Still working on socialization

[Stephanie G]

Hi,
I've had Pugsley for almost 2 months and he still doesn't seem to like me (or other people). He makes huffing noises and sticks his quills out when I try to interact with him. I'm pretty stubborn and try not to let that deter me but I thought we'd be past this stage by now. I can hold him in a fleece pouch on my lap with no problem...until I move. I would really like to be able to hold him and have him feel comfortable with me. Any advice?

Add'l info: I brought him home from a breeder when he was 7 weeks old. He eats and drinks sufficient amounts and the vet gave him good report at his "well-baby" check-up.

Thanks in advance for any help you may provide.

 

[smhufflepuff]

Lots of love and patience. They all have such different personalities.

I'd do my best to meet him on his terms... try lowering the light a bit. See if you can figure out when he's at his best. I've had some that are more "morning hedgies" others prefered evening times. Try changing snuggle time a little if you can and see if there's any effect. Go with what works best.

Usually, I'd say make sure it's nice and quiet... but I currently have a huffy girl who seems to do better if the tv is on in the background. She has a definite "I'm done!!!" time. And her shift from "It's okay, I'll sit here with you" to "put me back in my cage now" is quite swift and she'll get chompy if I fail to attend to it. Tv in the background seems to lengthen that time. So, if quiet doesn't work, try a soft distraction in the background... tv or radio.

She also enjoys watching herself. I can put my phone in camera mode and let her watch herself... was absolutely amazed at how long she was able to sit with me. You might try a small mirror if your phone doesn't have that option.

When you do move, give him a bit of warning first, "okay buddy, I'm going to get up now..."

 

[Stephanie G]

Thanks for the ideas. I think it will be fun to try the idea to let him watch himself. I am on spring break this week so I was able to stay up later than usual. Last night, I learned that he's more of a night owl than I realized. He was quite calm and alert between 11 and midnight. I need to figure out how to 1) get my students to teach themselves so I can stay up later in order to spend quality time with Pugsley and 2) how to get my principal to buy into the idea. Thanks again, smhufflepuff!

 

[smhufflepuff]

Ah... yes... you may have been interrupting his normal sleepy time by aiming for before 11pm. Both hedgie boys and girls can be real divas about having their beauty sleep interrupted. You might be able to slowly advance that time from 11 to 10:50, then 10:40, etc... over the course of several weeks (maybe months).

Or, yep, there's that plan where you convince the school principal to buy into arriving at work late each day. Can't see how you'd run into any problems there If only, eh?