Here is a photo of the new critter Zoodaughter brought home....

[Zookeeper]

today. A previously-owned hedgehog named, "Simon."



So, has anyone ever had one of these as a pet? (HELP!!!!! Please.)

He's nervous and difficult to comfort by cuddling since he's difficult (and prickly) to pick up. We've already established that the cats will not bother him after getting poked in the nose a couple of times. Our Rat Terrier is keeping her distance.

The only other small rodent type thing I've had is a guinea pig. I can already tell...this guy is different. :wow:

[C_eh_N_eh_D_eh]

1. Cuuuuute!

I can't really tell you anything more than that. Sorry.

[Zookeeper]

9. Yes, he is cute although he has the very definition of beady...

eyes. They really are two black beads that appear to sit on top of his face in a cartoonish way. And his pointed little nose is constantly twitching. I'm thinking they must have a very good sense of smell.

So far, he is cute, but not cuddly.

[u4ic]

2. Awww...

:loveya: I think all rodents are adorable.

I can't help you at all, however. I had a similar situation about 15 years ago when someone gave me a rescue cockatiel. I had no idea about parrots at all. I stumbled through, learned as much as I could, and learned what magnificent creatures they are. It led to a love of them, and having more. (that last part may scare you...lol)

Good luck with the little one, Zookeeper. :hi:

[Zookeeper]

10. Thanks, u4ic!

Although this is supposed to be Zoodaughter's pet ("REALLY, Mom! I'll take care of it!!!"), I have the feeling I am the one who should be collecting the good luck. :eyes:

[u4ic]

11. Isn't that what moms

are for? :rofl:

I remember that from my childhood, too. Well, at least us kids walked the dog.

[radwriter0555]

24. Better get cracking your google info on that one. They are very difficult

to care for, and are high maintenance, especially with the feeding. They're adorable critters, good luck!

http://exoticpets.about.com/od/hedgehogs/

[Zookeeper]

26. Thanks for the link, Radwriter....

I made her look for some info online before bringing it home, but I have a feeling she may have been cherry-picking the "fun facts to know and tell" about hedgehogs.

[radwriter0555]

31. The live grubs were the MAJOR factor in my deciding to never try to care

for these delicate creatures.

They don't do well in captivity. I can only wish you the best of luck.

[Zookeeper]

34. I did some research last night....

All of the sources I found said that hedgehogs could thrive on cat food, hedgehog food and treats (including mealworms and crickets). Of course, they've only been bred as pets for a short time, so there are still many unknowns.

It sounds like they live 4-7 years, a little longer than a guinea pig.

Thanks for the feedback, radwriter0555. Are you familiar with raising other exotic pets?

[radwriter0555]

35. I had an african desert tortoise for a while, he was a handful... and

plenty of regional US wildlife; and over the years there has been various skenks, rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, chickens, roosters, pigeons, spiders, snakes, other lizards, exotic birds as well as the garden variety dogs and cats of course. I won't even go into the barn yard critters I was raised with... or Benny the elephant or 12 wide rhinos... or the legless lizard, the snow leopard, penguin, madagascar hissing cockroaches and so on that I've encountered in various capacities over the years!

The 13 baby possums in my basement were my favorites for entertainment value.

[Zookeeper]

36. How fun!!!

Clearly, you love animals. Is your involvement with animals a hobby or career?

[radwriter0555]

37. I grew up with critters and then worked with them for a long time.

I worked on Jack Hanna's Zoolife series, then as the city liaison with county animal control for a small city for many years. I saw a lot of wild stuff, lemme tell ya!

[Zookeeper]

39. I'm so glad you mentioned that because...

I've always wondered if Jack Hanna is as scattered as he always appears to be on talk shows...????

[radwriter0555]

50. Jack was great to work with. The epitome of grace, charm, goodwill

and compassion. Not fantastic on-camera, but genuinely loving the work he does. He has a great sense of humor and was always easy going and relaxed. It's the unpredictable nature of the critters you see Jack with that propels the feel of the set.. you just never know what those critters are going to do when the camera is rolling!

[Zookeeper]

51. Well, that's nice to hear....

Letterman always treats him like he's a boob, which is easy since Hanna gets a bit flustered. Good point about the unpredictability of the animals.

I always watch if I know that Jack Hanna is a guest.

:hi:

[uppityperson]

3. don't they eat worms and slugs and things like that as well as veggies?

I think they are insectivores, much different than guinea pigs. More omnivorus in captivity. I've never had one, but I am remembering something like that. That is really neat, what are they called, tickys?

