Mean Hedgie

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MorganB

New member
Joined
Dec 7, 2013
Messages
2
Location
Colorado
Hellooo my name is Morgan I have had my 7 month old pinto african hedgehog since he was 10 weeks and he still hates my guts and has a mad biting problem; anything and everything. It makes me really sad because no one wants to hold him, and it makes it very difficult for me to hold him. He's currently in my hoodie pocket after a warm bath and is biting my hoodie.

I have tried many things to get him to stop biting:
-Blowing in the face (lightly and profusely)
-Clapping and making loud sounds
-Repeating NO NO NO NO NO
-Sticking my finger under his chin
-Poking his belly
-Tapping his nose
-ignoring the biting
-my friends have dropped him after he bites them but I pick him back up immediately to show that's not how he gets rid of someone holding him and I do not reward him by putting him away in his cage so he can run for his hut.

Lost, annoyed, and about at wits end. He didn't start to bite till he got to about 4 months old and hasn't stopped since.:hair:
 
Has he quilled yet? He might still be quilling and is not very confortable at the moment.
 
Okay, I think what’s going on here is going to require a completely different approach.

Probably best thing you can to is to make a big mental change in how you approach the situation. Instead of thinking of him as a "mean hedgie," start thinking of him as your little hedgie boy who is scared and needs your help. Your job, then, is to figure out how to help him grow up to be a brave hedgie who doesn't need to bite to make his needs known.

Let’s start off with a few things we know about hedgehogs in general:
They’re prey animals (ie, they’re usually the ones who are hunted; not the ones who do the hunting… unless we’re talking about mealworms). They are little. They do well when they have a schedule… when they can expect things. Consistency is very good. They don’t adapt to change very well. They need stimulation, exercise, and playtime to do well. They can bond very strongly with their humans or, mostly, want to be left alone (and anything in between). Some have oral fixations and like to nom on things. They have different views on what is yummy and what is not yummy. They need high quality foods. They need to be in climate-controlled environment.

So… first things first: let’s do everything we can to make sure his environment is good. Some suggestions (you may already have some or all of these things covered – let us know):
- Cage… you’ll want about 4 square feet (doesn’t really have to be 2x2) minimum of space for him to roam around
- Heating… you’ll want to ensure that he has consistent heat. How are you heating his home and making sure that the temp doesn’t dip at night or when the house gets more chilly?
- Wheel… they need a wheel to be healthy (mentally and physically). Does he have one? Which kind? Does he use it?
- Food and water… What kind of kibble is he on? Any treats? How do you present his treats to him – just when he’s out with you or just in his cage or a combo? Water in a dish is better than water in a bottle. They stay better hydrated, drink with their neck at a more natural angle, etc… with a dish.
- Bedding… they need a place to feel safe and secure. What’s his bedding look like? Does he have a hidey house/snuggle bag/igloo? Does he like to crawl under his liners? Or is he on a substrate bedding -- -which kind?
- His schedule… what’s that look like? Given your schedule, how consistent can you be with when you check on him in the mornings, take him out in the evenings, clean his home, turn on and off his light, etc…

Then, thinking specifically about biting, there are a few reasons why hedgie will bite. Let’s see if we can figure out what you little guy is up to:
- You’re yummy. Usually, this one comes with a lick, lick, lick before the chomp. Does he lick before chomping? Make sure you’re not handling mealies right before you pick him up! You’ll definitely be yummy then!
- You’re nasty!! This happened to me with my girl, Satin, who would never bite… unless I had been swimming earlier in the day. Even though I washed my hands a few times, that chemical pool scent was there. There was no warning. Just CHOMP! I’ve experienced this happening with cleaning products and have been told this happens with cigarettes too.
- You smell/taste intriguing to me. Scented soaps for your hands, perfumes, scented laundry detergent and fabric softener/dryer sheets are big culprits here. Choose an unscented soap and wash up to your elbows with that… Use it consistently. Choose the unscented laundry detergents, etc…
- You’re sweaty… Ummm love the salty goodness. This usually is associated with a lick, lick before the chomp. Armpits seem to be a favorite place to chomp.
- I’m scared… You may receive a warning nibble before the big chomp.
- I’m really freaked out… again, you may receive a warning nibble before the big chomp. Or you might just get the big chomp with teeth grinding away at you.
- I’m extremely angry… probably a big chomp. Probably teeth grinding away. Underlying the anger is feeling upset… which masks fear/uncertainty.
- I’m smart. I want to get back to my house. I know you will bring me there if I do this.

