Hedgehogs can spread Salmonella germs to people, even if they look healthy and clean. Protect yourself and your family by always washing your hands after touching or caring for hedgehogs or cleaning their habitats.
However, you should try to use gloves when handling a hedgehog for your own health and safety. Hedgehogs can bite you, but very rarely will that happen. This usually happens when they are young and think your fingers are going to feed them (if they have been fed via a syringe as they had no mother).
Generally, any hedgehog out during the day is probably in trouble and will need to be picked up and taken to a wildlife rescue centre. You can pick them up using gardening gloves and put them into a cardboard box, although they are good climbers, so you would need to ensure it cannot escape.
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.
If you're thinking about getting a hedgehog as a pet, you may undoubtedly be wondering whether or not they hurt to touch. They can seem frightening and fragile at first, but once you become accustomed to the right way to handle a hedgehog, you should find his quills very tolerable to touch!
It depends on the personality of the individual hedgehog and how much handling the hedgehog has had in the past. Some hedgehogs do seem to like to snuggle up to their human companions, while others might be shyer or simply prefer exploring and moving about over sitting still and cuddling.
Avoid surprising a hedgehog, approach him slowly and quietly. It is best to pick him up gently with two cupped hands from underneath where his fur is soft. They sometimes roll into a ball when picked up, but if you hold him and are patient, he will unroll and sniff around.
Places some hedgehogs like to be scratched include: their ears, chin, along the edge of their quill line or skirt, belly fur or feet. protective of its feet.
Always wear gloves if you have to handle a hedgehog, as they can carry diseases like ringworm and salmonella bacteria which can be passed to humans. Don't handle the hedgehog any more than you need to because contact with humans will be stressful for them.
Quite a few hedgehog books and owners recommend the use of rubber or leather gloves when handling hedgehogs, but gloves are NOT a necessary part of hedgehog handling. The rationale behind using gloves is so that you will be more comfortable handling your pet and that the spines will not poke you.
The good news is that these quills are much less prickly than they look with gentle handling! This is not the only defense mechanism, but, like any other wild mammal, they can bite. Hedgehogs are generally gentle and shy animals and usually won't have a go-to to harm their carers.
“Don't kiss or snuggle hedgehogs because this can spread salmonella germs to your face and mouth and make you sick,” the agency warned. No deaths have been reported and one person has been hospitalized, the C.D.C. said.
Kissing or hugging hedgehogs can spread Salmonella germs to the face, the CDC warns.
When a hedgehog hisses, it means he is really annoyed and wants you, other hogs or other animals to clear off. Hedgehogs will often make the hissing noise if their nest is disturbed or if they are cornered or approached by a predator.
Understanding Huffing, Puffing, Clicking and Popping
Huffing and puffing is a way for a hedgehog to say, “I'm big and bad.” It is a sign that your hedgehog is feeling threatened and scared, nervous, or possibly unhappy. When a hedgehog huffs and puffs, it is trying to intimidate whatever is making it feel defensive.
In the wild, hedgehogs are solitary animals and they spend most of their time alone except during mating season. They tend to be shy and wary of people. It takes patience and a gentle hand to form a trusting bond with a pet hedgehog. Once a bond is established hedgehogs can be quite playful and occasionally cuddly.
Some hedgehogs will bond to their owners for life (HHC). Bonding does require effort, persistence, and an understanding of hedgehogs. Many hedgehogs don't like to be petted by just anyone until they are completely comfortable with their environment. This is especially important when a hedgehog goes to a new home.
A relaxed hedgehog will lay down their spines. Once the spines are laying flat (not poking up in various directions like they are when your hedgehog is rolled into a ball) you can try petting them in the direction the spines lay. Avoid trying to pet your hedgehog's face initially as they don't typically like it.
Petting a happy hedgehog is a bit like affectionately stroking a bristly hairbrush.
Shrews, moles and hedgehogs are also not rodents; they are classified in the Mammal order Eulipotyphla.)
The most common reason that hedgehogs bite is because there is something on your hands that smells yummy and they want a taste. In this case, they will often lick first and the bite is more of a nip.
Hedgehogs may bite as a way to communicate if they are tired, stressed, or uncomfortable. Hedgehogs that are quilling may bite because they are uncomfortable. Some hedgehogs don't like nail polish and will bite polished nails but they will stop biting when the polish is removed.
Hedgehogs are not typically aggressive towards people. They are somewhat anti-social and are generally happy to be left alone. However, they will typically “ball up” if people get too close, rather than bite or attack.