[AlienGirl]

6. Tiggywinkle!

[uppityperson]

7. that's it, thank you. NOT a rodent, by the way

I even did a google search but there were wayyyyy too many hedghog name websites. Thanks.
And they are not rodents, and have (my opinion) a bit brighter light bulb burning than rodents.

[AlienGirl]

12. Rats are really smart!

[uppityperson]

17. True, that they are, much smarter than guinea pigs

rats are the brains of the rodent family. Guinea pigs are the belly.

[Zookeeper]

19. But, Guinea pigs are awfully sweet....

with all that wheeking and joyful popcorning. And they are very social and cuddly.

However, I didn't feel an overwhelming urge to get another one.

[Zookeeper]

16. So far, he seems much more sensitive to his surroundings...

than our old guinea pig. I think it will take a while for him to relax.

[Zookeeper]

15. I forgot about Tiggywinkle! n/t

[Zookeeper]

13. The previous owner said Simon can eat cat food....

although the food he sent is labeled "Hedgehog food premium diet with real cheese, fruits and veggies." He also said that Simon would eat crickets and such. We took him outside for a while and he ate grass.

I've never heard them called "tickys," but that's pretty cute.

:hi:

[Ptah]

4. Cute, but I don't want one.

P.S. His pic is HUGE.

]

[Zookeeper]

14. 'Sorry about the huge photo....

I thought I had created a web suitable copy, but.....:dunce:

[AlienGirl]

5. Insectivore, not a rodent

Mazuri Insectivore Food is reputedly very good. Your local exotics vet may have an in-house insectivore diet as well (mine does).

Tucker

[Zookeeper]

21. "...local exotics vet..."

*Sigh* 'Like I don't already have my hands full. 'Just shoot me now. :crazy:

[AlienGirl]

30. Exotics vets are good people to know

Especially if you are in the habit of getting weird critters. They know who in town has just had a litter of fennecs and needs to find a home, for instance...

Tucker

[Lisa]

41. plus, they tend not to freak out ...

... when you rush at them with a bunch of questions like "my Amazon parrot doesn't seem to have a uropygial gland, does he have a birth defect?", or "I caught the rabbit eating his own poop, should I bring him in to have his stomach pumped?", or "the neighbors asked me to feed their potbellied pig when they're out of town this weekend, what should I give her?", or "that duckling's been hammering away at the eggshell for a day and a half now, should I help it out and if so, how do I proceed?"

I used to work for an exotics vet, and I swear that the actual questions she used to field were even wilder! She claimed that she chose her specialization because it was "the nearest thing to being a doctor on the Starship Enterprise" -- human physicians deal with one species, most small-animal vets tend to see only two (dogs and cats), but the exotics people get all the fun!

[Zookeeper]

42. It sounds like being a vet for exotics would....

never get boring!

[Lisa]

44. it didn't! The last time I went to visit her, I had to share the bedroom

... with a great-horned owl (who was stowed in a pet-carrier). I was just dozing off when the owl coughed up a fur pellet and startled me awake again. Just to show how far into zoological geekiness I had fallen, I went over and told my friend that the patient was eating again, and that the pellet appeared normal ...

She is always taking in injured domestic or wild animals, who either have no humans, or else their humans can't afford the medical treatment for them.

She's taught me a whole lot (including how to determine the sex of a duck!). And she also talked me through the mess after my boyfriend bailed on me -- kind of an all-purpose healer. (She's led an interesting life ... originally from a wealthy family in Florida, but ran away from home and joined a hippie commune, before she decided to train as a vet.)

[AlienGirl]

45. In what capacity did you work for her?

How did you get that job? What do I need to do to get one just like it?

Tucker

[Lisa]

46. we met when I was at graduate school

There was a veterinary college attached to the university, and to meet people and play with the animals, I ended up joining their volunteer programme. That led to my helping out in the small animal/wildlife clinic -- it was supposed to be one night a week, and that was what most of the undergrads who signed up did, because they wanted it on their resumes for vet or med school.

"Stormy" was at the school for upgrading (she usually lives in Arizona but came up to Canada because of a specialized training programme there) -- she had actually passed her exotics boards by then, and had become quite the expert in developing non-metallic pins for wing fractures in birds. Anyway, the two of us ended up hanging out there quite a bit, because her husband was still in the States, and my family was an hour's drive away -- and of course there was an endless amount of work to be done. I'm quite the lab klutz, but for some reason she ended up trusting me because she felt I could be trusted to come in late or on holidays, keep trying things (like tube-feeding the swan) even when I got bitten or wing-slapped the first time, and (probably most important in her book) I didn't fudge the records, e.g. claiming that I'd stayed until midnight to administer a treatment when I'd really gone home at 7!

