Hedgehogs wild animals or pets?

Hedgehogs in scales (remember to keep your hedgehog at an appropriate weight!)

Hedgehogs can make great pets for some and not so great pets for others. It is mainly based on ones patience and responsibility level that will determine if a hedgehog will make a good pet for them. There are opposing views on the topic of owning hedgehogs as companion animals. As seen on this site http://www.examiner.com/pets-in-houston/hedgehogs-make-great-pets-for-gentle-people hedgehogs are said to make amazing pets for the gentle handler. Of course there are various exceptions to this statement. Such as if you know that you will not have time to play with your hedgehog or will not be able to clean and properly care for one, though they are fairly low matinence, chances are they aren’t the pet for you. However if you do discover that you would like to own one of these unique creatures there are quite a few pros to having them as pets as seen in the “examiner” article. Such pros that were mentioned were that they are solitary animals which means that they don’t have to live with another hedgehog and they won’t get lonely easily. Another pro that was mentioned is that their average lifespan is 4-7 years which means that the fun you can have with your hedgehog is endless! Unfortunatly as goes with any companion animal there are some cons that are ascociated with hedgehogs as well. Some of these negative aspects are mentioned on http://www.dormanexotics.com/hedgehogs_as_pets.html. Some of these cons include the fact that hedgehogs are nocturnal animals which means their main playtime is during the night as they have sensitive eyes to light. However both lists say that while these creatures are nocturnal they will get up and play with you during the daytime if you are persistant with them. So are hedgehogs good pets? Should they be legal? I’ve given you the research now it’s up to you to make the decision.

Sonic the hedgehog. He’s the lovable blue character that stars in all kinds of games. Whether on PC, X-box 360, or some other game console, Sonic has gained world wide recognition. His creator, Patrick Riley did an interview about his new game called Sonic Unleashed which you can find here http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/sonic-unleashed-e3-2008-producer-patrick-riley-interview/40fa695840707c4206a940fa695840707c4206a9-405208170899?q=interview+with+patrick+about+sonic+the+hedgehog&FROM=LKVR5&GT1=LKVR5&FORM=LKVR38  This interview explains a little bit about Sonic himself and the game he stars in.  But did Sonic have an influence on domesticated hedgehogs suddenly becoming popular as pets? The first domesticated hedgehogs became popular during the 1980s but they were a rare occurance and hard to come by until the 1990s. However, the first Sonic game was released on june 21, 1991. Coincidence? I don’t believe so. It seems that the release of the new Sonic the Hedgehog game spiked the recognition of hedgehogs as becoming domesticated animals and pets such as a rat or hamster. This also explains why hedgehog owners typically named their hedgehogs “Sonic” in honor of the well played videogame. Therefore, Sonic’s appearence in the videogame Sonic the Hedgehog has tremendously helped in the advertising of hedgehogs as not only just wild animals but the potential for them to become domesticated pets as well.

Just like us, hedgehogs need a balanced nutritious diet to keep their energy up and running throughout their life. For a domesticated pet hedgehog there are many different varieties of food that may be sold in stores or online at breeding websites. However, there are a few important ingredients that must be in any good pet hedgehog food. These ingredients are: chitin and fiber.

Their diet should be mainly protein based and not carbohydrate based. For treats hedgehogs enjoy live mealworms as they are naturally insectivores in their wild habitats. In the wild, hedgehogs have adapted by having long noses suitable for rooting around in tall grasses and dirt in search of insects for them to eat. Hedgehogs feed on insects, snails, frogs and toads, snakes, bird eggs, mushrooms, grass, roots, berries, melons, and watermelons.

Hedgehogs are not strictly insectivorous they are also omnivores as they enjoy plant life as well as insects. A fact that most people do not realize about hedgehogs is that they are lactose intolerant! If you live in any of the countries listed in my last post “Breeds” and you are looking to attract hedgehogs to your garden as they are an excellent use for pest control, leave out a tiny bit of pet food (such as dog or cat) or raisins and peanuts for them to munch on.

Another fact many people are not aware of is that hedgehogs are considered a delicacy in parts of the world. That’s right they eat hedgehog meat! The meat from the body of the hedgehog was said to have medicinal use in the aid of arthritis and rheumatism.

