Important: New Hedgehog

peacemaker92 · May 7th, 2009

Hi guys!

I just got a new hedgehog, I think it's a cinnamon hedgehog. I got him from a close friend of mine who wanted to give it away because he and his family couldn't take care of it anymore. So he gave it to me.

Chiko, the new hedgehog, moved in with me yesterday. I managed to get him a small tank for him to live in for a while until I can get a proper cage with everything inside. I also got him a small tray for water and small cat biscuits which he loves to eat. Anyways, since yesterday he moved in, I discovered his behaviour and found out he's very lazy and sensitive. He sleeps the whole day even at night and only wakes up to eat and drink then sleeps again. He doesn't like anyone touching him or handling him AT ALL! And whenever someone tries to carry him or just pet him, he would either curl himself up into his little spike ball or try to hurt that person's hand with his spikes! What can I do? I sometimes let him roam around my room to just let him be free since he seldom has this kind of freedom with his previous owner. But he has been handled a lot by his previous owner and also experienced the same behaviour.

So my question is, how can I make him feel more calm and relaxed to my touch? I've tried everything and can't seem to make him familiar to petting. I just don't want to have this pet if he keeps getting shocked or sensitive whenever I pet him. PLEASE HELP!

aquarist48 · May 7th, 2009

Good morning. Congrats on your new addition to the family. I've never had them myself. Would love to see some pictures of it if it's possible.
Check out this link and maybe it will help.
http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/

peacemaker92 · May 7th, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by aquarist48

Good morning. Congrats on your new addition to the family. I've never had them myself. Would love to see some pictures of it if it's possible.
Check out this link and maybe it will help.
http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/

Thanks for the website! Yeah, just took some while he was sleeping. Then he woke up...

aquarist48 · May 7th, 2009

Too cute! Thanks for sharing and keep us posted.

sirdarksol · May 7th, 2009

Cool.

One thing to do is figure out his absolute most favorite treats (edit: I believe that I have read that grubs are among their favorite foods, but I'm not positive about this) and use them to get him used to human contact. Start out letting him eat out of your hand. If you want, put him in one hand, and then put food in the other hand, holding them together so he associates being held with food and friendliness.

peacemaker92 · May 7th, 2009

Thanks! My friend said it's a few months old. Yeah, i will.

Yeah. Sounds like a good idea! Thanks sir! I'll try that. But the only problem is he always eagerly crawls out of my hand whenever I carry him. I'm gonna try to hand feed him first, then later carry him...

Beth1965 · May 7th, 2009

Ive been fasinated by this animal. Please keep us updated!
Beth

Lucy · May 7th, 2009

Me too, I think they're adorable.
His little home doesn't look homey, he would probably feel more secure with some things hedgehogs like.
I have no idea what that might be, but I think you should go shopping.

Beth1965 · May 7th, 2009

When I was reading about them, I learned that they like to cuddle and be close, ppl carry them in their pockets (not smushed up, i mean like front pockets in a shirt or sweater)
Don't forget, they are not all alike, just like our fishies.
Each is different.
beth

CHoffman · May 7th, 2009

How adorable!!!!..He really is sooo cute..I want one.lol..not really..lol..
I'm with Lucy, maybe put some shredded newspaper or something for a bed?? Good luck with him and keep us posted.

agabr123 · May 7th, 2009

my friends little sister has two hedgehogs, and they are SO different. one of them (callie) does nothing but sleep all day long, she doesn't mind being held but only if you keep her in one place and use your finger to get underneath her quills and rub her back. the other one (mazy or mazie i'm not sure which) is crazy, she never ever stops moving all day and night. she doesn't like being held because she is constantly on the run, they put her in one of those hamster balls and let her run around all the time.

i'd definitely consider buying some mealworms, her hedgehogs go NUTS for them.

Amanda · May 7th, 2009

omg!! He's sooooo cute!

peacemaker92 · May 8th, 2009

Thanks for checking out my thread guys! Yeah, updates will be on the way!

Don't worry about his home. I'll be getting a homie cage for him which will be bigger than the container I'm keeping him in now temporarily. I'm just having trouble with finance because I have to spend on my new 55g tank. So I decided the 55g will be on hold for a while or I'll buy the stuff slowly.

