I brought home my new hedge - and I have a few ?'s

[DeniMarie]

He was born on 9/13 and I've had him for 4 days.

He seems to be doing well, but he is popping and hissing a lot when I first go near him. He has only completely balled up a couple times, normally he just puffs up. I've been taking him out in the evening for some cuddle time, but normally take his blankie too, so he can 'hide' while sitting on me. How long does it take to get them socialized? Do they normally like to be patted? I've been patting him gently with the back of my finger along his back and rump.

I know he's up at night, he's a speed demon on his 12" wheel and I can hear his balls and toys jingling. He's sleeping a lot when ever we are in the room - that's normal right?

How does this sound for a diet? (he seems to like all of it)
breakfast (9pm) chicken and shrimp combo, veggie or fruit in little pieces and a cricket and 2 worms

dinner (6am) Eukanuba adult low fat cat food (I leave a little of this out all the time for snacking)


He is also loosing some quills - I noticed when I was cleaning his cage. There was maybe 7 - 10 this morning. Is that normal?

[Tampaquillowner]

I dont think the Eukanuba is a great food, there are better foods out there like Chicken soup for the cat lovers soul, Royal Canin, Wellness etc etc. If you do a search you can probably find the link for a website that will give you a list of the best foods. I also know that you should be careful with Shrimp because they could have allergies to seafood. I dont know if you need to separate feedings into breakfast and dinner. I usually feed once a day, around midnight so I know they are eating before they run all night. But if you are leaving the catfood out at all times then that should be fine. Babies go through quilling, and he will lose quite a few quills everyday until hes done. Its a normal thing so dont worry too much. Can you see new quills poking through the skin underneath the old? If so its probably quilling.

[Ododad]

Congrats on your little fella! Has he a name yet?
Sounds like you already are in love with this little guy! That's just so awesome I think.
Little pieces of cooked chicken, fruit, different veggies, crickets and mealworms are great treats. I would omit any type of seafood myself. The way I do it is, Odo and Marco have available at all times a small portion of Chicken Soup For The Cat Lovers Soul kitten formula for their staple diet. I fill their bowl with fresh CSFTCLS every night about sundown and leave whats left all the next day for a snack should they desire one then refill with fresh again the next night. For treats, I only give them out in very small portions and hand feed them. For example, each gets a treat when I take them out to play, and another when I put them back up. Each gets a treat after bath time too. Mealworms are a big hit, but since it is like candy to them, I only give them a few and then only a few times a week. They need the kitten food for a good balanced diet so that is their main food. Odo and Marco LOVE to be petted. I stroke their quills in the direction that they lay down and they just stretch out and lap it up!! lol If you have only had him for four days and he is not tightly balling up every time you approach him, then he is doing really good. The hissing and popping never completly go away as that is natural for them. But over time, should become a rare thing. He will get to know your scent and the sound of your voice and come to depend on it. All hedgies are different though so you just have to play it by ear and see which kind of personility he will have once he settles in and accepts you. It is so important that you keep doing as you are. Holding him, letting get to know your smell and the sound of your voice. Sounds like your really doing good. Just keep up what your doing. He will learn to trust you on his own terms. Hold the treats back for the times you are holding him and cuddling and he will began to assosiate your smell with the promise of treats! Your doing great, keep us posted!

[Ododad]

Don't forget, all hedgies are different, with seperate personalitys and likes and dislikes. Not every thing you read about them will apply to your hedgie, and he may do things differently than what you might expect. I suggest that you read through the many threads on this board and then you will see that all hedgies are different and unique with all different kinds of moods and personalitys. Hedgies are amazing creatures and you are soon to find that out!! lol
Good luck, and let us know what name you decide on please!! :)

[DeniMarie]

Thanks! I'll check out that Chicken Lovers cat food. :slurp: I heard kitten foods can be too fatty for them. Any thoughts on that?

When I picked him up they were feeding him meow mix with the cjicken, cheese and salmon mix. At least that's what it looks like, I used to have cats, so I'm pretty familiar with cat food.He seems to like the shrimp, but I'll omit it from now on.

I haven't named him yet! :rolleyes: I wanted to meet him first and see what he was like, then give him a fitting name. I'm such a dork.

[Ododad]

Thanks! I'll check out that Chicken Lovers cat food. :slurp: I heard kitten foods can be too fatty for them. Any thoughts on that?

When I picked him up they were feeding him meow mix with the cjicken, cheese and salmon mix. At least that's what it looks like, I used to have cats, so I'm pretty familiar with cat food.He seems to like the shrimp, but I'll omit it from now on.

I haven't named him yet! :rolleyes: I wanted to meet him first and see what he was like, then give him a fitting name. I'm such a dork.
No, your not a dork at all. Wanting to give him a name that fits him is very admirable. Since the name you pick will be with him the rest of his life, I think it should be a carefully thought out process. I didn't name Odo for the first week that I had her. Her name came from noticing that everytime I laid her toys out for her during "freedom time" (time outside of her house) the first thing she would do is start chomping on the head of an Odo doll. (you know, the character in Star Trek Deep Space Nine) Take your time naming him, it's very important that he get the right name. Let us know when you decide. As for the kitten food, there are a lot of good threads in the Diet and Nutrition forum.
I see that you already are going to omit seafood from his diet. That tells me that you are willing to listen to advice and really want the best for your hedgie. Kudos to you!! Your hedgie is a very lucky young man to have such a caring and loving mommy. Can't wait to see some Photo's!!
Billy

[PrettyHate]

Thanks! I'll check out that Chicken Lovers cat food. :slurp: I heard kitten foods can be too fatty for them. Any thoughts on that?



Youre correct. :) Since hedgies are somewhat prone to obesity, it is a good idea to steer clear of foods that are high in fat - especially if they are a main part of their diet, like kibbles.

Little treats - like a few kibbles of kitten food, or a few meals worms (both which are "fatty") infrequently are fine- you just dont want to over do it :)

Congrats and best of luck with your new baby!

[Tampaquillowner]

Your correct Kitten foods are high in fat content but both my boys are runners at night and Tico runs constantly and stays very small so I let them have a bit of kitten food because I know they love it. If I saw signs of gaining too much weight I would eliminate it slowly from their diet but they have been eating it Tico since March and Nemo since June and neither are big. Tico is very small naturally and Nemo runs on his wheel at night. I dont reccommend it for everyone but I put it in my boys mix because they love it so much.

[HedgieSpirit]

When I first got Chloe I bought her a bag of kitten food and later found out that it was too fatty to be the main part of her diet. So now, since I still have the bag of food, I use it as treats. She LOVES it, and up until she discovered crickets, kitten food was her favorite treat.

[HedgyHoggyMommy]

I didn't name my boy Orion until after I had him for a while too. They deserve the repect of a name choice that fits their personality. I think anyone that does it that way really sees their pet whatever kind they may have as an individual not just some animal there to see to the owners needs. Kirsten.