Espin - Several Questions about my new hedgie, HELP

[camilam]

Hey everyone, Im new and my name is Camila.

My mom bought me a hedgie this Sunday, his name is Espin, and I have several questions about him.

1. I got him from a store, where he was alone, and the employees didnt know a lot about him, but they told me he was four months. Does that mean hes already an adult?

2. I couldnt buy a cage or anything so at the moment I have him in a big box, its really large and has wood shavings (pine) in the bottom and he was a shoebox with a door to sleep, a plant, some trunks, food, water and a homemade tunnel. Is that ok?

3. I live in Costa Rica, climate is really warm here, though Im still scared that he might be cold, so in the top of the box I put a cozy cover, is that fine too?

4. I feed him Innova (cat food) and he seems to be eating well, Ive also gave him some worms and apple, and he likes them. I guess thats fine right?

5. When I try to grab him to take him out, he gets specially mad. He moves his quills towards my hands, trying to hurt me I guess... What can I do?

6. When I take him out, because Its what sites said I should do so he gets used to me, he just walks around trying to find a place to hid or go into, so when I try to grab him to go back he gets mad again and get specially nervous I think, so he poops a lot and pees. Is there any problem with him?

Sorry for all the questions, I just want Espin to be happy in his new home.

 

[camilam]

I mean we have aspen shavings.

Im also planning on buying him a wheel.

Please help.

 

[Kalandra]

I’d start by working on getting a real cage. That box is going to get wet from spilled water and urine quickly, it isn’t going to last very long. Do you have a plastic storage tub? Many use clear storage tubs as cages. They are cheap and can easily be expanded. Of the items inside I’d take out the plant. Most of us do not put plants in our hedgehog’s cages. Otherwise it sounds like it is fine for the moment. Take a look at the caging thread in the housing section for ideas of what people use in cages.

As long as the temperature stays above 72, your hedgehog should be fine.

Innova is a good food, try to find one more good quality low fat cat food and mix them. Having a second to fall back on should you be unable to get the Innova can save you a lot of trouble in the future. Hedgehogs can become resistant to diet changes. Apples and mealworms are fine.

His getting mad at you is most likely him being scared of you. He is still very new to you and it can take them a while to trust you. Spend lots of time with him and always remember you have to be patient with a hedgehog. If you read or play on the computer, place a blanket on your lap, place the hedgehog on the blanket and cover him. Hopefully he will lay down and sleep. This can be a great way to bond with your hedgehog as it allows him to get to know your smell, and that your movement isn’t going to harm him.

Otherwise he sounds like a normal little, defensive hedgehog. BTW I saw your other thread, he is cute. How big is he (grams?)? I’ve had hedgehogs that were large (750grams) and small (300 grams) they come in a variety of sizes.

BTW welcome to chins-n-hedgies. I’d love to hear more about what life is like with hedgehogs in Costa Rica. Is it hard to find a vet that will take care of them? Are there very many owners?

 

[camilam]

Ok thanks a lot! Im buying him a new cage as soon as I have time.
Okk thats what I learned when I researched but he just seemed pretty mad, like he discovered his quills hurt me and started trying to hurt me in defense, but thanks for your tip, it sounds great and Ill start doing it!
Thankss Im just really worried about anything wrong with him, Im not sure of his weight but he did seem big for a 4 months old, and the pet store employee told me he was going to grow a bit more, the other hedgies Ive seen in pages seem so much smaller.

Thanks again.

Im not sure about the vets, I have never taken him to my normal vet since I think he is healthy for now, but at the pet shop were I got him there was a vet that told me I could take him with him if anything was wrong. He didnt seem too experienced with hedgies though.
Im not sure about how many owners there are but a couple of my friends have one, and on another store (Pets Market) there are always tons of baby hedgies, but they are more expensive there, and Im not sure if many people buy them.
I bought mine at Ruffos, for 60000 colones that is about 120 dollars.
At Pets Market they are worth 70000 colones, that is about 140 dollars.

 

[camilam]

So far Im not quite sure if hes been making a progress, he doesnt let me hold him and still tries to hurt me with his quills, and seems to be really mad.
He bit me softly today but it may have been because he was trying to bite my watch.

Also, Im worried about him getting cold without any heat lamp or anything, is that ok? All I have is a quilt on top of his box, do you think he might be fine with that only?