Newbie owner needing advice pls

[Cara]

Hello everyone, first let me start by saying Thank you so much for having a site like this. I did post this somewhere else but i dont think anyome saw it.

I am a new owner of a little girl called cracker, she is terrified of everything at the moment, she is a rescued girl, her previous owner didnt touch her, feed her the proper diet, or use the right bedding. Her cage looks like it has been kicked on several occasions

I have had her for nearly 3 weeks days now, i have been reading alot of threads, which have been a great help (phew).

What i was wondering is what fruit & vegtables can i giver her, that will benefit her nutritional needs. Do these vegetables need to be cooked? She has been having cat biscuits for 14 days now. She was not sure what to do with them at first. I started her on mealworms 4 days ago, she only has 2 a day, i am hoping they will aid her nutritional needs. Am i correct in this thinking?

Cracker has had to get used to new bedding, her last bedding was sandy looking wood chips that cut her feet. I cant for the life of me think of the name of the old stuff * Total brain freeze*.

I touch her nightly by putting my hand next to her & keep it there for awhile, she does have a sniff but is mainly a ball all the time. I have tons of patience & am wanting her to come to me, not the other way round. She does play in her cage when no one is about, she moves everything about and puts biscuits into her water bowl nightly. She has a wheel that she just adores, she goes to the toilet on it & it flys of the edges, is this normal? Yes a very strange question i know Thats all i can think of for now

Im a bit worried about her feet, one looks a little red, what is the best thing to do?

Huge Thank you

 

[Kalandra]

Fruits & veggies: Try small bite size pieces of apple, watermelon, honey dew melon, blueberries, banana, pear, etc. Cooked pieces of squash, green beans, peas, are often liked.

You will need to go to her, even very friendly hedgehogs may not come to you. Hedgehogs tend to be a bit shy and loners in that they do what they want. Some will come up to you, but most are not going to. Go ahead and pick her up, put a blanket over her and hold her.

Hedgehogs will go to the bathroom on their wheels. Unfortunately, cleaning poopie wheels is just part of life with hedgehogs.

If the wheel is new to her, she may be running too much. Some have been known to run until their feet bleed. Personally, I'd just keep them clean and monitor them. If you think she's running too much and is going to hurt her feet you may have to take the wheel away for a night. I hate to take wheels away as running on their wheels keeps them from getting bored.

 

[LexieHeg]

I can't comment on the fruits and veggies thing, but as for her not being too friendly - you will probably have to hold her. She will huff and "pop" (kick her feet out) and all sorts of things but if you hold her quietly and relax, she will too. You'll be surprised how friendly she could become when you hold her. It can be a really long process, so it might take longer than a few days for her to uncurl. If you're worried about being prickled, pick her up with a fleece blanket (make sure it doesnt have any loose threads that her feet can get caught in) and hold her with that. That will help her to get used to your scents and sounds.

You will probably have to clean her wheel everyday...its just part of hedgehog life.

For her feet - If they are red and dirty, you can try giving her a foot bath which is just putting a bit of warm water in a sink (about an inch or two depending on how big she is) to clean her toes. Just let her walk around in it until her feet are clean. Cleaning feet is a part of hedgehog life too because as much as they poop on their wheels, they then run in it and it can get pretty gross at times!

 

[Cara]

Thank you Kalandra, so far i have tried her with bits apples & green beans (seperate times) I dont want to introduce things too quickly & give her the runs. When she had the apple i thought she was dying, until i went & read up & watched some videos on it & learn`t what it was, she started Self Anointing. My heart was sure pumping haha. I didnt realize they did this, wow i have so much to learn from my little spiky friend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtCsqJ0P9sk&feature=related (dont know if this will work)

I clean her wheel daily, i couldnt leave it in that mess. She runs on it for about 5 hrs not all at once though is that ok? I gave her a foot bath, she loved it, i even got licked (yay). She is a gorgeous girl who i want the best for & the more i learn the happier she will be.

Thank you LexieHeg, i went & picked her up after having my hand near her so i didnt scare her, she was a ball which sounded like a train hehe, when i got her snuggly in her fleece she layed down & went to sleep in it, on me. She eventually stuck her nose out & had a wander around the sofa, she went & attacked the cover i had on the sofa, it was so funny. I so wish i could of got a picture I will try & ger a pic of her

Thanks again to both of you

Thank you both for your help, i appreciate it, i may be a pain in asking things but all i want is the best for my little spiky girl.

 

[Kalandra]

That first anointing can be quite a scare if you haven't been warned about it. Try a strawberry with her and you'll get pink or red froth, which is super scary if you weren't ready for it.

5 hours is probably fine. I have one that before he got sick would run 7.5 hrs nightly. I have an bicycle computer attached to his wheel and was surprised the first few nights at just how far and how long he runs.

Two concerns, watch her feet. As long as she isn't running them raw, she's fine. Also watch her weight. Weigh her on a kitchen scale regularly. Hedgehogs that are very active may require higher calorie food in order to maintain weight. Cooper was on regular instead of low fat foods due to his 7.5 hrs of running each night.

 

[LexieHeg]

That's great to hear that she's coming along!

 

[Cara]

She has a really good appetite thats why i wanted to know what else i could feed her, she has a recent trip to the vets to be weighed & just a normal health check, he checked her feet & said they are fine now, before they were cracked & sore due to the old owners bedding choice. Now she is on safe bedding its all good. She must runs miles bless her. She loves strawberrys haha i havent seen her froth with them though just apples

My vet had to go on a course to know how to care for her, he isnt used to them being pets, but thankfully he is willing to help me give her the best care possible for the rest of her life, not all will go to such lengths! I am so grateful to him.

Sorry to hear your little one is ill Kalandra

Thanks LexieHeg