My lil' new hedgehog named 'Chiko' by the owner, starting to get use to my handling. He doesn't try to run away when I hold him that much now, he also likes it when I hand feed him. I tried to feed him water with a bottle today but he refused to even drink from it but rather drink from the floor. Silly thing! haha

I also went to the pet store to find a suitable cage and found a perfect cage about 20-30$ but without extra stuff like bedding and food tray. Or I might get a second hand one on my local internet store. I'll keep you guys updated with info and pictures.

Btw, he still likes to snooze a lot. He sleeps a lot during the day as expected but also sleeps every half an hour or one hour at night too. He gets tired quickly after I play with him for a while, might get him a wheel to exercise on but the cost is out of my hand. Costing around 100$ which I can't afford.

Beth1965 · May 8th, 2009

u don't really need to "buy" bedding and food tray do you? you can prob come up with something from your own home to use. be thrifty!!
keep up with the updates please.

Beth

MissMTS · May 8th, 2009

OMG he is adorable! I had no idea that hedgehogs could be kept as pets. Good luck with him. I'm glad to hear that he is warming up to you. For bedding, you can just shredded newspaper. Its cheap and it works great

peacemaker92 · May 8th, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beth1965

u don't really need to "buy" bedding and food tray do you? you can prob come up with something from your own home to use. be thrifty!!
keep up with the updates please.

Beth

haha yeah. I actually got a small tupperware cover for his food tray & water tray but thought about getting a real good food tray. LOL

Thanks! My mum just told me to maybe just continue using the tupperware cover to save money. haha

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissMTS

OMG he is adorable! I had no idea that hedgehogs could be kept as pets. Good luck with him. I'm glad to hear that he is warming up to you. For bedding, you can just shredded newspaper. Its cheap and it works great

Yeah. I know. My lil' sister shows him off to every visitor who visits my home and I hear the word 'cute' everytime they see him!

Here in Malaysia, I don't really hear or see any restrictions or need for licence from keeping Hedgehogs. So... yeah. Thanks so much MTS! Well, bedding I managed to get an old t-shirt which he so LOVES to crawl under and snuggle into it. He just looks sooooo cute in it! He's sleeping under it now! LOL

serissime · May 8th, 2009

Hi, I'm the friend of Alex's whose sister has two hedgehogs. They are really great pets. Some suggestions:

they drink a LOT of water. They have one of those water bottles like hamsters use and drink AT LEAST half of it per day. So make sure Chiko has access to as much water as he wants.

They can be litter box trained, but my sister had a hard time so she gave up. A little tip: if you want to handle him and he was asleep, be ready for him to poop or pee within a few minutes.

I know you said that you don't want to spend the money on the exercise wheel, but my sister's use it anytime they aren't drinking water or sleeping. They run on it together, it's so cute and funny. It's really easy for them to become overweight. Before we got Mazy, Calli was really inactive and shy, and she was really fat. Now that Mazy is here, Callie and she run a lot more, and Callie has really come out of her shell and lost her excess weight. I'm not saying that you need to buy another hedgehog, because they are naturally solitary and don't really care about cagemates, but Chiko needs to stay active. I don't know why exercise wheels are so expensive for you, here they are only around $20. This isn't the one we have, but is similar.

As for food, they enjoy mealworms, cilantro, and we give them treats meant for small animals like hamsters, rabbits, etc. They might like cat treats too. Their favorite is definitely mealworms. You can make them run for their food by putting the mealworm on a little dish or napkin and dragging it across the floor. We feed them some kind of small animal food, but I'm not sure what.

Like Alex said, Calli likes her bonding time with Katie when Katie is watching TV. She holds her and sticks her finger in her quills and just moves her finger. Calli just goes to sleep for a long time. She has really opened up in the past few months. She used to hiss and spike us whenever we made noise or touched her. Just be persistent. Mazy nips a little, so watch out for that. She is crazy though. We just let her run around for a few hours to make her happy.

