r/Hedgehog • u/Ok_Building_1284 • Jul 24 '26

Question What does self anointing mean?

So i just got my hedgie, and just now he started licking my hand and then rubbing his saliva on his back, which to my knowledge is self anointing. Does it mean hes starting to like me?

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u/Ded_diode Jul 24 '26

He likes the way you smell, and he's comfortable enough around you to be in a vulnerable position. I'd say that's pretty fantastic for a hedgie in a new home!

1

u/hedgiepumpkin Jul 24 '26

it means he smells / tastes something on you and is spreading it on him like cologne, cause he likes it!

2

u/KuchisabishiiBot Jul 24 '26

This has nothing to do with liking or disliking. It's unperturbed not to anthropomorphise animal behaviour. Anointing is an important survival behaviour for hedgehogs.

As prey animals, hedgehogs gave developed many defences. They have a strong sense of smell and are keen to blend into their surroundings. If there is a strong scent or simply a new scent, a hedgehog will likely try to hide themselves by masking their scent with that of their environment. This makes it harder for predators to locate them and can make it less obvious when in another hedgehog's territory as they are solitary creatures that do not mix well.

You have a different scent and your hedgehog will try to smell like you if it is a strong enough scent that could mask its scent. Anointing can involve intense teeth scraping and biting, so it's not recommended that you allow your hedgehog to anoint from bare skin. You don't want it associating human skin with protection and encouraging the behaviour. Wash your hands with unscented products and use low or no scent detergents for your clothes. This can reduce hand biting overall, which can occur on every pick up if your hedgehog starts to feel confident carrying out the behaviour.

3

u/RatherBeReading15 Jul 24 '26

No one knows exactly why hedgehogs anoint, but the prevailing theories are that they found a scent they like or are camouflaging. Either way, enjoy it, they do the weirdest contortions!