Brought my hedgehog, Pompeii, home today!

[Bailey59]

Hey everyone! Today I took a road trip down to Maryland to get my baby boy.

Pompeii, Poppi for short, is a reverse pinto that I am in love with! he wasn't even huffy at all, super super friendly and adventurous. He has two spots.
-One tiny dot on the base of his tail
-One big patch on his back that looks like a running mustang.

I am enjoying him very much! On the car ride home, he kept walking around and sniffing. Although he took a nap most of the way, he was so fun to watch! When we got home, I took him upstairs to put him in his cage for a little bit. My brothers begged me to let them see him while I was walking up. So when we got in my room, I set down a soft blanket and let him out. He didn't ball up or huff at all! Luckily, he stayed on the mat and let the boys pet him gently.

Thankfully, they let me put him in his cage. He scouted all around, through his 'sleep area' to his play area. (In case your wondering, I have this cage; http://www.petco.com/product/116477/Midwest-Guinea-Habitat-Plus-Guinea-Pig-Cage.aspx ) Pompeii pushed around his stuffed husky, from McDonalds, and started to drag it around. Climbing and sliding on his ramp was his favorite. He would go up and scramble down real fast, then do it all over again.

After the boys left, he pooped behind his wheel. So I got it with his paper towel and put it under his wheel, in the wheel's pan (Larry's wheel). Then after he noticed that, he went potty again, but in his litter box! I'm so proud of him!

Thanks for reading! Just wanted to share

 

[Bailey59]

For all the CSW users, is it usually for a baby to be sliding off the wheel? I have it on an angle because it kept hitting the black litter box. Should I make it more on an angle? Or wait till he can keep his feeting? Both?

Also, he has been itching a lot lately. Every time I watch him he goes and itches his neck-shoulder area. His breeder mom told me he was quilling

Is it just me being extra protective? Is it because he just came come? is it mites?

P.S. He has bit my watch twice as well as my wrist band.

P.S.S. I think I have an escape artist on my hands. While I type this he is trying to dig under his playpen. <Goes to grab him before he gets out>

 

[smhufflepuff]

For all the CSW users, is it usually for a baby to be sliding off the wheel? I have it on an angle because it kept hitting the black litter box. Should I make it more on an angle? Or wait till he can keep his feeting? Both?

Not really normal to be sliding off the wheel. A few oopses here or there, sure. But not all the time. I’d look at adjusting the angle so that the running surface is more parallel to the ground. You want a bit of a tilt so that the pee runs off, but nothing terribly extreme. I believe the height of the wheel is something you can change depending on which holes you put the axel through. Perhaps a combination of a change in height plus angle will keep baby from sliding off and prevent it from hitting the litter box.

Also, he has been itching a lot lately. Every time I watch him he goes and itches his neck-shoulder area. His breeder mom told me he was quilling.
Is it just me being extra protective? Is it because he just came come? is it mites?

How does the skin in that area look to you? Check out to see if it looks like he has dry skin, flakey skin, areas where he’s abraded his skin from scratching…? I’m also wondering, since you mention neck/shoulder area, does it look like he’s going after the back of his ear?

And what are you noticing in terms of quill loss… both overall and in that area specifically?

What kind of bedding is he on? And how to you heat his home/cage? Different bedding and some heating systems can contribute more or less to dry skin and itchiness.

P.S. He has bit my watch twice as well as my wrist band.

Yes, watches and wristbands can be issues. I’d just take those off when it’s hedgietime. You get the double “ooooh… shiney object, must attack” and “ooooh… strong human salty/sweaty scent/taste” that prompts a good chomp from a number of hedgies. With that, mostly, I worry about their little teeth going up against the metal of your watch… not so good for them. At least the solution is easy enough… remove watch. As he grows older, he may be able to resist biting them.

P.S.S. I think I have an escape artist on my hands. While I type this he is trying to dig under his playpen. <Goes to grab him before he gets out>

Dig under… as in…? Keep watch over you little one! Sounds like quite the adventurer. He’ll be able to work off some of his extra energy once his wheel is fixed. But that won’t 100% stop his exploring ways if he is destined to grow up to be one.

 

[PetoftheDay]

Aww, just wanted to say congrats, and enjoy the adventures to come!

 

[Aurora]

Congrats on the new addition and enjoy your new little boy. He sounds like a doll
Yeah Zuri was a jewelry addict, much like her mommy hehe..... she always tried to bite my rings, etc as I would pick her up lol. Easiest to remove those before handling. Also be sure to wash your hands so they dont smell like yummies or he may bite your fingers.
As far as the wheel, can you shift the litter box so the wheel can be level? That may alleviate him slipping out of it.

 

[Bailey59]

Thank you everyone! He is a trouble maker!

Aurora - I have removed my watches and things while I hold him. My watch isn't metal so his teeth won't be biting something hard at all. But thank you for the advice!


Smhufflepuf - The wheel issue I figured out. I put it on a better angle and he seems fine with that. He had just saw it and when he went on, he lost his footing a couple of times. Every time he takes a break from his 'marathon' he will some times lose his balance and slip on the edge. But my guess is that sense he is small and when he stops; that the wheel spins backwards a little bit that he losses his balance. Hopefully, once he gets heavier and larger, this will stop.

He is a huge handful already. What I meant was, he was trying to get his muzzle under his playpen. On the good note, he has stopped doing that as I have been keeping a good eye on him. Also he was trying to dig in the blanket of fleece that layed on the floor. :neener:

About the itching issue; I have him on fleece. Was it important that I washed the fleece before I used it? I can easily get that done quickly if needed. My heating source is a space heater that stands about a foot from his cage. On the opposite side from his sleeping area. It works really well, I keep it on while I sleep, then turn it off when I leave for school. The breeder herself said she kept one in the baby's room. My room stays warm, not too cold, but not too hot. I have to admit that I am not certain of the temperature, but it is defiantly between 70*-80*. I hope to get a thermostat to check the temp. usually. He is itching now all over. I have only found 3-4 quills, two including the ones his breeder mom had found. She had told me he has starting quilling. I can't really get a close look because I have just got him, and he is not used to me yet. (But he hasn't balled up yet) He will just itch about everywhere, not to hard, and I don't notice anything unusual. Nothing really, not one area losing quills or looking irritated.

 

[Bailey59]

UPDATE:

Today, I just found lots of quills scattered in his cage. Is it normal for him, born 10/22/13, to start quilling this early?

 

[smhufflepuff]

Quilling started around 7 or 8 weeks for the two I had as babies. So, yes, could be quilling. Especially if you're seeing just the little quillkid quills in his fleece and new big quillkid quills coming in. The density of his quill coat shouldn't change... just the individual quills with little ones falling out and bigger ones coming in. They'll be a bit longer and thicker.

Signs of things going aawry would be if you start seeing bald spots, or his quill coat seems to be thinning out, or dry skin... especially if it's braided at all.

 

[Bailey59]

Thanks! The breeder assured me it was quilling. But I will be keeping a close eye on everything!