I named her Arwen from the Lord of the Rings!
She is only 6 months old, and has a lot of learning to do! She has had 3 different owners (including me) and she is very confused and scared of things now. They are very reliant on scent, therefor she has had a lot of mixed feelings about me being her 3rd owner, although she has opened up to me a whole lot!Hedgehogs aren't really as cuddly or friendly as they seem in all the cute instagram photos they are in! She likes to "ball up" and poke her little quills out when she is scared or feels threatened, and we're working on that! She sure has come a long way! So, do me a favor and please do not purchase a hedgehog if you are not willing to take on the big commitment! I have spent about $50 on her within the first few days, and there are still more things I would lover for her to have, to be honest. I switched out her food (cat food) to actual hedgehog food that I purchased online, which is a lot healthier for her and meets her needs better than ordinary cat food. I bought her soft canned cat food as well (all natural) as a nice treat for her when I get her out of her cage! I also bought her a nice fluffy ferret bed that she likes to take naps in while I put her in her playpen!
It is also very important to hold and bond with your hedgehog DAILY. You want them to recognize your scent as best as possible and have them trust you. It is also good for them to interact with strangers to loosen up their friendliness to more than just their owners (considering they may need a babysitter one day if you're on vacation...etc.) It is also important to associate yourself with food to your hedgie, then they will be much more willing to get out of their cage and have a snack! (ex. canned cat food/meal worms/etc)
I have also switched out her water bottle to an actual water dish, because due to hours upon hours of research I have conducted, I have concluded that bottles are too much of a safety hazard compared to regular dishes with water in them. Bottles have the potential to poke some hedgie's little eyes and cause blindness or infections which lead to the removal of the eye, and i just don't want to risk that for my little girl. I also use Aspen bedding for her (wood-chips) and have asked around other hedgehog mommy's, and came to the conclusion that I want to switch to a form of cloth pad. Much more comfortable and eliminated the chances of wood chips splintering her toes and eyes! (as well as my room becoming a mess!)
I foot bathe her daily to remove any form of feces between her toes (it's more important than you think!) and I bathe her completely about once a week (only because her previous owners have never bathed her once in her life) and after a few weeks, I'm breaking it down to once a month (considering their whole body isn't nearly as dirty as their paws!)
Clipping your hedgehog's nails is a MUST as well! When i received my hedgehog, her nails were at a dangerously long state, and could easily get caught on something and break off. I have developed a sort of method to clipping her nails, but I would love to do it differently hopefully in the future if she will allow me to. I wait for her to dive into her little canned food meal when i get her out of her cage and reach gently and quietly for her hind paws and use some nail scissors to clip the the nails! (Yesterday though, bless her heart) I accidentally nicked the quick (vein) of the nail and it started to bleed pretty bad. She handled the whole situation like a tough trooper, and continued running about her playpen. I had to stop her considering she was getting my carpet bloody! But with a little bit of pressure and a few hour long nap, me along the side of her, and now it's doing a little better. The bleeding has stopped, and has clotted up pretty well. I felt so bad, and thank goodness she forgave me!) Anyways, I'm going to try and get her other hind paw sometime tonight (HEDGEHOGS ARE NOCTURNAL! ..psa... hehe! Some people do not want them because of this! Keep this in mind as well!) and hopefully do it 100% successfully! Wish me luck! I will be updating weekly on how Arwen is holding up, so keep checking in once in a while!
My next post, which is coming up right after this one is going to be a school project of mine! A part of an autobiography about a phase of my life (actually, where I am now, really!) so bare with me. Feel free to skip over/ignore it, but if you would like to get to know me a little better, read away!
Thank you guys so much, and I hope you learned a thing or two on the cute little hedgies! If you have any questions AT ALL about it, don't hesitate to ask me! You can reach me through here, email (livchambliss@yahoo.com) or mention me on twitter! (Ms_CHAMPliss)
I love you guys, and HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! <3
xoxo, Liv
