hedgiesrluvd
06-12-2006, 02:54 PM
Hi all,
Well, I'm happy to say Ci Wei is making progress, or at least I think so. He's so cute, and while he can be a bit grumpy, like most hogs he seems to cheer up a bit after having some time to wake up. I struggled for awhile with trying to get him to go potty before I took him out of his cage so he didn't go on me or while out, but after several nights of watching him work himself into a frenzy trying to get under his liner to sleep again, I finally found a solution. I bought him a pet carrier from Petco, and every time I place him in it, he goes poo within the first five minutes or so. Then I can simply clean it out (the carrier is usually easy to clean, so I just pick up the poo and wipe the carrier with a paper towel) and go on my way with an already-pottied hedgehog! Yay! :hyper:
Something else I discovered is that Ci Wei loves to go places in his carrier or even in my hands. He sticks his little neck out as if he's trying to see where we're going, and his little blue eyes light up with excitement. I haven't taken him in the car yet, though, since my car's AC went out on me and I know it is too hot for him to be in there without the AC while I'm driving (if I stop I'll just have to take him in with me, hehe. I do have a question, though, does anyone know of a purse that works well to hold a hiding hedgie and won't raise suspicions that he's inside? Most stores probably don't want pets inside, and while I know Ci Wei won't bug anything, is there a trick to sneaking them in during any pit stops I have to make? I may be moving to Michigan this fall, and will need to make several pitstops along the way during the actual move with him. Ideas? I know, I'm thinking ahead... but I can't help it. *sigh* :dunno:
However, on a more positive note, Ci Wei is soo adorable, and for some reason seems to enjoy hearing me speak to him in Chinese instead of English (though I'm still learning, but at least I have an appreciative audience, lol!). Yesterday I took him out to meet some relatives, one of whom had never seen a hedgehog before. He was being a grumpy ball of quills, but when he began to calm a little bit I grabbed a container of mealworms and fed him one. Boy did that make him perk up. He came out of his ball and said, in effect, "Ooh! Mealworms! Okay, okay, I'll be cute, just give me those worms!" :laugh: Of course, I had to give him two more for being soo good. Don't worry, he only gets between 2 and 6 mealies per week, usually only 2 (or 3 at the most) at a time. Don't want a heavy hedgie! :winkgrin:
Soo, that's the update. Btw, have any of you ever taken your hedgies to ballgames? If so, how did they respond to them? My church has a softball team that plays fairly regularly, and I've considered taking Ci Wei to a game or two this season. He doesn't seem to mind people if he's in his carrier, but I guess I'm just concerned about all the new people, noises, and smells the little dude would encounter there. Any advice? Thanks!
-Brooke
Well, I'm happy to say Ci Wei is making progress, or at least I think so. He's so cute, and while he can be a bit grumpy, like most hogs he seems to cheer up a bit after having some time to wake up. I struggled for awhile with trying to get him to go potty before I took him out of his cage so he didn't go on me or while out, but after several nights of watching him work himself into a frenzy trying to get under his liner to sleep again, I finally found a solution. I bought him a pet carrier from Petco, and every time I place him in it, he goes poo within the first five minutes or so. Then I can simply clean it out (the carrier is usually easy to clean, so I just pick up the poo and wipe the carrier with a paper towel) and go on my way with an already-pottied hedgehog! Yay! :hyper:
Something else I discovered is that Ci Wei loves to go places in his carrier or even in my hands. He sticks his little neck out as if he's trying to see where we're going, and his little blue eyes light up with excitement. I haven't taken him in the car yet, though, since my car's AC went out on me and I know it is too hot for him to be in there without the AC while I'm driving (if I stop I'll just have to take him in with me, hehe. I do have a question, though, does anyone know of a purse that works well to hold a hiding hedgie and won't raise suspicions that he's inside? Most stores probably don't want pets inside, and while I know Ci Wei won't bug anything, is there a trick to sneaking them in during any pit stops I have to make? I may be moving to Michigan this fall, and will need to make several pitstops along the way during the actual move with him. Ideas? I know, I'm thinking ahead... but I can't help it. *sigh* :dunno:
However, on a more positive note, Ci Wei is soo adorable, and for some reason seems to enjoy hearing me speak to him in Chinese instead of English (though I'm still learning, but at least I have an appreciative audience, lol!). Yesterday I took him out to meet some relatives, one of whom had never seen a hedgehog before. He was being a grumpy ball of quills, but when he began to calm a little bit I grabbed a container of mealworms and fed him one. Boy did that make him perk up. He came out of his ball and said, in effect, "Ooh! Mealworms! Okay, okay, I'll be cute, just give me those worms!" :laugh: Of course, I had to give him two more for being soo good. Don't worry, he only gets between 2 and 6 mealies per week, usually only 2 (or 3 at the most) at a time. Don't want a heavy hedgie! :winkgrin:
Soo, that's the update. Btw, have any of you ever taken your hedgies to ballgames? If so, how did they respond to them? My church has a softball team that plays fairly regularly, and I've considered taking Ci Wei to a game or two this season. He doesn't seem to mind people if he's in his carrier, but I guess I'm just concerned about all the new people, noises, and smells the little dude would encounter there. Any advice? Thanks!
-Brooke