chompers??

[mbj20]

hi guys im new to this section but hopefully not for much longer as im lookin into getting my 1st APH been doin non stop research on them for a while lol anyway to the point

when trying to get to no your hedgies did anyone get a chomper or arent they biters really just wondering so i have a rough idea what to expect and is it like a cat bite or worse

thanks
mark

[Fancy Mice]

Originally Posted by mbj20

when trying to get to no your hedgies did anyone get a chomper or arent they biters really just wondering so i have a rough idea what to expect and is it like a cat bite or worse

In my experience APH rarely if ever bite. Their teeth are designed for crushing not puncturing (like rodents for example) so they don't feel sharp. When my litters were teething they used to chew and lick my hands and it never hurt!

[sophs87]

Biting is not a defense mechanism of APH, Curling in a ball is. You should never get bitten unless your hand smells tasty and they think its food

[Nic123100]

I've only been bitten once which was entirely my fault, i had just made myself chicken sandwich and decided to hold him after without washing the chicken grease off my hands and well he thought my hand was a bit of chicken me and flash learned stuff that day.

1. (my lesson) Always wash your hands after preparing food if your going to hold a hog
2. (hoggies lesson) Mummies hands are not food and the yelping noise she makes causes me to huff lol

Apart from that he's an angel and if he is upset with me just balls up and huffs, I have a bit of a grumpy hog at time

[mbj20]

thanks alot guys cant w8 to get mine now soooooo excited lol

[animal addict]

hog teeth are quite sharp - my friend likens it to being bitten a stapler which is quite a good explanation really. Like with all animals they have the ability to bite but if you get a well socialised hog then the likelihood of being bitten is minimal providing you dont have any 'nice' smells on you - nice in their definition can be anything from perfume to shampoo to Milton sterilising fluid to food smells, always advisable to wash your hands first.

Also unsocialised hogs can and will bite and also so can fearful hogs - yes their main defense mechanism is to ball up but some personality types can be more bitey defensive - you can also get hedgies that are just prone to biting and thats just them and theres not a lot you can do about it - I would say that these sort of hedgies are in the small minority.

Theres lots you can do to deter biting though and different types of biting - the exploratory biting if you smell nice is relatively pain free as opposed to a proper aggressive/fear bite.