Basic Handling
Much like most animals, hedgehogs will be very shy and nervous with first introductions. For us humans, we like to reach in for a couple pets and snuggles but it will be painful when we do so while they have their spines stretched out. Every hedgehog has their own unique personality, so you will need to adapt to how they interact individually.
When picking up your hedgehog, make sure you don’t go too slow or they will curl into themselves. You want to lay your hand flat and just scoop them up at a moderate speed. It may hurt if you are not used to their spines yet, so if you need to use gloves then they are an option.
When holding them in your hands, do not cup your hands. We cup our hands around the animal to make sure they don’t fall but ask yourself this; is it easier to stand on a plate or in a bowl? Hedgehogs find it easier to stand on a flat surface and will come out of their spikey ball faster. Also, don’t hold the hedgehog close to your body because this will cause their senses to be in “overload.”
In order to have a healthy relationship with a new hedgehog, they will need to be handled daily and you may have to handle your hedgehog more often and for a longer amount of time when you take the animal home. After the hedgehog is accustomed to you, the amount of time you have the hedgehog out can be lessened but they will still need to be handled daily.
Affection
Hedgehogs are not like cats or dogs where they greet you with a drastic wag of the tail. In fact, they won’t even acknowledge your existence unless you have a treat in your hand. If you are looking for a drastic affectionate animal, then a hedgehog is not the animal for you. If it helps describe this idea further, think of a hedgehog’s mindset more like a turtle, rather than a dog. Instead, they will cuddle up with you on the couch or bed and watch some TV in the comfort of their sleeping bag.
Puffing
Hedgehogs, like other animals, have a way of telling us to back off. They will curl into a ball or quills will stand up and make they will make this ‘puffing’ sound. This is an indication they are mad and don’t want to be touched or they are trying to intimidate you. Instead of making the situation worse, try putting your hand flat on the ground and have them come to you. I also recommend you putting a t-shirt that was worn for a couple days in their cage, so they get accustomed to your scent. I also recommend giving the hedgehog a treat like a sunworm to tell them you are a source of happiness and food.
Play time
When you are getting your hedgehog out to play, it will likely be when the sun is shining. Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals so the afternoon for you, is bedtime for them. They will be unsure of their surrounds when you first wake them up and will tend to puff up their spines in defense of the sudden change in their environment. Hedgehogs will need the minimum of an hour of play time. Be sure to make this hour very enjoyable for your hedgehog because it is the only time it spends outside of it’s enclosure. Of course, there is the option of letting your hedgehog free-roam your house or a particular room, but I don’t recommend doing this if you have not owned a hedgehog in the past.
Hand time
In order for your hedgehog and yourself to be more comfortable with each other, hand time is a must. When you get your animal out to play, make sure you are not just putting him/her in a play pen and leaving them there to occupy themselves. Make sure play time is fun for the both of you and that you handle your hedgehog majority of the time they are out. You have the option of using a glove to handle your hedgehog, so that you and the animal are more comfortable with the encounter. This will limit the animal from getting used to your hands and scent however, so I don’t recommend using it all of the time.
Biting
It is unlikely for your hedgehog to bite because they choose to puff up instead, but it does occur. Hedgehogs are very curious if something is food, so they will test it by what every animal does, bite it. To prevent your hands smelling like food, wash your hands in a non-scented hand wash before handling.
When they decide to bite you, do not pull towards you because the hedgehog will latch on harder thinking you are prey. Instead push towards their face and it will force their head in an uncomfortable position. They will then let go of whatever they had a grip on. Another option to release the deathly grip is to blow up their nose. It will cause the hedgehog to have a hard time breathing so they will let go to take a breath.
Do not be discouraged from handling your animal if they bite. Try to find the cause of the hedgehog bite and much like dogs, they can sense fear.
With all of this said, hedgehogs do not have the very large rodent incisors or large canines, so their bites don’t hurt as much. Their teeth are designed to crunch insects which doesn’t need a lot of force or effort.
Quilling
A process when the smaller quills on a hedgehog falls off and are then replaced with larger quills. This process is called quilling and happens as the hedgehog grows larger. When you get a hedgehog that is 3 months or younger, you will notice that their quills are smaller and less sharp than those of an adults. Quilling is a natural process but does not occur over night like a when a snake sheds their skin. It can be compared to when a child goes through teething. Quilling is very painful because the smaller, baby, quills will be replaced with larger, adult, quills. The hedgehogs will tend to be grumpier during quilling due to the pain but will pass once the quilling is over. Quills will break through the skin very quickly, so there will be no visible balding of the hedgehog.
Losing quills are different than quilling. Whenever your hedgehog loses a quill, there will be a white ball tip on the end much like a human hair. If your hedgehog has mites, the end of the quill will have a soft or flaky tip on the end. Mites will make visible balding spots on your hedgehog and cause flaky skin. Refer to the skin care blog to learn more about mites.
The first stage of quilling will occur during 2-3 weeks of birth and will slow down around the first 12 weeks. Some hedgehog spines are thinner with the different color of hedgehogs than others as babies.
Ingrown quills are similar to that of an ingrown hair on a human. There will be redness, swelling, and irritation in an area where the spine is. This quill will need to be pulled and clean the area with a gentle cleansing solution. You may notice there will be two spines fused and growing together. One quill will look to be pink or fleshy looking at the base. You can try to remove the spine but if it does not come out with ease, then a vet visit will be in order. The vet will have to remove the area and it will not be an easy process because your hedgehog will be awake and unhappy with the procedure. Your vet may want to use anesthesia to help ease the process.
Introducing Other Animals
When introducing your hedgehog to your other animals, I advise that you don’t do so if your other animals are aggressive. If you decide to introduce them, do one at a time. Let the hedgehog come to the animal instead of the other way around. I had introduced my two dachshunds to both of my hedgehogs and the dogs are more afraid of the pricklies than the pricklies are of the canines. My dogs have now begun to protect my hedgies from the other animals in the house.