Disappointing

[kitty-kat-kazoo]

:wacko:So i've had Squee for 3 months now. I have noticed a change from when we have gotten him. However; is still is VERY aggressive. I can let him out to play and he'll run around with out hissing and popping... but he won't play or anything he'll quickly search his surroundings for the darkest smallest corner and go hide in there till i pull him out. He'll play in his cage (tubing, and wheeling and ramming his truck into things), and won't hide - except wheeling, he'll only go near it at night and it's like he knows exactly what i'm doing.. i'll hear him wheeling and quickly turn the light on to catch him in action... lol i can't as soon as the lights on he's in a ball hissing. But the tubing and his truck he'll play with for all to see.
But I guess my question is how to make him less agressive. If I put my hand down in his cage he'll attack it, if I try and bond with him and let him hang out on my lap while watching tv - he'll search for any exposed skin and attack it. Even if I have him playing on the ground and i come and sit to watch, as soon as I sit he runs at me and attacks again. I'm really getting tired of it. My boyfriend will let him bite him all he wants and won't put him down like suggested... but it doesn't stop. He won't bite and let go and go about his buisness he'll bite.. switch positions and bite somemore. And when he's done that - he'll bite some more and NOT let go.
Help Anyone?

 

[Nancy]

Biting at clothing and chewing and tugging is typical hedgehog behaviour. Many of them love to chew our clothes. Let him chew clothing or fabric and if he goes for exposed skin, give him a piece of cloth to chew on. Try giving him a cloth with a hint of a scent on it. A drop of vanilla, lightly rub a stick of gum or candy, or anything that is edible and not spicey or salty. Keep exposed skin out of reach and let him chew clothing. Just make sure if he is chewing your clothes that it is pulled away from your skin so he doesn't accidentally bite your skin too.

I have many that their favourite thing to do is to lay on me and chew my t-shirt. Some I can safely let lick my skin but others would get carried away and bite.

Instead of turning a light on to watch him, use a red bulb. Although some hedgehogs won't come out with red light, many will and it offers you the opportunity to watch him and he will act like it's dark.

What time are you getting him up? Some who are unsocial during early evening hours are social butterflies at midnight.

 

[kitty-kat-kazoo]

He's a little all over the place. He wakes up when I do at 5 am, usually just to glare at me haha, then he goes back to bed, and then he usually comes out to play as soon as we turn off the lights for bed...usually around 10-11 pm. I do notice that he loves chewing on his fleece, sometimes it just seems like aggression not playing. Like i'll move a piece to look at him and he'll dive for my hand but find the cloth instead (i'm soooo much quicker..) and he'll just go nuts on the fleece squeaking grunting it's amusing i'll admit, but at the same time I don't want to incourage bad behaviour.

 

[Nancy]

Let him chew the fleece. That is probably what he wants and yes they can sometimes appear to be aggressive. My Abby used to look vicious as she would run up me to get to the neckline of my t-shirt. She would attack it and chew and tug but she would never bite me unless she got skin by accident.

 

[kitty-kat-kazoo]

Okay good to know. So maybe he's actually trying to play with me? Well if i do hold him in my hand with nothing for him to chew he goes to town on my hands... and same with the other day i had him on the counter and i was concerned he'd jump off so i'd put my hand under it when he'd go up to the edge, and sure enough he'd stick his face down far enough to give me a good nip then go running off.

 

[krbshappy71]

Wow he sounds like a human baby that is teething, ha! That would be really frustrating. You're washing your hands with unscented soap? Washing after preparing food or handling any pet food? I wash my hands right before handling them and that has appeared to stop Whyte from biting me and this worked for my daughter as well who didn't realize she was snacking while he was on her lap, therefore her hands smelled like food whenever she had him.

Nancy, thanks for the tip about the cloth, I am going to start suggesting that to my daughter as I dislike her clothes being so chewed up. (she thinks its cute that he likes to chew on her jeans or pulls her shirt) Whyte gets pretty assertive with his clothing-chewing. Its nice to know that is ok behavior.