Anger Problems

[LunaMidnight]

My hedgehog hates me. :( I know I've only had her for a week but something changed. She was fine at first. She'd curl in a ball and huff when I picked her up but after awhile she'd just explore the couch and sort of let me touch her and if I was holding her she'd crawl all over me and hide in my hair or under my shirt and relax. The few times we were outside she wouldn't leave my side and was trying to burrow into my clothes and would eventually end up half asleep up my pant leg.

A couple of days ago she was being kind of weird and when I took her out she'd want to hide in the couch and on me. She'd be trying to go under my leg, in my pant leg, down my shirt anywhere on me she could hide and even a couple nights ago she was laying on my lap and was half asleep and as relaxed as ever. Next day everything got weird...

Now she huffs/hisses/will maybe bite if I take her out (no curling into a ball though) then she goes kinda nuts. If I so much as look at her or talk to someone else in the room she huffs and jumps. She won't really come near me and she doesn't calm down. The slightest thing makes her grumble and huff and jump. I put her back in her cage and she went nuts tearing around, knocking things over and spazzing out until I put her margarine container in for her to hide in (she loves that thing soo much and I was going to get an igloo but they're $15 and that's a bit much for a chunk of plastic) and then she calmed down but I so much as looked at her she'd huff some more. :(

I don't understand what happened. I thought she'd be like that at first but she started out alright and over the past 2 days has gotten really bad. I don't really know what to do. Well I know, don't stop holding her, talk to her, give her a treat, but it doesn't seem to help and I don't want to stress her out and make her hate me even more. :S

[Jeanette]

How old is she?
I've noticed that Spiny has started quilling. But it's in the very early stage. I've talked to people whose hedgies have already quilled and they describe behaviour similar to that.
Try just giving her a bath and offering treats to get her to feel comfortable again.
There could be lots of things that are bothering her. (Like an ingrown quill). If you are really worried, just take her to a vet. They know best and can tell you indeed if your hedgie is healthy (if not happy).
All in all, I've learned that hedgehogs just have their own personalities and, yes, they have their mood swings. (Just think of a really bad pms day!! ;) ). :high5:

[Emilys_Exotics]

Could she at all be pregnant? If so, then this behaviour would be totally normal. Of course, if she isn't preggers, then Jeanette has some good ideas too. Also, do you have any weird scents on you when you hold her? Did you change soap or perfume or something? That can set some hedgies off too. It could be a bout of teenage hormones too. Good luck, and I hope she calms back down again for you soon.

Emily

[LoriL]

Do you wash your hands with the same soap each time you handle her? Someone had suggested using Purell soap (the kind you don't actually use water with). We use that each time one of us handles Lucy.

Have you started using any perfumes or scented lotions? Changed detergents or fabric softeners?

She definately needs a place to hide and feel comfortable in her cage. Lucy loves her hedgiebag, which you can sew yourself. Just make sure there are no strings or things she can get caught in. There is fleece on the inside, flannel on the outside. Or, I also use an upside down empty tissue box. She loves going in there. An empty oatmeal container. Something that she can go in and hide and feel comfortable and secure in. Even one of those "no-sew" blankets-something smaller, of course. Those are fleece so she couldn't get a nail stuck on a string or anything. She could burrow on into something like that. No towels though, she could rip a nail off on some string or the fabric.

Does she have a wheel to exercise in? Maybe she needs some exercise.

Keep picking her up, but maybe pick her up in a blanket.

Lucy is very particular about scents. She prefers her things washed in a scent-free detergent and liquid fabric softener. And like I said, when we handle her, we have to use the same soap. I can't wash her bowls in my orange-scented liquid dish soap either, then she won't eat. VERY particular.

[LunaMidnight]

K, to answer everyones questions...:)

Jeanette - When we got her the lady said she was no more than 12 weeks old and I've had her for 2 weeks. We think she's quilling. She won't hold still long enough for me to really look but I have seen a few quills poking up (they're hard to see cos you have to look really close on her) and the other day my friend Missy held her and said a few of her quills had fallen out. I bought Aveeno oatmeal body wash like someone on here advised and I gave her a bath with it and at one point she wandered over to my side of the sink and leaned against the side so I could rub her back and shoulders (and I swear she purred) so that could be it. She seemed to like it a little. She'll take treats from me and goes nuts for bananas. If she's in her cage and hiding in her container I'll put my hand in with a piece of her cat food and she'll take it so I keep doing it and eventually she'll poke her head out and wait for more and I'll feed her until she doesn't want anymore. I figured she could have been grumpy because at first we put her in the living room and there could've been too many people but we had here there cos my room got too hot and we moved her back in my room cos it's cooled down over the last week and she's seemed a bit better. Now when we pick her up she won't hold still. She runs around and tries to burrow/hide in everything and usually ends up hiding up my pant leg. I guess you're right, it could be her "teenage" years or something.:p I definetly want to get her to a vet (just for a check up and so he can have records of her and stuff and if something happens then there's not a bunch of paper work/introductions to get through first) but I was waiting to see if I got the job I interviewed for yesterday first (kinda broke) but even if I don't I can use some of the money I've got saved.

