How to build trust with a grumpy hedgehog

I read a lot of comments about other owners having a hard time bonding with their pet hedgehog. I uploaded this unedited video to show you how I worked with mine. It’s long, but it’s an accurate depiction of how you have to go slow and be patient. My goal was to pet his belly. I started by letting him smell me and calm down a little bit. When I felt he was calm enough (quills flat on his back), I took him and turn him over. Hedgehogs don’t have good eyesight, so having a big finger near their face can be scary. That’s why I often let him smell my finger, so he would know what was stroking his face. I slowly went to pet his little front paw. This movement spooked him, and he curled in a ball. I let him smell my finger and tried again. When I was able to pet his paw, I switched for his belly. You’ll see that he is often scared and goes back into a ball. It could have been caused by a lot of things such as me stroking him differently, the sound of my arm moving on the arm
Back to Top