sticking out his tongue?

[gam29]

I just got my hedgehog a couple weeks ago and already have another question about him. sometimes when i hold him, he sticks his tongue out really, really far. what is he doing? is he hungry or thirsty?

[treva.]

perhaps he is yawning?

[cecelia117]

I've only had my hedgehog for a week, but she sticks her tongue out and licks her mouth alot. I assume that she's smelling something that smells tasty to her.

[hemi_mygirl]

Hemi does that. Sometimes she's trying to taste something, but is too comfortable to move, so she uses that tongue of her's. But most of the time, she's just sleepy and is yawning. It's the cutest thing.

However, if he seems to be in discomfort when he's sticking his tongue out, there's a chance he might have a kibble or something stuck in the roof of his mouth, and is trying to get it out.

[Melody]

My new little girl does it alot too - she seems to be licking her nose. She'll lick her nose and make herself sneeze, then lick it again. I'd better get her some more toys!

[Nancy]

My new little girl does it alot too - she seems to be licking her nose. She'll lick her nose and make herself sneeze, then lick it again. I'd better get her some more toys!
Is she licking her nose and sneezing alot? If so, it is possible she has a URI. They lick their nose alot if it's runny which makes it difficult to tell sometimes if the nose is runny. How often does she sneeze?

[Melody]

Oh oh! It's not runny when she just sits there and she doesn't sneeze or snuffle while she's asleep, so it doesn't seem like a URI. (I'm having a heart attack b/c my violet chin just died in Jan from URI even with immed vet care when no one else was sick). But she does lick her nose, then sneezes, and a little clear fluid comes out, so she licks in again etc. She does this a few times and then it stops. It's not a constant thing - she''ll do it a few times and then that's it. I wonder if the Aspen is doing this. Is there a difference between sneezing and the snorting they do when they get huffy?

[Melody]

She is eating and drinking and pooping really well, right from the start. SHe is sweet and not shy. She sleeps all day, comes out around 11 pm, eats drinks, poops, goes back to sleep. Must do something during the night b/c there is litter piled everywhere like she's been tunneling. Comes out in the morning and afternoon for a "refill", etc. I am just getting over a cold, but it would have been too soon for her to show the signs. If I were any cleaner about washing my hands etc, my fingers would wither off. I even wore a mask when I had symptoms but now it's 2 wks later. I noticed her siblings did this "sneezy" thing too but the guy said it was from the pine bedding. I use Aspen.

[Melody]

Okay, read a whole bunch of other posts on this. First of all, I think some of the "sneezing" I think I'm hearing is actually "huffing" in hedgie-speak. She does it when I approach her to pick her up. *whew*

The "sneezing/runny nose" thing -- ahah! Found a post that mentioned that babies, when drinking from a water bowl, sometimes get the water up their nose. It makes them sneeze the water out. I think this IS her problem. *whew 2* The first thing she does when she wakes up is get a drink, and sticks her little nose right in too. A few sneezes later, a few drips and licks, she is fine again. But I will continue to monitor her!

Thankfully I found a bunch of other noise-related posts. Who would dream they could make so many different sounds??? Glad to know I'm not the only one with a rattlesnake hissing, pulsating, huffing/sneezy little critter. But she is SOOO sweet! Thank goodness in her case it's all an act!

Is there a cure for new hedgie-owner hypochondria?