New Hedgie (3 months old) Owner

[kevrlee]

Hi everyone. I recently bought a new hedgie, which is about a couple of hours ago. I never had any experience taking care of one, so I really need a lot of help and advice to ensure that I would be doing a great job as an owner to my hedgie.

As far as I have observed, my hedgie (I call him Sonic, yes, very unoriginal) is one heck of a hyperactive hedgie that constantly moves around whenever he has the chance. Too bad I was not able to get him a wheel yet, but I have already set aside time to do this coming Tuesday (which is my offday).

I also noticed that it pooped green earlier, which, from what I've read is a normal thing to happen when hedgie's are stressed, since the environment and the people are not what it is used to, so I guess I gotta give him some time to adapt. Any ideas how long would it take for him to adjust? Don't want to keep it stressed all the time. Really love him so much, yet so powerless to do something about it. Argh.

Anyways, looking forward to an exciting journey with him together!

 

[charlie]

Welcome! Yes, they are generally stressed for the first few weeks, though the poop should clear up in a few days. Make sure he is eating and drinking and has a place to hide. Lots of information on the forum about housing, temperature, food, handling, illness - just snoop around. Welcome to the group!

 

[kevrlee]

HELP.

I seem to have problems feeding it. :: insert horrorface ::

It doesn't bother to eat (nor even lick) the food that I'm feeding it with. It's the same type food that his breeder has been feeding him..

What seems to be the problem here?

 

[smhufflepuff]

Could be many things. First thing I'd do is address things you *can* take care of. Pick your hedgie up, look hedgie over for anything that seems grossly out of the norm (illness, injury). Make sure that hedgie is at a good temperature - both in terms of being between about 74-78F (you'll find other people might have different, but similar temp recommendations) and being rather constant. Make sure hedgie is getting an adequate amount of light during the day and darkness at night. Also do your best to make sure it's relatively quiet at night.

Most hedgies will eat at night and NOT during the day. So don't worry if it's daytime and he's not eating. If he's in a hidey-place (e.g., in a snuggle bag or under blankies), and he hasn't eaten overnight, you can put some kibble in there with him. He might wake up, feel hungry, and eat if he doesn't have to leave his safe, warm bed.

It's also possible that he might just not eat the first day/night -- the situation is completely new to him and he may need a bit of time. Two or more days/nights... that's starting to be a problem! How long is it since he last ate?

So, light during day, dark and quiet at night, having a hidey-place for him to hide in during the day, and putting kibble close by (maybe in bed with him) -- these are all things you can do to help.

Then there are things you can't take care of too easily. If he's sick or injured, you'll need outside help from a vet. Having him settle into a new home is largely something he'll need to do on his own. You can help by being very predictable in your actions. Ultimately, though, it'll be his temperament/personality that will guide how long it takes for him to settle in. You're right that the green poop shows he is stressed. How long until it goes away will vary by hedgehog. Assuming yours is healthy (other than the stress of moving from one home into another, new, home), it could be a day or two or a week or two. Maybe even a month or two -- though I expect that long isn't terribly typical.

 

[kevrlee]

Thank you so so so much for the much needed advice! Day 3 has been fantastic so far. And it's like what you say, they don't really eat during the day, but I do notice the kibbles that I place at the food bowl have decreased. sneaky little thing maybe it's just shy to eat in front of me. HAHA.

 

[smhufflepuff]

You bet. Of the three I've had so far, one would eat anything and everything in front of me. She loooooved her food. One would run to his kibble dish each time I put him back into his house and eat a bit... then he'd only eat under the cover of darkness. My most recent only eats if it's completely dark and it's been at least half an hour since we last had any contact.

Hopefully, over time, your little one will eat in front of you. It's so cute watching them crunch on their kibble and chomp down their mealies!

 

[kevrlee]

A breakthrough! Couldn't get better than this!

1. Sonic's much much more comfortable with me right now. Manage to snuggle a couple of times with him. I guess the trick of putting my recently wore shirt in his bedding made him very familiar with my scent.

2. He just gobbled up a couple of kibbles that I fed it with, right in front of me! OH YEAH!

On a side note, I've committed myself to spending at least 2 hours with him every night and about 30 minutes in the morning. So far, everything's working out really well and I've also have accustomed myself with his behavior. Oh, and is it just me or do I like find his huffing + puffing really cute when it gets all cranky when I wake him up? :: evil ::

 

[Shooper]

I'm glad that everything is going so well! Would love to see a pic of him!