Hedgehog Heaven

Since they were old enough to talk, it seems the kids have begged us for a pet.  “When we are done having babies,” I always said, “then maybe we can get a dog.”  “But mom! What about a bunny or frog or fish or hamster?” they would plead.  “Nope”, I firmly replied every single time.  “When we get a pet, it will not be a ‘half pet’.  We are not getting any caged animals.  We will get a proper pet, which is a dog.”

And they remembered this promise, and finally, when the last holdout (dad) agreed, we got our dear, naughty Shadow.  Pet conversations closed.  The pet has been purchased, loved and integrated into our family.

Or not.  Dear old Dad, for the same reason he ultimately agreed we should get a dog, thought we should allow our fourth child to realize his (nearly) lifelong dream of owning a hedgehog.  Yes, our dear white-haired 11-year-old wonder has loved hedgehogs for almost the entirety of his young life.  What started with a love of Sonic the Hedgehog became a full-fledged love of all wildlife, and hedgehogs in particular.  So dad, who wanted our son to fully experience what he is passionate about, somehow talked me (the “we will NEVER have a caged animal in this house” mamma) into agreeing. 

And so my son, as a birthday/Christmas gift and with some of his additional savings, bought a hedgehog.  Because of his coloring, he named him Bandit.  We waited several weeks for his arrival.  When the day finally came to pick him up, our son was beside himself with excitement.  The three younger kids and I sat through an hour-long information session on how to care for a hedgehog.  I was taking notes while my son interjected questions based on his (massive) research.  After awhile, we were able to take Bandit home in a cross-body carrying pouch my son had received for Christmas. 

But the first 24 hours were not all rainbows and unicorns. . .it turns out hedgehogs are actually really prickly.  Who would have guessed that?? And when they’re anxious or afraid, they also startle when you attempt to pick them up, which I am here to attest, is not. pleasant. That first day was quite a learning curve for my son and me.

By the second day, after church, Bandit must have been feeling a little more at home in my boys’ room, because he let us pick him up without trying to kill us.  Before long, my son was an expert at holding him and taking care of him.  He’s very cute, so I am trying to ignore/forgive the following hedgehog traits:

·      They are nocturnal.  I know they can’t help this trait that is in written into their hedgehoggy DNA, but my word.   The boys seem to sleep through it, but he wakes me up often.  I go in, move his (silent wheel) away from the cage wall, take toys out that he is moving around (not in a quiet, respectful way, considering 8 other living beings are sleeping while he is having a grand ol’ time), and make sure his cage lends itself to silent play.  I have limited success in this area.

·      Litter box training.  Apparently hedgehogs can be litter box trained.  I don’t think that info seems to be written into his hedgehoggy DNA.  He has a litter tray, but his poo does not seem to be confined to that area.

·      Hedgehog grooming.  The breeder sold us some hedgehog bath soap, that we have yet to try out, though my son says we need to bath him soon (I am holding out for . . .I don’t know what – the end of the world?).  Bathing a pokey animal who will most certainly not enjoy the bath doesn’t sound like a lot of fun to me.  We also need to trim his nails periodically.  It is hard to describe to you how tiny his nails are.  I feel basically sure my eyesight is not up to the task and I will seriously injure him.  Again. . .holding out. . .

·      Gear.  For such a little thing, he is kind of a diva.  Wheel, litter pan (with special stuff in the litter pan), bedding for the cage, igloo, crinkly toy, water bottle, food and dish, carrying pouch thingy. . . also a vet visit at the beginning to insure his health. 

·      And finally, the piece dé resistance  - hedgehoggy diarrhea.  Last night I went in to check on the boys before I went to bed and peeked in at Bandit, like I always do (he is always in full swing for the start of his 8-hour part-ay), when my nose was assaulted.  Yes, I had to clean up loose hedgehog poo (which I am hoping is not indicative of anything wrong with his delicate system) before I went to bed.  I am living the life.

So some of this hedgehog business is a little sketchy.  But my son loves him dearly, and Bandit is teaching him responsibility and giving him an outlet to explore his passion of wildlife (he wants to be a vet when he grows up).  Everyone agrees he’s adorable, with his tiny twitching nose and cute little face.  I can’t believe we own a caged animal, but Bandit has been good for my son, and my son gets to realize his lifelong dream at age 11.  I think it’s a win-win.