Annointing?

[tweedamay]

Not being a hedgie mom, and having searched throughout the hedgie forums, I cannot find where anyone says exactly WHAT annointing is. :banghead:
Found it mentioned in all kinds of threads, but no definition.
Please assist this hedgie-ignorant individual. :p

[mrgew]

Most of the time a hedgie will annoint when it finds a new smell or taste, basically they will lick or chew that new smell or taste, and then make a foammy saliva and spread it on their quills. The reason is unknown, it could be a form of defense or something else.

[tweedamay]

OooKaaay - interesting

[Laurifer]

Some of them annoint with the dumbest things. There are these wood pellets that I need to put in our pellet stove to keep the house warm. I held Zeek when I was done, and the licking started. They LOVE to lick perfume. Once my hedgie got a hold of a fish pellet that we feed our fish with. Well let me tell you: :Pukey:

I actually have two pictures of my late Q annointing. I will try to get them.

[shirleytx]

I have yet to see my hedgie do this.

[Ravnos]

Watching the behaviour of babies (http://www.ravnos.org/photos/other/bhh2.jpg), it seems that every time they come in contact with something new that has a strong, transferrable scent, they start to do it. Maybe its a way of making themselves smell more like a hedgehog instead of the new scent, or maybe just masking a scent that could potentially be easily tracked by a predator or be rejected by mom.

Rav