# lazy hedgehog



## talanie506 (Nov 24, 2009)

hi,

my pygmy hedgehog Ted is about 12 weeks old. 
Since i brought him home i have barely seen him. i understand they are nocturnal, but i stay up til midnight most nights.
He does get up as i find him in random places outside his cage in the morning. 
ive been trying to wake him up at 9pm everynight to get him into a routine, but its not working. the last few nights i've woken him up he stays in his ball. 
Now im worried maybe he's too cold rather than lazy. he has lots of fleecy blankets/hats for him to snuggle in.
the lady i got him from said he wouldnt need any extra heat, but im starting to think she was wrong...or she has a huge gas bill...

can anyone offer any advise?

thanks
Tal.


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## quilson_mc_spike (Dec 27, 2008)

i have sent you a message x


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## sophs87 (Jan 25, 2009)

talanie506 said:


> hi,
> 
> my pygmy hedgehog Ted is about 12 weeks old.
> Since i brought him home i have barely seen him. i understand they are nocturnal, but i stay up til midnight most nights.
> ...


Some times they wont do much while your watching i know mine would stop dead if i started staring at the cage.

What are you feeding her, putting some strong smelling food in like scrambled egg usually brings them out.

Do you hear her on her wheel at night?

When shes balled up just leave her on your lap and try and give her some meal worms, you need to be patient maybe she just wasnt socialised well when she was younger or is just a grumpy spikey bum!

Also i reccomend if you already havnt, join pygmyhogsforum, they are great on there!!

Good luck :2thumb:


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## tigerkitty (Nov 28, 2009)

You should have a thermometer of some sort on or near the hedgehogs home so that you can monitor the temperature to ensure that it does not dip below the 19c mark. If you haven't been monitoring the temperature of the house the hoggie lives in or at least the room that you keep him in then you need to do so ASAP. Temperature is a huge and important factor when keeping a hedgehog, as the temperature needs to be controlled. If after monitoring the temp for a few days shows it to be anywhere under around 20c I would really recommend investing in a heat mat to place in the hedgehogs home to be kept on a stat or even a snuggle pad which you can warm up in the microwave, if you don't already have these things.

The lady you got him from can't really say for sure whether he would or wouldn't need extra heat as she doesn't live in your house nor know how cold/hot it can get. Until you are able to monitor the temp of the room the hoggie is in I'd recommend moving him to the warmest room in your house if you can and trying to keep him warm as much as possible just in case he is trying to hibernate. Perhaps take him out and cuddle him up in a duvet on your lap to see if he uncurls and becomes a little more active. Hibernating can be deadly to APH's so it's very important that you get cracking with the temp thing. You can buy a digital thermometer for under £5 on eBay or you could try you local pet store.

Good luck with this, anyway! Let us know how it goes.


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## talanie506 (Nov 24, 2009)

thanks, ive got a heat disc and a thermometer. 
ive also discovered that as soon as i go to bed and the lights and the telly are off he gets up...


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## tigerkitty (Nov 28, 2009)

Maybe you should try keeping the lights very dim and the telly off when you wake him to bond and play. It might be worth a try.


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## talanie506 (Nov 24, 2009)

thanks, 
ive got a heat disc now, and he is a bit more active, and turning the lights down has made a lot of difference. he gets up and toddles about in the dark whereas if i have the lights on he just hides his head.


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## joey snakes 21 (Dec 13, 2008)

they come from africa its hot, you need to recreate the enviroment,thay are shy , and he she is still young give it time you cant rush ,you need to get there trustgood luck: victory:


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