I did not have any medical training (and not much biology background), but being willing to clean cages, do gross stuff like put frozen rats in the blender for the baby owls, etc., seemed to count in my favor. If there is a vet school clinic or animal rehabilitation facility near where you are, just showing up and volunteering might be a way to get some experience. Though they would probably want someone to have technical qualifications (animal tech or even agricultural training) if you wanted to land a paying job. The group I was with, despite being attached to a major university, had very little funding and relied on volunteers.

I haven't done rehab stuff for a number of years -- the local facility is a bit far out of town, and I don't have my own vehicle -- and I'm also worried that it would be TOO easy to start volunteering for too much stuff, and before I knew it, I'd be spending my Saturday nights watching frozen rodents spinning around in a blender again! Not that it would be a bad thing, since I did get to know Stormy and some other interesting folks (and stuff like watching owls and eagles hatching out of eggs, and playing with a baby cougar, and learning just how much work it takes to do round-the-clock nursing of a deer fawn). I will probably try to get back into it sometime, but for now, it just doesn't fit what's going on in my schedule.

[AlienGirl]

47. Volunteer stuff is always available, but I'd like to find a paid job...

[Lisa]

48. that was my friend's complaint as well

She noted that she'd spent years, getting qualified to treat exotics, while some of her classmates built up lucrative businesses just looking at cats or dogs, and displaying no curiosity (and in one guy's case, outright contempt) for species that could not make them money. She looked at me one night when we were doing a last round of late-night treatments, and said, "we've paid for our fun, haven't we!". At the time I was only in my 20s and had high hopes of landing an academic position once I got a doctorate ... but a decade later, with no stable job prospects yet, I see what she meant.

The last I heard, she had signed on with a dog/cat practice back in Arizona, hoping to make enough to run an informal patch-'em-up service for the local wildlife rehabbers. Of course the problem is that wild animals don't have bank accounts, so unless one is attached to a zoo, teaching institution, or game park, it's hard to keep on an even keel financially. She would try to pay local kids to help, but steady paid jobs in that field can be hard to come by. If you already have a lot of experience handling and treating animals, sure it's worth shopping your resume around to clinics, zoos, the SPCA, etc. -- but it wouldn't surprise me if, like a lot of other jobs, potential employers now want some kind of formal accreditation if they are looking to hire a full-time veterinary technician. There is work out there, but quite often the boss will be on a shoestring herself and simply can't afford to hire someone. A couple of years back, I did some work for someone in town who was running a captive breeding facility for rare birds (mainly waterfowl and pheasants) -- in the end it turned out that she didn't have enough money to pay me after all -- I reassured her that everything was okay, but apparently she's felt so guilty about asking me to help out for free that she has been hesitant to ask me again (so now my skills, such as they are, are getting rusty!).

Sorry I haven't got any more upbeat tips, Tucker, but I didn't want to lead you on. I'm sure that you are a lot more resourceful than I am, when it comes to these things. If you do have a chance to take any training courses, my guess is that it wouldn't hurt!

[AlienGirl]

49. I'm actually not at all resourceful when it comes to careers

I can think of things I'd like to do, but have no idea how to get there from here, which is why I'm stuck at a phone bank job and a retail job.

I know the thing about wild animals not having money or insurance; I have just now finished paying for an avian opthamologist to see a geriatric crow last winter.

Tucker

[Zookeeper]

27. P.S. Do you have an exotic pet? n/t

[AlienGirl]

29. Several of them!

Birds are still considered "exotics." Avian vets are often also exotic pet vets. Mine has a clinic that is active with birds, reptiles, primates, you name it--even big cats!

Tucker

[Jara sang]

8. The spikes are poisonous.

[Zookeeper]

18. Hmmm. I've already been poked by his spikes....

but, haven't suffered any ill effects. :shrug:

[Jara sang]

20. I'm just kidding.

sorry

[Zookeeper]

22. I was hoping you were...

but you never know....:spray:

[jobycom]

23. Oh no.

Now I want one!

[Zookeeper]

25. Well, that was Zoodaughter's reaction when she saw one...

in a pet store. She asked if she could have one if she saved enought money for the hedgehog, cage and other necessities. I'm thinking, "Hmmm. The hedgehog is $115.00. The cage and other things will run another $50.00 to $75.00. She'll change her mind before she saves that much money." So, I said OK.