OH! and if you have the type of cage that is plastic bottomed with a wire upper, make SURE that he can't climb it high enough or use anything as a platform so he can squeeze through the bars. We lost Mazy a few times like that (she is still young and pretty small. Calli could never fit)

Sorry for writing you such a novel. I'm sure you've already figured out a lot of this stuff on your own. Do you have any more pictures? He is so cute.

EDIT: Oh, I totally forgot. In the winter, or anytime it is chilly in the house (like at night, fall through late spring), Katie keeps a heating pad under the cage. They really appreciate the warmth. They also have little fleece pockets to sleep in.

penance · May 8th, 2009

this post is bringing back memories, my hedgehog Elvis died in Feb from ear mites

so watch out for this and I've missed him ever since *cries*

Here's some advice ^^

Don't be hurt if your new hedgehog never wants you to pet it, I owned Elvis for 3 years and handled him daily but he would always curl up or hiss at me and after a few minutes allow me to pick him up. Don't be afraid of getting pricked, it doesn't hurt that much and you get used to it after a while, I would get pricked so much that afterwards my hands would feel tingly lol

Don't wear gloves when first handling your chiko, use your bare hands for him to get your scent

mealworms and crickets are their favs but give them as treats or twice a week during mealtimes, feed them a proper hedgehog food mix.

Good luck trying to potty train it lol, elvis would use his litter and the next minute poo outside of it argh! >.< whenever he woke up he would go on his wheel (which they love!) and take a poo... I'm just being honest. It's the first thing they do, wake up, exercise and poo lol

As well at night keep your hedgehog warm, try those microwaveable heat packs and then wrap them in a towel

keeps little hedgehogs nice and toasty

If you have any questions, ask and I'll try to help, in fact I should have never clicked on this thread, I want another hedgehog now

serissime · May 9th, 2009

I love our hedgehogs. You really just have to get used to getting spiked. Ours don't do it to us on purpose anymore but sometimes it still happens sometimes.

peacemaker92 · May 11th, 2009

Hey guys!

SORRY for the late update. I was supposed to post this update a day ago but couldn't get the time to go online.

Anyways,

I didn't get a cage for Chiko but a terrarium. I think that's what they call it. It's like an aquarium/tank but wider and smaller suitable for little reptiles, mammals and pets such as Hedgehogs. So I bought it for 10$ at my nearest trusted pet shop. One of the shopkeeper who was attending to me & my mother who accompanied me was kind enough to provide bedding for Chiko for only 30 cents. I also bought a little drinking bottle for Chiko the previous day but he didn't like it so I exchanged it for a little soft toy. I actually brought Chiko to try out his new home at the pet store. Luckily, he didn't do his 'business' the whole time I was there.

He liked it and so we bought it and took it home. By luck or chance, the terrarium fitted perfectly into my shelf in my room. I placed Chiko in his new home. He was so cute as he roam around the whole terrarium, ate a bit from the food tray then fell asleep like a lazy boy. LOL

I managed to take some pictures just now. So here it is. Don't worry. More updates on the way!

peacemaker92 · May 11th, 2009

Thanks so much for sharing that interesting and helpful info, Mary! Sometimes when I have loads to do online, I normally feel lazy to read very long thread posts. But yours was different! Once I started reading, I couldn't stop reading! haha

Anyways, here's info about Chiko. I actually bought him a small drinking bottle. He refused it several times and even though water was dripping out of the tip and flooding my floor! LOL So I provided a temporary little water tray for him to drink in. But your info about the water really helped, now I know to supply MORE water for Chiko.

I don't think I'll train Chiko in the litterbox thing because I don't really have a litterbox for him but I just let him do it on the bedding since it's easier to remove it that way. And about the bedding, ever since I got it for him, he never likes sleeping on it. He digs (does it in a cute way) the bedding out and sleeps on the bottom.

Yeah. I have no idea why a normal size wheel for a normal size hedgehog is soooo expensive. I'm trying to search for maybe a second-hand wheel but no luck yet. Reason is because I have to save money for loads of stuff and spend as little as I can but spend wisely. So maybe a second-hand wheel wouldn't hurt. That's cool actually, about Mazy & Callie. I wish I had hedgehogs like that but my hedgehog is a male so getting another hedgehog in either genders is an impossible chance.

