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chewbacca1

New member
Joined
Feb 10, 2013
Messages
1
Hi!
My name is Brittany and I am a new hedgehog owner, My hedgie's name is Chewbacca and I love him to pieces but I really need some help. He is continually grumpy, like all the time always hisses and balls up whenever we hold him he always is fuffing and it makes it so difficult to hold him and play with him, I dont want to give him back to the breeder but its getting more and more difficult to keep him when he barely allows us to hold him. I love him so much does anyone have advice on how i can help make him a happier hog?
 
It takes awhile for many hedgies to settle in. Despite what it looks like, most of the "grumpiness" you are seeing doesn't mean, "I am angry." Instead, it usually means, "I am feeling uncertain and scared. This is all new to me. I'm feeling kind of freaked out."

You can help him settle in by establishing a schedule with him so he knows what to predict. You'll need to keep it nice and consistent. And set things up to attend to his needs - especially as he's getting used to all the new stuff that's going on for him. Take him out during usual hedgie wake times (ie, early in the morning; late in the evening/night). Make sure it's quiet and the lights are low. Before you get him out of his cage to play, give him some advance notice - maybe replace his food and water dishes, attend to his wheel, talk to him softly, sing to him... When you scoop, he'll probably huff. Many do. And that's fine. You can sit with him on your lap while giving him some protection from the scary world - get out a snuggle bag or a small blankie and let him hide in that... on your lap. Let him get used to how you smell, what your voice sounds like, how you move, etc...

Give the little fella a few weeks to settle into his new schedule. And keep re-framing his huffiness from "he's grumpy" to "he's learning and adjusting to new scary things." That way, your job moves from "ugh, somehow I have to stop getting him pissed off" to letting him know "it's okay, I'm in charge, I will keep you safe and loved while you're so scared."
 
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