Little did I know, a friend of a friend had to give away his hedgehog.....:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

[jobycom]

28. LOL! Never take the cop-out parenting option

It gets you every time. :rofl:

[Rhiannon12866]

32. Very cute, LOL! And you are a great parent, to encourage this!

I had both a mouse and a rat, as a kid, as well as a dog. My mother freaked out about the mouse and the rat (he was my lab rat, in school, and I kept him), but my Dad was really fond of all of my pets, and bought me the dog. He's the reason that I love animals. And I know that he'd also love my little guy, in my sig line, who's sitting with me in my chair, as I write this. He's rescue, too.:-)

Rhiannon:hi:

[Zookeeper]

33. Thanks, Rhiannon.....

I love animals, too, so I'm a soft-touch in that regard.

:hi:

Your dog is so cute!

[Rhiannon12866]

56. Thank YOU, Zookeeper...:D

The world needs more people, like you, who care for animals. I have several friends in rescue and I always make it a point to thank them for doing a heartbreaking job... And you're also setting a wonderful example for your daughter.:-)

And thanks for the compliment to my little guy. He can sometimes be frustrating because he isn't happy unless he's right with me, but I love him! And so I take him a lot of places with me, which isn't hard because he's so good. He must have been used to being taken. Sometimes I wonder if people look at me and think I went out and got a fancy little dog. But I know the truth, that he fell through the cracks and dodged a bullet, twice, before he found me...;(

[Zookeeper]

57. What kind of dog is he?

Is he small enough to fit into a tote bag to take with you?

Here is a picture of my Rat Terrier, Pearl, who came from the Humane Society as a pup and our new big boy rescue cat, Basil:



Pearl weighs about 14lbs, so she's a little too big to carry around. Fortunately, she's seldom lonely when I'm gone (even though, to her, I'm the Mom/Alpha Dog in the house ;) ) because there's usually someone at home. Plus, she and Basil have become entertainment for each other.

Then there's our ancient Siamese, Coco:



She's a sweetie, but pretty fragile.

:hi:

[Rhiannon12866]

65. He's a Brussels Griffon, a fairly rare breed.

Since he travels most places with me, and is that unusual, he attracts attention wherever he goes. He's quite the little conversation piece, LOL! People are always stopping and asking What kind of dog is that?! But I certainly don't mind, and he has a pretty interesting story, which, fortunately, had a happy ending.:loveya:

And I do have a carrier for him, since, even at eight pounds, he can get heavy. It's one of those little pouches that you can wear, like they have for babies. But he's not fond of it, so he's usually just tucked under my arm, is used to being carried this way.:-)

Your guys are adorable, and are so lucky to have found you! Thanks so much for sharing the pix! That's a great one of Pearl and Basil, together. I never have much luck with group shots, but have managed a few with the two dogs. And Coco is beautiful!:hug:

Here's my little guy's Dogster page, with more pix. I recently added a few new ones, since he loves boat travel.:D He's managed to attract a lot of attention, even there. I included his story, and there are links here, to his family. I lost my other dog, my sweet little Sara, his sister and protector, back in March, after a horrific weekend spent at the Emergency Clinic. I have yet to update her Dogster page, since it's still tough to deal with.;(

Meneken (with links to Sara and Rhiannon) ;)
http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?j=t&i=170168

You're fortunate that your guys are company for each other. My little guy was fine if I left him with my cocker, Sheena, whom he just loved, but I lost her in 2003. That's when he developed the separation anxiety. He finally bonded with Sara, but insisted on being taken. So I took them both and they were great travelers.:-)

As for my cat, she was the fearless one, made friends with everyone, human or animal. I could do anything with her, take her anywhere, unusual for a cat. But I am presently catless.:-(

:hi:

[Zookeeper]

66. Meneken is sooo lucky you found him....

And it sounds like he knew that right away.

Our old Coco has survived three other cats. Everytime we lose one, we think we can live with just one cat, but we can't. :shrug:

I had hoped that Basil would be a good companion for Coco, but she's too old and frail to deal with him. Fortunately, he and Pearl are pretty evenly matched. They actually get into trouble together. Basil will knock the bag of catfood on the floor and he and Pearl will pig out. My DH left a steak out on the kitchen counter which Basil munched on, then pushed down to Pearl to finish. Basil even learned Pearl's trick of ringing a bell to be let outside (he doesn't get to go out, though).

I sure hope you can find just the right animal companion for Meneken!

