"yamahog" (yamahog)
06/23/2014 at 12:42 • Filed to: Hedgehoglopnik
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"yamahog" (yamahog)
06/23/2014 at 12:42 • Filed to: Hedgehoglopnik | 6
| 11 |
Since it's hedgehog related, have a picture of Annabelle playing with a tube on her head:
Annabelle is coming up on her 3rd birthday (June 30th!) so I've been in the hedgehog ownership game for a bit, (just ownership, I know better than to be a "backyard breeder"), and the thickheadedness of other owners never fails to amaze me.
Example from a hedgehog owners group I frequent:
Incredibly vague OP: Advice on owning multiple hedgies?
Me: Do you mean adding another hedgehog or bringing home two sisters at the same time?
IVOP: No, I have a boy already, and I want to get a girl so they can be friends.
Everyone: Can't do that, unless you want a whole lot more hedgehogs, can't even keep them in the same room without playing together because the repeated induced ovulation without pregnancy (due to proximity to the boy) will put your girl at higher risk of cancers, etc.
IVOP: But I really want a girl and they'd be carefully supervised!
Me: Many a surprise hoglet has been born from "carefully supervised" pairs.
Everyone: Just get a boy, if they get along they can play together, but they will probably fight if you cohabitate them
IVOP: But I was set on a girl :(
And then I stopped following the discussion, because why should I bother giving advice to someone who is already set on their own opinion, despite asking for advice?
Bonus Annabelle trying to escape her bath for your time:
thebigbossyboss
> yamahog
06/23/2014 at 12:45 |
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my response: .....then why did you ask?
I like your hedgehog. I will never own a hedgehog, because I don't want a rodent pet, but I like yours.
For Sweden
> yamahog
06/23/2014 at 12:46 |
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I know better than to be a "backyard breeder"
Good call; in Grundskola students learn that while the backyard can be fun, it isn't conducive to procreation.
Roberto G.
> For Sweden
06/23/2014 at 13:11 |
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Of course, it depends on which backyard...
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For Sweden
> Roberto G.
06/23/2014 at 13:13 |
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In Glorious Sweden, we are taught that for recreation, the backyard is preferable to anything the puritanical establishment would do.
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yamahog
> thebigbossyboss
06/23/2014 at 13:15 |
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Fun fact! Hedgies are not actually rodents, as they lack the characteristic perpetually-growing front teeth of rats, beavers, etc. I catch your drift though, I've never wanted any other type of tiny, furry, cage-dwelling critters.
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thebigbossyboss
> yamahog
06/23/2014 at 13:22 |
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For pets all I can handle is cats. Maybe it's because I grew up in a household with a couple cats, but I have no desire for any other type of animal.
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yamahog
> thebigbossyboss
06/23/2014 at 14:05 |
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I like cats and dogs as well, but CrzRsn is allergic to cats >:(
XJDano
> yamahog
06/23/2014 at 14:25 |
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they seem cute as heck, & my wife would go for one in an instant. I have had to lay down the law for no more pets in the house until the dogs start dying off. 2 kids coming up on 4 & 2 years old they don't know how to act with the cats we are watching now, from chasing, choke hold hugs, and tail pulling.
Getting anything smaller than the dachshunds wouldn't be right by the animal. Although the green cheek conure we have stays in cage and has bitten fingers that enter the cage, the kids don't mess with her much, anymore.
Next animal will be a big dog to knock the kids on their ass. (Puppy, but it'll grow faster than the kids)
All that to say I wouldn't mind having a hedgehog around. How are they to care for as far as food & waste? Do they potty train easy, or at all?
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yamahog
> XJDano
06/23/2014 at 15:30 |
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Annabelle's a pretty chill and sociable hedgehog, but since they're burrowers they're typically not free-range pets for most people unless they have a dedicated hedgehog-proof room. She goes through a 5lb bag of food per year, which sets me back all of $30 for the most top-of-the-line food you can get, and I line her cage with pine shavings, but some people use fleece. They don't stink like ferrets but the cage should be cleaned once a week anyway. She is mostly potty trained and uses a litter pan in the corner of her cage (have to use pine pellet litter, non-clumping and minimal dust). They're nocturnal (read: running on a wheel all night) and can be grumpy (read: ball of spikes) during the daytime so you have to play with them at least 30 minutes a day to make sure they're sociable. You'll also need to find an exotic vet familiar with hogs nearby, and keep a heating element on them if your house gets below 75 in the winter. Low maintenance in some ways, but high in others.
Overall, I think you're right, probably better off waiting until the kids are older.
Violet Baudelaire
> yamahog
09/02/2014 at 09:51 |
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IVOP: No, I have a boy already, and I want to get a girl so they can be friends.
SMH. Is this a teenaged girl? Did Bella from Twilight have a hedgehog or something?
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yamahog
> Violet Baudelaire
09/02/2014 at 09:57 |
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Lol yea, that would explain it! Hedgehogs are pretty solitary critters to begin with, generally only sisters raised together will "be friends," or even tolerate living together.