Thanks so much for the food info too! Now I know what I can give Chiko as a treat instead of cat food everyday. haha

I tried to handle Chiko as Katie does. But he keeps struggling in my hands and sometimes try to run away. I found his favorite spot though, I rub his neck a bit but only less than 30 seconds or so because after that, he'll start struggling and moving again ignoring his favorite spot. I've gotten use to the times when Chiko opens his spikes at me. He sometimes hisses at me though but no harm done. I wouldn't worry about him nipping me because he always licks my hand. It's so cute! haha

Anyways,
I managed to post up a new update. Pictures are there. More updates on the way! Thanks so much, Mary. It's nice knowing loads of info from you!

Btw, here's some photos of Chiko I took lately when I was playing with him for a while.

serissime · May 11th, 2009

I don't know what to tell you about the water bottle. Supposedly they prefer bottles over dishes, but he might be used to the dish already. It's the kind where he licks the little metal ball to get the water, right? Can you hang it in that cage though? It seems short. Not that he really wants a lot of ceiling clearance, but if you get a wheel then I don't think it will fit (and you CAN'T take off the top lol or you will be playing "where is chiko"). You need a wheel that is sized for something like a ferret, solid plastic, not wire. There should be no problem with a second hand wheel as long as it still works. If an exercise ball is cheaper, you can get a ferret size one for him to run around the house in until you find a cheaper wheel for him to use at leisure. We let them run around without the ball now though. After they pee or poop after first being handled, they pretty much don't do it unless they eat again while out.

If he is big enough so that he can only get his head into it (which I think he is), they find cardboard toilet paper rolls very amusing for a while. He might start to enjoy being petted more eventually. Calli's spot is more toward the middle of her back. Who knows if Mazy will ever stay still long enough to be petted. I always pick them up by sliding my hand under their stomach whenever I can, because I am not as immune to the spikes as my sister. In a pinch I can grab them from above though. (Like during an escape attempt.)

Like you said about the bedding, they really like to burrow. If you wash it, you can put a small towel in there for him to sleep under. We have small pockets of fleece for them to sleep in (well they are kinda big for them, lol.) It's just some fleece stitched into a pocket. Simple to make.

Do you know what self-annointing is? I don't want you to freak out the first time he does it, haha. When they find something like a scent they like, they will foam at the mouth and spread it all over their quills. After reading this thread, I posted a thread on aquaria central, and there is a member that has a hedgehog that self-annoints from her scent (weird compliment I guess). Ours annoint from stuff like dirt and weird stuff they find on the carpet. One time Callie did it with cilantro. The reason isn't really known for sure, but it's a normal behavior.

He is sooo cute. I've never seen a hedgehog with pink skin before

So cute

peacemaker92 · May 14th, 2009

Yeah. I DID buy the bottle with the metal ball. He refused it everytime I put it near him. I don't think I can hang it because, yeah, the cage has a very low ceiling. LOL yeah, can't get a wheel. I might just get a wheel but put it in his playing area (outside his cage). Then he can walk around and play with his wheel whenever he is in his playing area. I did get an exercise ball but he was more afraid of it. He hardly touched it!

Yeah. When I have some free time, I will get some cardboard and make a lil' cave for him to hide in. And if I have extra cardboard, I'll make a tunnel. My friend said he use to have a tunnel to play in (no idea what happened to it), whenever he went into his tunnel, he never came out. He had to be dragged out. haha

Okay. Yeah, I'm not immune to his spikes anymore as well. But I can't pinch him though, firstly I'm afraid of pinching him and second I can hardly catch hold of him so whenever he tries to run from me, I just quickly hold him from under his belly. So I'm like an anti-escape crane. haha

Yeah. I'll get him a little towel bed for him. I'm just worried he'll poop in it then I have to keep washing it everytime. Wow!

That's cool! I wish I could get him that too. But yeah, he probably won't fit in it either and I have no idea how to make one.

Yeah, I know. But he doesn't do it. (I don't think he does) Self-annoints to her scent? wow! haha yeah, it is weird. I pity the member because she'll be having a hard time handling him. I don't think mine annoints himself, I never see it. But if he does, I'll let you know!

haha thanks! Yeah, he is cute! Huh? You mean they don't have these type of hedgehogs in the States?

Thanks so much for sharing!

Phinny12 · May 14th, 2009

That is the CUTEST little animal!!!!

serissime · May 14th, 2009

You mean an exercise ball that he goes into, you close the lid, and he runs all around the room inside the ball? As for the towel, he will probably just go under the towel and not on top so he won't poop on it much. A fleece pocket isn't hard though. You just buy some fleece (like polar fleece) from the store and stitch it up on three sides.

I'm glad you're having fun with him though. We do have them in the states, but I've never seen a cinnamon one before!

peacemaker92 · May 15th, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by serissime

You mean an exercise ball that he goes into, you close the lid, and he runs all around the room inside the ball? As for the towel, he will probably just go under the towel and not on top so he won't poop on it much. A fleece pocket isn't hard though. You just buy some fleece (like polar fleece) from the store and stitch it up on three sides.

I'm glad you're having fun with him though. We do have them in the states, but I've never seen a cinnamon one before!

Oh not that one. Actually a smaller ball, like a small little soccer ball. There is an exercise ball like what you mentioned in the pet shop near my house. But it cost more 50 to 100$ which I can't afford either...

Yeah, I hope so. I'm also afraid he might chew and tear it off. Because I had a small towel in the bathroom and I left him there to roam around for a while, then he started chewing on the lil' towel.

Yeah. I am a bit except for the times when I have to pick up his poop. LOL Oh okay. Well, now you have! haha

AquarAdvent · May 15th, 2009

He is very cute! My friend wants one badly, but she's going to college overseas, so that's an issue. Human voices can scare timid animals, so as you hand feed him, also murmur a little something to him to get him used to you.

serissime · May 15th, 2009

you could give him a ratty towel that your mom doesn't want anymore (sorry if you aren't living at home LOL, but i think I remember you mentioning it before) so if he chews it, it won't matter.

I'm sorry that stuff is so expensive. Do you have craigslist or something similar in Malaysia?

Poop is a part of life

peacemaker92 · May 25th, 2009

Hi guys!

Been quite a while since I posted in this thread. Anyways, latest news.

Somehow, Chiko escaped from his lil' cage which was covered but I noticed not covered well as the lid wasn't secure with something heavy, so I figured after I couldn't find him in his place that he escaped by climbing out. But what impressed and got me a little worried though, was that when he escaped, he somehow managed to make his way unharmed and healthy after a 1 foot drop onto the floor from the top of the cage. (the cage is on my cupboard)

So, after less than 5 minutes of searching, I found him under my desk hiding at a corner. I noticed him and slowly tried to reach for him but he curled up into his little ball. It wasn't long until I could scoop him up and put him back in his cage. I was in a hurry, so I only did a quick top to toe inspection and was off. At the end of the day, I managed to examine him and found nothing broken but just a black spot which I believed was dirt/dust. So I gave him his usual shower and cleaned the black spot off easily. But this week's shower, he didn't struggle as much as he use to. (but he still struggles though to run free, I thank God he's still normal)

Anyways, just a question though. Should I bring Chiko for regular health check-ups to the vet? I'm a bit concerned but I also don't want to simply spend money on Chiko when there's nothing wrong with him as my family is facing huge financial problems. (so saving money is really important to the family right now)

penance · May 25th, 2009

my old hedgehog did that when I first got him, he escaped from his 15g low height tank home at the time, knocked the oven mitt (I was using to handle him) to the floor, landed on the over mitt from the dresser he was on and scurried into the closest to sleep on some jeans where I found him the next morning

He did that twice before I wised up and transferred him to a large rubbermaid storage bin.

I would suggest buying one of those for him, at least a 29g (110 liters) rubber maid bin would give him so room to play around in

and so he can't escape

** I should mention that hedgehogs are very active at night where they like to scavenge for food and play - keeping him enclosed is likely going to cause him to develop boredom.

As for regular check ups I never did that with my hedgehog, he was always healthy but if you do suspect that he's not acting normally (not eating or getting too heavy) then take him to a vet