedgie, and are caring for it, loving it and giving it a good home, where is the cruelty? I don't see it. You are keeping him safe and warm. He has plenty of good food and fresh water. He dosen't worry about freezing, starving or being lunch. He has a carefree life and all his needs are met. I think thats a good thing, not a bad one. Look at it this way. How do you know that when he is wheeling and then gets off and looks around then wheels some more that he is not thinking "wow! I can't believe how warm I am. Look at all of the food and water! I don't have to hunt for anything! Everything is right here! I can't believe how lucky I am! I can crap and pee and it is taken away by magic and I don't have to do anything! Look at those poor animals outside. How cold they are, how they spend their entire life looking for food. How scared they are of being prey. How did I get so lucky? Man, I love it here!" How do you know he is not saying that? Think about it.

[Janine]

I think the hedgies are happy living in luxuery too. If someone cleaned my room daily, served my meals, did the dishes and let me play as much as I wanted I'd be pretty darn happy :)

Though, I was a bit unsettled when I kept hermit crabs. It was only after keeping them a long time that I learned that they were "harvested" from the wild (they can't be bred in captivity) and shipped to be pets. I know that at one point this was the case with hedgies (to be taken from the wild), but I consider it a different situation now that they are domesticated.

[RoxieFaye]

I agree completely with Ododad. He said it better than I could have. :)

[teela1342]

Can't the same thing be said about any pet? No matter what kind of animal you love, it has been separated from its mother. But that separation comes in the wild too, right? You rarely see a family of of adult animals hanging out together. They grow up, and go their own way. They are subject to disease, predators, accidents, weather. :scared:

I could take my Jake the hedgehog, Bisa the beagle, and cats Ophelia, Noah and Neville out to a lovely spot of woods and set them free. How long would they last an Oregon winter? Trust me. Jake may be bit unaware of how good he has it, but Bisa is VERY appreciative of being able to sleep in Mom's bed. :rolleyes:

Set your mind at ease, as long as you are taking care of your pets and not breeding them to be an ingredient in an exotic dish I think your conscience is clear. There is nothing wrong with the happiness you feel from watching a living creature you love thrive. :hedge3:

[Ododad]

Can't the same thing be said about any pet? No matter what kind of animal you love, it has been separated from its mother. But that separation comes in the wild too, right? You rarely see a family of of adult animals hanging out together. They grow up, and go their own way. They are subject to disease, predators, accidents, weather. :scared:

I could take my Jake the hedgehog, Bisa the beagle, and cats Ophelia, Noah and Neville out to a lovely spot of woods and set them free. How long would they last an Oregon winter? Trust me. Jake may be bit unaware of how good he has it, but Bisa is VERY appreciative of being able to sleep in Mom's bed. :rolleyes:

Set your mind at ease, as long as you are taking care of your pets and not breeding them to be an ingredient in an exotic dish I think your conscience is clear. There is nothing wrong with the happiness you feel from watching a living creature you love thrive. :hedge3:Well said.

[Schmuzzle's Mom]

I am in total agreement with all of the supportive posts that have been made here.......focus on the positive here and take these peoples messages to heart. You did not take your hedgie away from it's mother in the wild, and I assume you are giving it the best care so what's to worry about!! I love ododads response and think that that is truly what she thinks........although noone can tell for sure......feel blessed to have such a wonderful loving little pet in your life and do your best to enrich her life like she does yours and you needn't worry at all about her happiness or yours for that matter......they will go hand in hand!! :D