Sooo…. I know there’s folks out there that suggest things like blowing in the face, clapping and making loud sounds, repeating NO NO NO NO NO, sticking my finger under his chin, poking his belly, or tapping his nose… and that would seem to address things like “mmm… you’re yummy… I’m gonna eat you!” But that’s not going to address emotional reasons for biting. Imagine, you’re a little hedgehog, feeling scared and uncertain, so you bite, then someone yells at you…. That’s not going to make you feel less scared. Or you’re angry and upset, then someone pokes you in the belly… That’s not going to make you feel happy.

Long story short, I think you’re dealing with an emotional issue. So let’s do all we can to give him a safe home. Make sure all his basics are in order… house, heating, lighting, wheel, kibble, bedding, water, etc… Then get on a very strict schedule (inasmuch as your schedule can allow it), so he knows what to expect and when. Put his light on a timer so it comes on and goes off at the same time every day. Sing or talk to him for a little bit before you pick him up, so he has time to prepare himself. Limit other people handling him. Let him bond with you and learn to expect how things are from you.

As you might guess, this is going to take awhile. In the meanwhile, use some fleece when he’s out with you so that your scent is there, but he doesn’t have open access to your skin. You might get a little piece of fleece (not tiny… we don’t want him swallowing it!! We’re still talking a few inches in length & width), specifically, for him to use as a biting “toy.” Fleece is going to be your friend here. It's going to be his friend too... nice, warm, snuggly, safe.
 
*kicks stupid antivirus software* I had a post almost done when it popped up "do you want to restart to install updates" just as I hit space bar so the computer restarted and destroyed my post along with changing my default browser and losing my place in a movie I was watching on netflix.

Anyway back to hedgehogs.... What I started to say is that hedgehogs are not mean. They are antisocial prey animals. They don't seek your approval and most don't even actually want attention so long as they have the means to exercise and entertain themselves. We just try to breed tolerant, active hedgehogs and then handle them enough they are used to people so these situations are unlikely. We turned down a very nice, outgoing hedgie who bit me twice over public restroom soap despite using nonscented stuff ourselves because we didn't want to make more sensitive hedgehogs.

We do still have Cinni though. She'll sit there huffing in a ball for hours if you take her out of her cage but she makes friendly hoglets somehow. After a year we've kind of accepted Cinni is just not very active, she doesn't use a wheel, upset her liner, or play with any toys and doesn't want to interact with anyone. She's never out when we're in the room. Sometimes you just get a hedgehog like that. They aren't very long domesticated and some breeders don't pay attention to temperament as long as they produce litters so they don't all come out with sparkling personalities.

Somehow you have an unhappy hedgehog though not just an antisocial one. If the environment things that smhufflepuff mentioned check out it could be scents that are bothering or exciting him or you could have just let too many people handle him too quickly. Especially if they are dropping him. Falling hurts and he may not trust being in the air anymore.

What we do with young hedgehogs that are acting shy is to lay a towel down on the bed or couch because babies poop a lot(not so necessary with older hedgies), then lay down with a blanket and a hedgehog and start using the computer or watching tv. Eventually all hedgehogs (except cinni) start exploring under the safety of the blanket. When they are no longer staying balled up we start peeling back the blanket periodically and they start sticking their noses out to see what's up every so often. After awhile they can be set outside the blanket and will start exploring instead of huffing in one spot. During this time we transport them wrapped in a piece of fleece or tshirt. When they are exploring the bed or couch without too many spooking incidences we start picking them up a little and moving them back towards us when they wander away. Once they are no longer huffy about handling we start carrying them to and from their cage without wrapping them up.

One warning if you attempt to let a hedgehog wander along your whole body. They have a tendency to be attracted to anything with strong smell and attack it. Socks, bras, and underwear are their favorites and my husband's feet have been attacked. You might want to put on clean clothes washed in unscented detergent first. We use only unscented detergent and vinegar to wash things. Unscented original dawn dish soap for washing hands and animal dishes.
 
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