BTW, I don't know if you have a MySpace page, but here I am...

http://myspace.com/ahzoo

Zookeeper/ahzook :hi:

[BreweryYardRat]

38. Hedgehogs like to have their bellies scratched.

Wait for him to calm down a bit, and don't just try to flip him over (duh), then give it a shot.

When I was a little kid, one of the other elementary classes had a hedgehog, and I spent quite a bit of time with that fellow. They're adorable critters.

And, BTW, they do have good noses-I think their eyesight isn't very good, so they evolved in another sensory direction.

[Zookeeper]

40. Thanks for the tip, Seawolf....

I'm looking forward to finding some soft area to pet on the little critter.

And I read that a bit part of the bonding process with hedgehogs is getting them used to your scent. His twitchy nose is definitely working overtime!

[Zookeeper]

43. Here's another photo in a more reasonable size:

[seemunkee]

52. I have had them for many years

I am currently hogless but have had several in the past. If you need help send me a PM and I can get you all the information you need.

First off they are not rodents. They belong to a different order that are some of the earliest placental animals. They are omnivours that prefer insects. Their teeth are similar to dog teeth and do not grow like a rodents. You will need to regularly trim the nails.

They can suffer very easily from fatty liver disease so please do not feed them cat, puppy or ferret food. There are some good HH foods on the market, the most easy to get hold of is the 8in1 brand. Brisky's is another excellent option. There are also some VERY bad HH foods out there. Stay away from the Vitakraft stuff, it was designed as a treat food for European HH and not as a pet food for African HHs.

Make sure the hedgie has a place to hide and sleep, they hate to be exposed. And it MUST have a wheel designed for hedgehog feet. Rodent wheels have the bars spaced too far apart and a HH can break its leg trying to run on it. They will run up to 5 miles a night. If you use loose bedding make sure to not use cedar chips, it will cause respiratory problems with them. Pine is OK, but the recycled paper stuff is best. I have used cut up vellox blankets(no threads) for mine and also indoor/outdoor carpet.

If you see your hedgie twisting around and foaming at the mouth do not get alarmed. This is a behavior called self-annointing. They usually do it when they come across a new smell, they spread this foam on their backs, most likely to blend in with their environment.
Another trait that you have probably all ready noticed is that they poo while running. So get a wheel that is easy to clean

[Zookeeper]

54. Thank you so much, Seemunkee....

Simon didn't come with a wheel and his previous owner didn't mention it. So, I'll go to a pet store tomorrow and get one.

I haven't yet figured out how we are going to trim his nails, since he doesn't want to be picked up. Hopefully, he'll relax in a few days.

Thanks, also, for the tip about feeding him! This pet is supposed to be my daughter's, but I can count on having to care for it at some point.

:hi:

[seemunkee]

59. Take a tshirt that you have worn and put it in the cage

They will get used to your smell that way and be less skitish when you pick him up. Don't ever use gloves. If you need him to unball put him in a sink with a little water in it. They hate getting wet and he will be more concerned about getting out of the water than with your trying to trim the nails.

[Zookeeper]

62. I keep reading that picking them up with gloves is bad....

but, I haven't read WHY. Do you know the reasoning behind it?

Actually, I used gloves to pick up Simon yesterday and took them off once he was in my lap. I let him climb up to the back of my neck, where he burrowed up into my hair (I have very thick hair). I could feel his little nose on my scalp, so I think he was gettting used to my smell. After about a 1/2 hour of him checking me out, he seemed a lot more comfortable and let me put him back into the cage without raising his fur (fur?).

Thanks for the tip on nail trimming.

[seemunkee]

64. They need to get used to being handled and who is handling them

The smell and feel are important. Sounds like you are off to a good start and he is getting used to you already.
Quills, not fur.

[seemunkee]

53. Picts of my last two

This is Ginger


and her sister from the same litter


I never showed this two but I did the previous ones I owned.

[Zookeeper]

55. Ooooooh, they are so cute!

and those are good photos.

I saw on one HH site, that there are many, many different categories of coloring. The two you picture here look different, yet they're siblings. Did you think of them as belonging to a certain category?

[seemunkee]

58. I'm guessing you've been over to Hedgehog Central

That is a great resource. I know most of the people there and they can give you all the help you will need.

I believe the colors of my two girls were cinnicot and Salt and Pepper.

[Zookeeper]

60. No, I haven't yet....

I found Hedgehog Valley and Hedgies.com.

I will check them out, thanks so much for the suggestion!

[scarlet_owl]

61. Hedgies are the cutest pets ever! Well, after ferrets, that is.

Congratulations on your new family member!

[Zookeeper]

63. Thanks, Scarlet....

:hi: :hi: :hi: