Food and Biting issues?

So, I got a hedgehog, but I don't think she has eaten since I have gotten her 2 days ago. I have been having regular hedgehog food in her little bowl, and I have also been trying to give her treats. Like meal worms, lettuce, carrots, apples. She ate a bite of lettuce today, but that's all. :/

She has started to try to bite me now for (what seems like) the heck of it. And then right after she tries to bite me, I try to give her food or treats thinking 'oh, she might actually eat now!', but then she wont eat it It's like all she wants to do is bite me for the fun of it.

Any suggestions? She's 9 weeks old if that helps figure out what her problem is

Has this gotten any better since your post?

Oh goodness! Sorry to have missed your post before.
Given her age, she's probably quilling and feel all out of sorts right about now.
How's she doing?

Well, a few days after this post, she began eating regularly, but she still doesn't accept treats from me. But the biting has become much, much worse. I am just so fed up with her that I just feel like curling up into a ball and crying my eyes out.

I realized after some searching that she was quilling, but it didn't seem to bother her if I pet her quills at all. I stayed away from petting her quills though just to make sure, and I just would pet the sides of her belly where the quills and fur meet, and occasionally the face when she would let me. Again, she use to bite me with little nibbles, so I thought she was just hungry and I smelled tasty. Even with me not petting her quills, she would give me a good squeeze of a nibble, but nothing too bad. I saw online to give her a quick blow of air to the face to deter her from that, but that didn't work. She is biting harder and longer the longer I have her and is making me and my boyfriend bleed when she bites us. (I don't put her right back in her cage after she bites to try to show her that when she bites, she will not be rewarded with going back in her cage). She bit my boyfriend so hard tonight that she would not let go until he had to whip his hand so hard that she got whipped across the room. It's not like we want to hurt her at all! It was the only way to get her off! And he wasn't even trying to pet her or nothing, all he was doing the whole time was holding her and she was just sitting there calm as can be with her quills down and everything and all of a sudden CHOMP! I will be in a quiet(er) room with no sudden noises and her quills will be completely flat, and she will just become a little devil! And then I'll blow in her face or something and she will roll up into a half ball so that she can bite me again.

I try to handle her every day for about a half hour a day, but it seems like the more that I try to be friends with her, the better enemies we become. My hands hurt, and I am becoming very emotionally drained with her. I just don't know what to do!

(Sorry about the ridiculously long post...)

Don't worry too much about her taking or not taking treats from you just yet. As long as she's eating and growing, that's just great

Goodness... what a chomper she is!

Right, the quick puff of air usually isn't going to deter the chomping. Mostly, if they're chomping, it's because they're trying to say "HEY! Human, something is WRONG!" and then you respond with the air puff... so... yeah... not too helpful. The trick is figuring out what was "wrong" (according to hedgie) in the first place.

Let's try and be really systematic about it. Possibilities are:
You smell yummy. Really yummy. So good that, as a hedgie, I could eat you. In fact, I will. Chomp! (this could happen if you've been handling food recently)
You smell terrible. Really terrible. Like chemical death. I will kill you before you have a chance to harm me. Chomp! (this could happen if you've been swimming - like pool chlorine or using cleaning products like bleach)
You are scaring the bejeezus out of me. I have no idea what you're going to do next. I will make the first move, then all moves from there on out are perfectly predictable. Chomp!
You are hurting me. I will hurt you. Chomp!
I am hurting. I will hurt you. Chomp!
Right now, things are okay. But I suspect they might change. So I will make the first move. Chomp!

So here's what I'd so... and it sounds like you're doing a lot of these things already... so that's great:

Figure out a schedule a really, really consistent schedule of when it's play/snuggletime. And stick to it as best as you can. Hedgies are creatures of habit. If she can come to expect the start time and end time, she'll be in a better place mentally.

Wash your hands and arms up to your elbows with an unscented soap. Find something you like... that you can keep buying... because you and boyfriend and anyone else who's going to pick her up will use this same soap from now until forever.

Think about your clothes too... the detergent and fabric softener and dryer sheets you've been using - they may be way too strongly scented for a hedgie. If you can do all your laundry with the Free-n-Clear stuff and unscented fabric softener & dryer sheets that would be great. Though, I know that may be asking a lot if you have stuff you really like. But maybe you could run a few sweatshirts for you and boyfriend through a cycle with the scent-free stuff??

Sounds like you have a great environment - a nice quiet place, not bright lights...

She may be more of an adventurer than a snuggler... it will take a bit of time to determine her personality. She might be biting to say: hey, let me go play! You can set up a little area with toys for her during snuggle/playtime. You might try putting out mealies (or other favored treats) in and around her play toys so she's actively "hunting" them instead of attacking you. Just don't hand them to her directly. Do not give her any food with your hands, so she's not associating fingers with food.

I currently have a hedgie who, though typically not a biter, WILL bite if I stick my hand in her hedgiebag with her during snuggle time. I think it's her way of saying "my space!" So, with her, I hold her in her hedgiebag and I keep my hands well on the outside. It's nice to feel her just wiggle around until she's comfy, then settle on down on top of my belly/chest for a good snuggle in her bag. The same might work with your little girl. Though, if she doesn't stay in the hedgiebag, that probably lends credence to the idea that she's an adventurer who needs you to set up a supervised play area rather than a snuggle zone.

In my case, my hedgie won't bite if she's outside her hedgiebag... I think it's kind of like a territory thing with her. Sounds like your little girl will bite if she's outside a hedgiebag Given that, I'd make use of fleece. Definitely, there's value in holding/touching her directly, but since she's using open skin as a target area at this point, I'd go ahead and cover that up. Put on a nice comfy sweatshirt, grab some fleece, keep your fingers away from the danger zone (ie, her mouth area) and start taking note of the little things she IS okay with. Take note of the things she does not huff at when you do them... however small they may be. Over time, the list will grow... though it does seem slow at times. And you may see some back-sliding from time to time. But it will grow.

Thanks for the tips! I love your systematic approach, gave me a good laugh, and some great information. I'll try to get a more consistent schedule for her to play, and I never thought that my detergent might be too strong for her. We have changed detergent recently that smells more flowlery, and so that's a great idea of why! I've been using the same detergent for her fleece in her cage, so that might be another reason why she's becoming grouchier! I'll make sure that we use a non-scented soap when we handle her. I don't have a pouch, but I do have a piece of felt out when I handle her. Your whole territory thing, made me think that maybe she thinks that it is her territory if I handle her with a similar piece of fleece since her bedding is primarily fleece. So I'll use something else than fleece when I handle her, or change her bedding (to what I use for my chinchillas litter pan) and just throw a small piece of fleece for her to cuddle with.

Thanks again!

Oh, yes, quite true... If her fleece liners have been washed in the nice-to-humans scented detergent, it may be way too strong for her. Fleece is great bedding for hedgies and wonderful as little blankies you can use during snuggle time. I'd go ahead and run that through the washer again to remove the nice-to-humans, but-too-much-for-hedgie scent and keep on using it.

If you have the sewing ability, you might want to try and make a hedgie bag and/or a blankie for her. Or put in a quick request to any of the chin or hedgie people who work with fleece. A blankie with a couple layers of fleece sewn together might be just about perfect to help her snuggle down and protect your hands until she's able to chill a bit more. Plus they're great for after-bath time!

I guess that is to say, I'd go with more fleece, rather than less fleece. Use fleece to your advantage.