Playing

[who00knows]

I was wondering what kind of playing does your hedgie actually do? Mine just burries his head and tries to hide. I put him in a roller ball and he didint do much. I was wondering a bit more about them...Are they fast? trainable? Do they frolic, or do they just sniff around? I love my guy so far! I just hope he does more than burry his nose...I have to admit that is awfully cute though!

[mrgew]

Oh they are fast, very fast. Small legs that move a mile a minute. They will eventually do more then sniff around mine will both climb all over me as i sit watching tv, I end up being a jungle gym for them, then when they are tired they will crawl onto my lap and go to sleep.

[teela1342]

Yeah, mine is a burrowing guy too. He likes to get under stuff. I hedgie proof a section of the living room and set out a variety of boxes for him to crawl in and out of. Cheap and entertaining!

He also loves crawling around in the blankets in my bed. I try to hold him, but he ends up scruffling around in my sheets while I read.

I don't know about trainable. I have heard that some hedgies stand in a certain spot when they know they are about to be fed or they come to the front of the cage when their owner arrives, but I don't really think of that as training. If you are wanting real tricks, I think you are out of luck.

My problem isn't the speed at which they move, it it the sneakiness! I swear Jake can be in one spot, I blink, and he is across the room hiding under dirty laundry. Without a sound. No warning. My roomie is convinced he is magic.

[Nightdust]

Kichou loves to roll around in her ball...she'll do it for hours! When we don't have her in the ball, she likes to crawl around and explore things. I bet she would be pretty fast if we ever let her wander off!

[ReapersTouch]

Mine runs in circles......in her tub....it confuses me

[Ododad]

Mine runs in circles......in her tub....it confuses me
Does she have a wheel? A 12" comfort wheel or a bucket wheel would give her something to run on and keep her fit and trim.
In the wild, a hedgie will cover a very large area foraging and hunting. It's in their nature.

[Ododad]

I was wondering what kind of playing does your hedgie actually do? Mine just burries his head and tries to hide. I put him in a roller ball and he didint do much. I was wondering a bit more about them...Are they fast? trainable? Do they frolic, or do they just sniff around? I love my guy so far! I just hope he does more than burry his nose...I have to admit that is awfully cute though!
It may take a while before he gets used to his new enviroment. JMO, but try putting him in enclosed area (a play pen of sorts) for about two or three hours a night with the tv turned down low and the lights dimmed. Put a empty toliet paper tube, a small cardboard box, a small stuffed animal and a small clean towel laid flat out on the floor along with his food and water bowls and just let him unball and explore at his own pace without any interference. It will probably take a few nights of this but he most likely will begin to explore on his own and you can see what kind of toy he might play with. You can change out different types of toys from night to night. Some will play more than others, and then some not at all. Every hedgie is different.
Yes, they can be very fast when they want to. Odo will hide in her little cardboard box sometimes for almost 30 minutes then suddenly dart out and run around. They will sit for long periods of time sometimes and look like they are sleeping when in fact they are listening and smelling everything going on. Give him some time to get used to all of the new smells and sounds that are surrounding him now. Hedgies are very curious by nature, getting into everything!
I have never had much luck with those roller balls and frankly don't care for them. The hedgie can't get away from his own waste and I believe that it gets really hot in those things and the poor guy has no way to get out if he wants out.

Your just getting started with your little guy, I look forward in the future to reading all about what new thing he has gotten into, what weird thing he did today, the "I can't believe he annointed with this!" stories that I know are coming!! :laugh:

[PrettyHate]

Kichou loves to roll around in her ball...she'll do it for hours!

Not to be a critic, but no animal should be left in one of those balls for more than 10-15 minutes. The ventilation in them in poor, and they can easily over heat. Not to mention, what you might be thinking is a good time, might actually be a hedgie that is looking for a place to hide, and get away.

Please, if you are going to let your hedgie use a ball, only do it for short periods of time.

[who00knows]

What other treats should I try? i tried papaya, mango, raisins, cheese, he wouldnt touch any of them.

[HedgieSpirit]

Chloe likes cheese (American is her favorite) Cottage cheese, Chicken, Beef, Turkey, Cheerios, She loves squash (the mashed orange kind) She likes peas (only if I squeeze the inside stuff out of the 'husk', spoiled baby) Green beans, if there is nothing better near by, I haven't exactly found any fresh fruit that she will tolerate yet. She was interested in the smell of the banana but didn't eat it. When she was a baby, her breeder fed her some fruit cocktail which she loves, but it is awfully sugary, she only gets this once in a blue moon. She tolerates some babyfoods but they aren't her favorite, once I gave her a bit of mac n cheese, and she LOVES crickets. Basically the trick is to keep experimenting. It took me forever to come up with a list that long. Make sure to stay away from rasins, nuts, and seeds because they can get stuck on the roof of their mouth. Good luck experimenting! (by the way, meats seem to be a big hit, try some chicken)