tunnelling hedgehog

[fantapants]

hey all, my hedgies have been living in their new homes for a week or two now and they seem to have settled in reeeaaalllly well. but suddenly one of them has started digging, it sounds like s/he is trying to tunnel out! i says s/he cos as soon as we walk in the room they stop and all look at us like we are aliens intruding on their world! i have no idea which one it is out of two girls and a boy ( all kept seperate) and just wondered if anybody knew why? or even how i can *encourage* them to stop. the noise is pretty bad and we have all been woken up by it at various times even though they are kept in the reptil room away from the bedrooms. they have lots of things to do, tubes and toys to play with ( i even clean them and swap them around to keep the novelty) and plenty of food to forage in hidden bowls and tubes etc......any ideas?

[clair74]

Do they have a wheel to exercise?

[LiamRatSnake]

Do they burrow in the wild? Could you provide deeper substrate for them to scratch around in? Or do something to keep them busy? Like hiding mealworms (Maybe dried ones), or other tit-bits around their cages to keep them busy at night?

[purpleskyes]

How close together are the cages? I remember my flatmates male used to do this but he doesnt anymore and his and female's cages are no longer anywere near each other. Someone with more experience will probably come along with the right answer just a thought.

[fantapants]

well they are currently in a three stack hutch and each has a wheel and a selection of toys. they have always been in close proximity to each other since i got them and this digging is a new development. i do put food out for them to forage by hiding it under toys and in their play tubes.

[farmercoope]

if its possible maybe you should try and seperate the hedgehog just to see if it will stop the digging, if not you know its not that but it might be worth a go.

[fantapants]

Originally Posted by farmercoope

if its possible maybe you should try and seperate the hedgehog just to see if it will stop the digging, if not you know its not that but it might be worth a go.

yeah, the girls bottom and top hutches and the boy is in the middle. i will move him today ( and give his house a good cleaning too) and see if that stops it at all.

[Shell195]

My girl spends ages on her wheel trying to climb and get out. It spins so she never reaches the top. I give her a good run in the room she is in but she still does it when shes back in her cage(4ft zoozone) Do they make 5ft ones or similar cages as she tries to climb wire ones which is why shes not in one.

[Tan]

Males and females dig. Is can be a numeer of reasons causing it. It can be an in-season female or a randy male, it can also be boredom and then bedding. Some can have an insect escape and they are after it. Many hedgies who dig can be unhappy with the nest they have, they do make very compact, snug nest within the hide and should always be aloud plenty of bedding material to do so with, you can use a good kitchen towel shredded long and loads of it, it's terrible when you lift a house for cleaning and there is this perfect mould underneath and you become a home wrecker. It isnt something to worry about unless it is stress related BUT you have wheels which are the most important thing they need, adding loads of tunnels will also give them somethign to do, they do like to zip from one to another

[fantapants]

Originally Posted by Tan

Males and females dig. Is can be a numeer of reasons causing it. It can be an in-season female or a randy male, it can also be boredom and then bedding. Some can have an insect escape and they are after it. Many hedgies who dig can be unhappy with the nest they have, they do make very compact, snug nest within the hide and should always be aloud plenty of bedding material to do so with, you can use a good kitchen towel shredded long and loads of it, it's terrible when you lift a house for cleaning and there is this perfect mould underneath and you become a home wrecker. It isnt something to worry about unless it is stress related BUT you have wheels which are the most important thing they need, adding loads of tunnels will also give them somethign to do, they do like to zip from one to another

well yesterday i never got around to re-doing the homes but today i have noticed that the one i *think* it is has destroyed her house. she has gone from being a lovely tidy hedgehog to pulling everything out of her home. so i am going to try a new house aswell , as the box she has may well be a touch too big. she hs removed her fleece bedding and made a new house out in the open instead of in the sleeping box. i will have to get around to it today as i am going away for the weekend.