Treats! Treats!

This is Phinneus. He is waving. I wanted to share this fine hedgehoggy moment with you.

I have learned, since getting up the nerve to feed like mealworms to Phin, that he becomes quite a pleasant little fellow once he has had his treats. Phin is a young adult male, and he goes through phases every once in while were he will be nothing but a hissing, sharp, angry, grumpus. The best way to deal with this situation is not to simply let him be (you must not let the hedgehog think that she/he can get away with this, or they will become progressively more aggresive) but to coax him out of his bad mood by feeding him mealworms. With other hedgies the treat of choice may be a piece of chicken, or some watermelon, etc. I typically give Phin three or four worms every night (it is important that mealworms remain treats, not a staple part of your hedgehog's diet), and after this he becomes a charming angel. Many owners struggle with taking care of a grumpy hedgehog. They assume the animal does not like them, and so they opt to leave the hedgehog alone. Instead, why not try to entice your hedgehog out? Make him or her curious? Give the little prickles a good reason to crawl around on you. This will build a much stronger relationship between you and your hedgie, and will help you to gain their trust. One they do trust you, it's like you are "in the club".