Emilys_Exotics - I'm sure she's not pregnant, she was kept in the store in her own area and she's my only hog. I've been using the same soap since I got her (it's Softsoap and it's vanilla/brown sugar scented) I know she likes it too much cos one day she went crazy licking and wouldn't leave my hand alone. But I could try some Purell and see if that changes anything. I'm guessing it's the teenage hormones too, I remember how that was for me so I can understand her grumpiness completely. :p

LoriL - Yep, same soap!We've been using it for months. Sometimes I wear perfume/body lotion but I haven't lately because the last time I wore lotion she went nuts over the scent and licked my arm for the longest time (it took me awhile to figure out why) and I decided not to wear it as often because it scared me and I thought she'd end up sick. She has this margarine container (it's like an igloo pretty much, just bigger) and she hides in there and if she's in there and I put my hand in to let her sniff she's pretty calm. She loves that thing since it's the first thing we gave her to hide in. She has a piece of fleecy cloth in there too so she can hide under it inside her container so no one can see her. She has a wheel too but she doesn't know what it's for yet. I put her on it once and she got pretty mad. But the other day she was hyper and she was playing on it a bit (not running, but sitting in it or climbing on it and checking it out) she was pretty curious and I think eventually she'll get it. When we pick her up we use a blanket and she'll eventually stop burrowing in it and calm down and just lay there. So maybe that's helping her a bit.

Thanks for all your advice everyone! :hearts: I think it could be quilling or just teenage grumpiness. One night I couldn't sleep at 3 A.M (too hot for me) and she was running around playing so I took her out and she sat on my chest for awhile completely calm (just alot of sniffing the air) and eventually wanted to explore my bed. I guess she might really hate being up in the daytime. The other night we had her in the living room again and she was playing with her big orange ring (the biggest ring of the stack-o-rings you get when you're a baby) she was running around with it on her head and then exploring her wheel and being hyper. Then I was eating a banana and she put her paws up on her cage and stared me down until I gave her some. I think she'll get over it. The combination of quilling/teenage hormones/new home could be making her grumpy I think.

[Emilys_Exotics]

Sounds like you've got it figured out, and that she is starting to come around as well. I do have one boy that is very grumpy in the day always. He will eventually unball, and stop huffing, but not for quite a while. At night he is fine usually. My other boy is always a sweetie, so yeah, she could just really hate being awake in the day.

Emily

[LunaMidnight]

I hope I do. :) She started being a lot nicer when I moved her to my room away from everyone and after I gave her an Aveeno bath. I'm pretty sure it's the teenage times and being woken up during the day that are making her huffy. I can take her out during the day but she spends her time burrowing into the couch and into my clothes and she seems to want to hide. Sometimes she'll huff if I touch her and sometimes she won't but I think I'll start taking her out while I watch South Park at 11 cos that's when she seems to be more awake. I think she'll get used to being up during the day once I've had her for awhile and she likes me more. :p

[mommy2ryan]

if quilling be careful to look for stray quills I don't want to see eye pokes.

Another thing, maybe sleep with an old t-shirt and then give it to her. she will get closer to you by smelling you:)

[LunaMidnight]

I've been looking for stray quills but I haven't really seen any. Most of the time I find them on the floor (well my foot finds them), in the couch (stuck in my butt), or in the hall (again, with my foot).:laugh: I'll check her cage after I'm done on here (she's in her container and huffy at the moment cos she wore herself out begging for bananas and attempting to use her wheel so I'll give her an hour to rest) and see if there's any. My boyfriend said I should keep them in a box. :p I thought it was kind of a cute idea.

I was thinking of that! I have to find a shirt that will fit in her cage (it's small but I'll be getting a new one soon if I get the job at Save On Foods) I'm going to dig through the laundry now that you reminded me (I haven't been able to remember anything today) and it's right around the corner. :)

[Pringlesmom]

My thought is that it is quilling. Scoops did not want to be handled when he was quilling and he was a big grump ball. Keep giving the oatmeal bath and see what happens. Also, she is still a baby and babies sleep a lot. Maybe she is grumpy b\c she is getting woken up during her prime sleeping time. I agree that moving her from the living room was a great idea. It was probably way to noisy for her to rest. Try thinking of how you would feel if you were trying to take a nap when everyone was in the living room. Also, did you poke holes in the margerine container for her? I'm sure you did, but I just never heard of anyone using one before. But, if it works, why change it? Just make sure she can breathe well while in there. The tshirt idea is key. Wear one to befd for a few nights and put it in her cage for a few. Make sure there aren't any loose strings or holes to get caught in. I use Dove unscented bar soap and that seems to work for Scoops.