(google image) African Pygmy Hedgehog

There are many different breeds of hedgehogs. While these non domesticated hedgehogs are native mainly to Europe, England, Africa, and Asia. They are not native to North America but are imported from these countries in the pet trade. But when it comes to domesticated hedgehogs the choices are very limited due to the fact that they have only been domesticated since the 1980s. The different domesticated breeds are;

The African Pygmy Hedgehog. You may hear this type of hedgehog referred to as manyother names, which stands to reason, since the African Pygmy Hedgehog is actually whatis known as a hybrid, a mix of other breeds of hedgehogs, such as the four toed hedgehogor the white-bellied hedgehog. Among the African Species of hedgehogs, you will find thefour-toed hedgehog, which is also known as the white-bellied hedgehog, the Algerianhedgehog, the Somali hedgehog, the South African hedgehog, the Ethiopian hedgehog,and the Egyptian hedgehog, which is also referred to as the long-eared hedgehog. All ofthese hedgehogs are domesticated. (Allpetsco.com)

While these hedgehogs are common as domesticated pets in North America, they are not native to this country. Among the European species of hedgehogs there are the, brown- breasted hedgehog, and the white-breasted hedgehog which is also sometimes known as the white-bellied hedgehog. However,these particular breeds are only found in Eastern Europe.

The Asian species of hedgehogs include the, Central Chinese hedgehog (Hugh’s hedgehog), the Chinese hedgehog (Amur hedgehog), the Indian hedgehog, the Southern Indian hedgehog, and the Daurian hedgehog.

Though whether domesticated or wild there are a few things that all hedgehogs have in common. All hedgehogs have spines which are made stiff by keratin though they are not poisonous like the porcupines quills. All hedgehogs have 5 toes on their fore paws and 4 toes on their back paws. And all hedgehogs are solitary creatures which means they do not have to have the company of other hedgehog companions to survive.

Hedgehogs have only been pets since around 15 years ago so they are relatively new to the category of a companion animal. Yet while these creatures are irresistibly cute, not all states allow them to be kept. They are illegal in; “Arizona, Maine, California, Georgia, Hawaii, and Pennsylvania” says http://hedgehogcentral.com/illegal.shtml

But why are these creatures illegal? How have they wronged the human population? The reason that they are banned in these states is mainly due to the fact that hedgehogs are able to survive and reproduce in those environments. If they were allowed to be kept as pets, if they ever were to escape from their owners they would be able to survive and reproduce drastically increasing the population of hedgehogs around the area and throwing the balance of the ecosystem out of wack. However when hedgehogs are allowed to be kept in the house they can be very neat creatures and fun loving to keep as pets.

A few fun facts about hedgehogs that one would need to know if they were ever going to keep one as a pet is that they are mainly solitary animals. This means that they enjoy being alone and you would not have to purchase 2 hedgehogs to keep each other company. Another thing is that hedgehogs are nocturnal creatures which means their hour of choice is nighttime but they will usually adjust to your sleeping patterns and will be able to stay up and play with you during the daytime hours. And finally when first bringing home your new hedgehog, remember that if you have never handled the particurlar hedgehog before you may want to wear gloves so that you do not get pricked by their quills.

Having hedgehogs as pets is a fun experience that I reccomend to anyone who is looking for a small lovable creature. Just make sure that they are legal in your state to keep as pets!

hedgehog38.edublogs.org/files/2011/03/albino-hedgehog-small1-rmnmvc.jpg

Ever since I was 11 years of age I have had an interest in hedgehogs and their history. This interest was sparked by the birthday party that my parents threw me. It was an exotic animal party containing several different types of animals including lemurs, kangaroos, sugar gliders, and hedgehogs. The specific hedgehog that was introduced at the party was an albino with bright red eyes.

Immediately my attention was captured. You can only imagine my 11 year old joy when being told that i could hold this strange little creature. The thing about hedgehogs that fascinated me the most at that early age was the fact that their quills were not at all prickly like a porcupines but soft and light to the touch.

Ever since that one birthday party I have always wanted to have a hedgehog as a pet. You can only imagine my dissapointment when I found out hedgehogs were illegal in some states. Yet I could never seem to find the reason for hedgehogs being made illegal to keep as pets. They were not vicious or poisonous or harmful to humans in any way that i could see. Yet they were still outlawed. These harmless little creatures were banned from ever becoming pets.

 Therefore the topic I will be researching and discussing in this blog is whether or not hedgehogs can become pets or if they should stay animals in the wild never to be brought into the human household. Also in this blog I hope to accomplish being able to inform the population about how unique these creatures really are and their techiques for survival in the great outdoors.

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