This past weekend Nancy and Lynda went to the exotic animal auction that we
regularly monitor for ferrets.  Thank goodness there weren't any ferrets
there but.... they brought 2 hedgies to me.  :-0 The only problem is that
these two are not tame.  Every time I stick my hand in they prickle and
hiss at me.  I'm beginning to get a complex here.  Lynda said she had never
seen me be skittish around any other animal.  Yes, folks.  I can work with
aggressive/abused/neglected ferrets, I can rescue huge german shepherds but
I'm leary of a small prickly critter.  Mostly because I don't want to hurt
them and I don't want to get pricked either.
 
Anybody have advice on how to care for unsocialized hedgies?  I don't know
anything about them but I'm willing to learn.  Well on to the story...
 
When I brought them home I placed them on the place Nancy usually sits till
I could get their cage ready.  The book said they are solitary critters but
I have two boys in one large cage with two sets of bedding boxes, food and
water.  Anyway, Pumkin was very curious and kept trying to get into the
cage (remember Pumkin is my ferret from Denmark).  I kept putting him down
and when he tried to pull the blanket out of the temp cage I put him in his
own cage till I could get the boys into their own cage.  A little while
later Nancy came over and sat right down where the hedgies cage had been.
I let Pumkin out of his cage and he was frantic.  He kept pestering Nancy
and scratching and even grabbed her finger (with too much emphasis).  I
suggested she stand up and let him inspect the seat as he thought she was
sitting on his hedgies.  Well she stood up and Pumkin checked it out.  When
he was satisfied that Nancy WASN'T sitting on his hedgies he went on his
merry way.  It was all in reading what he was trying to say.  Sometimes we
need to be reminded.  When our ferrets do something a bit out of the
normal, they are probably trying to tell us something.  Listen with your
eyes, heart, and ears.
 
I placed the hedgie cage on top of the computer desk.  This is the only
place I had room where no ferret has ever gone.  Pumkin didn't see where I
placed them but he ran around the house with his nose in the air till he
located their smell.  Then he headed straight for the desk.
 
Well Pumkin pulled all the computer cords down and climbed them right up to
the cage.  (sigh) I did let him see one up close but the little hedgie
prickled and Pumkin got his nose poked each time he tried to sniff.  All
this did was make him more determined to try and check the new critters
out.  (sigh)
 
Hugs to all. tle
[Posted in FML issue 2460]