Getting pricked and poked comes with the territory of owning a pet covered in quills! When a hedgehog is relaxed and calm, their quills lie flat and you can even gently pet them without getting poked. A hedgehog’s only way to protect itself is by balling up, so if they feel anxious or threatened in any way, they will roll up tight and possibly even huff and jump if they are feeling extremely scared. You are most likely to get pricked when they are in an extremely agitated state like this.
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How do you pick up a hedgehog without getting pricked?
Make sure that you have given your hedgie ample time to fully wake up before starting to handle them. Slowly scoop your hedgehog up from both sides using flat palms. If you use loose bedding feel free to scoop a generous amount of bedding along with your hedgehog to provide some cushioning to your hands. You can also use a small piece of fleece or thick fabric to gently pick your hedgehog up with.
How to Handle a Scared Hedgehog
It can take weeks or even months to “tame” a grumpy hedgehog. If you have just brought a new hedgehog home it’s important to give them time to settle into their new surroundings. You need to provide them a dark place to sleep like a plastic igloo or hiding hut in their cage. You can nestle one of your used t-shirts inside the hut, this is a kind of positive reinforcement that helps your hedgehog associate your scent with safety.
Try not to use any new strongly scented lotions or perfumes while handling your hedgehog for the first few weeks. It’s important that they can easily recognize your scent and know that they’re safe and don’t need to ball up when you start handling them.
How to Uncurl a Hedgehog
Keep your hands flat while holding your hedgehog with their feet facing downwards. A scared hedgehog is extremely unlikely to unroll with their face pointed up as they’re basically upside down. Stay very still and don’t try to pet their quills or force them to unroll.
Keep in mind that any sudden movement or loud noise will likely cause your hedgehog to retreat back into its balled position. Once your hedgehog is picked up, they will more often than not uncurl to check out their surroundings.
You can also try tilting your hands very slightly downward so the hedgies’ head is lower than the rest of its body. This may prompt it to come out faster. Hedgehogs have terrible eyesight and almost zero depth perception so be very careful not to accidentally drop them while doing this!
Watch the video below to see this in action:
If the hedgehog is extremely against being held and stays balled up tightly, you can help encourage them to unroll by offering a treat. A smelly treat is often very useful in getting cranky hogs to unroll. Hardboiled egg yolk or a very tiny bit of peanut butter on a plastic spoon is always enthusiastically received. Avoid using metal utensils as hedgehogs have a tendency to bite down and the metal could hurt their teeth.
Hold the treat close enough for your hedgehog to smell it but don’t touch their quills at this point, any contact will likely have them rolling right back into a ball. This may take a minutes, or even a few tries. Hedgehogs are extremely cautious but with patience you can gain their trust.
Once your hedgehog starts to associate being handled with receiving yummy treats you will have a much easier time getting them warmed up to being handled outside the cage. The following insects are also a great way to reward your hedgehog:
- Mealworms -high in fat so take care not to overfeed
- Crickets/Grasshoppers – low in fat, high in protein, and packed full of fiber!
- Waxworms – even higher in fat than mealworms, feed very sparingly unless trying to recover from weight loss.
What to Do if You Get Pricked by Your Hedgehog
Getting poked is inevitable when it comes to owning a ball of spikes. The important thing is to try your best not to react dramatically. If you’re handling your hedgehog and it startles for some reason, causing you to get poked, the worst thing you can do is suddenly jerk away or loudly exclaim “ouch”! This will just cause your hedgehog to become more anxious.
This reaction can also reinforce bad behavior because your hedgehog will figure out that it gets results (aka is put back in the cage) after huffing and puffing out its spines.
