Behavior

Biting
Hegehogs bite due to a good smell/taste on your hands. They will usually lick before they bite, unless they are biting aggressively. Remember that anything with teeth can bite.
If your hedgehog begins to lick and you have noticed a problem with biting, just move your hand. The best way to discourage a hedgehog from biting is called the “Air-puff” technique. As soon as the hedgehog opens its mouth to bite, gently blow a puff of air towards its face. This will cause it to ball up or lower its visor, making it impossible to bite. After doing this a few times, your hedgehog should stop biting.
A hedgehog who usually doesn’t bite may bite when it is tired of being held, there is too much noise, the lights are too bright, etc… If you can figure out what the problem is and fix it, the hedgehog should be fine. Remember though, if every time your hedgehog bites you put it back in its cage and leave it alone, it will know that biting makes you go away.

Hedgehogs make a variety of noises from screaming to purring, and knowing what all these different sounds mean can help you bond with your hog.
      Purring: Purring is a sign of absolute contentment. Most hedgehogs never purr, and if your hedgehog does you are very fortunate indeed.
     Huffing, Puffing, and Snorting: If your hedgehog does one of these three things (usually know as “huffling”) it is uncomfortable with something in its environment and feels threatened.
     Popping, Clicking: This generally occurs when a hedgehog rolls into a ball. It means that the hedgehog is either grumpy (because it was just woken up, for example) or is feeling threatened.
     Snuffling, Whiffling: These sounds occur when a hedgehog is happily exploring.
     “Hedgie Scream of Death”: The terrifying name for the terrifying scream that hedgies emit when they are hurt of very frustrated. Screaming is rare, and so if it occurs you should check thoroughly to make sure your hedgehog is okay.

In addition to making many noises, hedgehogs also express emotions through body language. Here are some helpful hints about what different expressions mean.
     Balled-up: Hedgehogs are sometimes balled up when they are woken, but will usually uncurl quickly. Balling up means that a hedgehog is scared and threatened (or in some cases just grumpy).
      Raised quills: If a hedgehog’s quills are raised, it is saying “I’m not sure I trust you” This will usually occur when a hedgehog has just been woken or is in new surroundings. Also, sometimes only its fore quills (the quills on its head) are raised. This means the hedgehog still isn’t completely comfortable, or it could be a reaction to being touched on the face.
     Quills Flat: If a hedgehog’s quills are completely down it is comfortable and happy.
     Charging: Charging is uncommon, and usually occurs when a hand gets to close to a mother hedgehog’s nest.
     Licking: Licking is usually a precursor to biting or self-anointing.
     Scratching: Hedgehog will scratch every once-in-a-while just because it feels good. If your hedgehog scratches frequently, however, it may have mites or dry skin.

“My hedgehog doesn’t like being out of its cage!”
Have you had this problem before? Does your hedgehog always try to hide when you take it out to play? There are a couple possible reasons why.
     1. Perhaps your hedgehog is scared. Maybe it doesn’t like leaving its cage because its cage is the only place it knows is safe. To fix this problem, try confining your hedgehog to a smaller area near the cage. If possible, make it so the hedgehog can get back into its cage. This way the hedgehog can explore on its own terms instead of yours.
     2. To much light. This is usually overlooked as a problem. Remember that hedgehogs are nocturnal--bright light can scare or annoy them. Try dimming the lights so that your hedgehog is more comfortable.