How to make her happier...

[Chins&1Quill]

I thought mine was the only hedgie that messes her cage, but I don't know what my hedgies problem is...she gets fed and everything...and water, and she has everything. But for the past 2 weeks she has either totally flipped over her heavy ceramic food bowl or thrown things out of it, dumped her water, or thrown food in it, put her towel/blanket/shirt (whatever she has at the time) in her water bowl (well a corner of it and the whole thing gets soaked) and throws litter and poo out of her litter box. She refuses to poop in her litter box for all the poops. Sometimes she poops in it, but now usually out of it. Her sleep wear (towel, blanket, shirt) is now always so dirty because of how she trashed her home! It drives my nuts! lol. Every day as soon as I wake up I'm cleaning her cage, and it takes about 30 min./1 hour because then because of water spilling and poop it gets stuck to her cage, and everything else I need to clean. My mom just says "Imagine if you had 2, like you want to get!" "You'd be cleaning the cage that much twice a day..." Maybe I wouldn't be because she would have a friend and be happier?

Whats your advice in this situation? Would she be happier with another female hedgie friend? This may be able to talk my mom in to getting another one. (Well I would be paying for the new one, but this would give me her permission to get it) If that wouldn't be something to make her happier, what else would? I want her to be happy, and me to not have such a mess!

[Nancy]

She sounds bored. Does she have a wheel, I don't think you mentioned it?

Keep in mind that not all females get along. You may get another one and just end up with 2 cages to clean and 2 hedgies together do not make less mess, they make twice as much.

I get up some mornings to find that 3 or 4 of them have dumped their water or else dragged their bedding into it which soaks the whole cage.

Then I have another 10 or so that have pooped in their water so they need fresh water.

Then there are always at least 4 that have spilled their food....

Lets toss in the 2 that attempt hibernation on a regular basis. So while cleaning up the mess of the others I am sitting with them on me getting them warmed up. Then they get cage cleanings also so the heating pads can go in there.

Lets say they do get along and are caged together. Ok, there is twice the poop to clean up. The wheel is twice as dirty. There is more chance of spilled food and water because they can and do stand on the edge of the dish at the same time. :laugh:

Don't count on 2 solving your problem. It probably won't. :)

[Chins&1Quill]

Thanks Nancy. lol. I thought maybe I could try getting a new hedgie friend for her, and maybe it would not help the amount of poos, but help the amount of spills...I would get a 1 1/2 month old female from a breeder near me. He always has them...
She doesn't have a wheel currently because with her being young still she outgrew hers and won't use the wheels I have with the wire and she needs a solid wheel. The problem is I have only found solid wheels that were the zie of her previous one that she can only fit half her body on, can't spin it, and then falls off it. lol. I;m still looking though...Stubborn hedgies! lol. :P

[teela1342]

I bet a wheel would really help the situation. Sounds like she is stir crazy! Generally Jake is a tidy little guy. A while back I had to take out his wheel because of some medical issues. One night without it and he was literally climbing the walls! He went nuts.

There are several members who make their own wheels to sell. I got mine from Sary. She did a great job and it cost less than what it would cost to order it online. I think mine was $21 with shipping. She uses the bottom of a bucket as the wheel, so it is really wide. Jake used to fall out of his old one. Not too coordinated. :rolleyes: I think it is about 12 inches across. And no spoke through the middle. You should IM her about getting one.

A second hedgie could save the day or it could just double your trouble. Hedgies are solitary critters, so if you just give her more to do she will probably be better behaved. Someone mentioned scattering kibble around the cage and in toys and boxes for your hedgie to find. Give that hedgie's brain a workout too! :laugh:

[Chins&1Quill]

Thanks teela and good idea! I'm going to PM her now!

[Ododad]

Another thing other than a wheel, is how much freedom time is she getting? Every night Odo gets two hours of freedom time outside of her condo and Marco gets about the same but usually likes to cuddle with Dar during his freedom time. Frodo will play and tube and run around in the play pen for 6 hours or more if I let him. But, let me miss ONE day of freedom time, and all the condo's are demolished at night. Frodo will tear his condo all to pieces if he misses his freedom time. Odo and Marco both will spill water, dump food, fling poop, you name it. They never trash their houses when they have had freedom time though. Just a thought.

[Chins&1Quill]

Thanks Ododad! She gets freedom time, but usually whenever that happens she just runs somewhere and tries getting under or in whatever she can to be in the dark and sleep. It doesn't work out too well. lol. Tonight I will try letting her run around, but in the later so she won't try to hide and will maybe have fun and not trash her cage. lol.

[Ododad]

Although Frodo will start playing as soon as he hits the floor, Odo usually will run and hide first. Sometimes she just hides and sleeps her whole freedom time and then again sometimes she will come out and play and explore. I always offer it to her though.
Also during their freedom time, I don't bother them or pick them up or anything like that. I let them have it to use as they see fit. I just stay close by and watch tv and let them explore and play however they want to. I put out a food and water bowl for each hedgie, all of their toys and leave them alone. I have a very large play pen also. I bought enough of those little fences to enclose my entire living room and that gives them all kinds of things to hide in, and room to avoid each other. I turn off all of the lights and use the tv for lighting too. Sometimes I will turn on a very small lamp that has a very heavy shade on it for just a little bit more light. That seems to help too. I lay on the couch watching tv, and every now and again I will see a white shadow dart across the floor or go by me with a tp tube on his head.
Hope this helps you and your bored hedgie, let me know if she starts exploring ok?