# hedgehogs at the zoo



## Kelsey the hedgehog (Jun 15, 2012)

i am a zoo-teen at our oregon zoo and today i just got back from my shift, which i have to say was, AWESOME!!  as zoo-teens we can shadow specialists for the day, and i shadowed an ED. house specialist, so we worked with the reptile room i.e. snakes, lizards, and turtles/tortoises. but, we mostly worked in the mammal room! which included an armadillo, ferrets, rabbits, AND HEDGEHOGS!!! :mrgreen: eeee! it was so fun!  we cleaned and fed the animals (basically did all the work) within the first hour and a half, then we had the rest of the time to "socialize/enrich" the animals! (we work 5 hour shifts with a 1/2 hour break so that meant we had 3 hours of free roam and play with all these animals!)  of course i gravitated toward the hedgehogs!!  the ED. house has 4 hedgehogs. 3 females and 1 male. the females are, Margot, Maizey & Meeca. and the boy is Jabari (i think it is an adorable name.) when i asked if i could handle the hedgehogs they said "of course, margot is the friendly one, the rest are grumpy and stay in a ball." :roll: WHICH I TOTALLY PROVED WRONG! :lol: 
the 3 girls stay together in one big cage so i literally just sat with them in their cage.  and after a few minutes all 3 of them were out and socializing with me. at one point i even brought maizey out of her cage and all the specialists came up to me like "whoa! so that's what her face looks like!" & "i've never seen her not in a ball before!" :roll: and i just stood there holding her (she was out and about, as happy as can be) and i was dumbstruck. i thought to myself .. "do you guys ever take her out? i mean yeah, she huffed at first but she uncurled in my hand after a few seconds..." and so now all of them think that she just likes me. (she probably does, but she also just needs to be held more i think..)  

..there were some things i noticed about the hedgehogs set-ups that i'm going to talk to someone about. :? 
1) Jabari has a wheel but the girls don't
2) the girls have a heat lamp but Jabari doesn't 
3) they all need their nails trimmed really bad
4) all of their skin is very dry. Jabari's ears are even cracked.  

i din't mention anything today, but i definitely will next time! it's not that i think they don't take care of them, it's obvious they do (to an extent)  but i just don't think they know quite all the right stuff. ...and i don't think they pay very much attention to the hedgehogs... everyone seemed like it was weird that they were being held... anyway i bet if i mention this to the ED. house specialist they will take care of it. and if not then i will. 

i snapped some photos on the hedgehogs today and i will upload them as soon as they download! i will also keep this Topic to update on the Oregon Zoo Hedgehogs!! (fun stories, pictures, and how the advice went with the ED. house.) i'm not a specialist there yet, i'm not even in training yet but you can bet i am going to be! today was the most fun i've had in awhile!


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## bmaditz (Jun 11, 2012)

That sounds like soooo much fun.  You should definitely say something to them about the issues you noticed. If they truly care about the animals (no doubt they do) then they will probably thank you for pointing out the issues. Who knows they might want to make you a hedgehog specialist because you are so knowledgeable  Post pictures soon! We'd love to know how they're doing!


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## Kelsey the hedgehog (Jun 15, 2012)

i only got photos of Maizey and Jabari.  
i'll try to get photos of meeca and margot next time. i'll also try to get better ones.


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## Quinn (Apr 24, 2011)

I love the pics! I think you're going to really impress the house specialist. Sounds like such a fun job  And I didn't know that zoos kept hedgehogs.


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## FiaSpice (Jan 16, 2009)

Quinn said:


> I love the pics! I think you're going to really impress the house specialist. Sounds like such a fun job  And I didn't know that zoos kept hedgehogs.


I remember when I visited Granby Zoo 4 years ago, they had an hedgehog, sadly it wasn't kept in optimal condition but I figured out they wouldn't care about visitors concerns.


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## bmaditz (Jun 11, 2012)

They are too cute


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

They are cuties! I have wanted to volunteer at our zoo, but have no time. I'm looking forward to hearing more about these guys.


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## Kelsey the hedgehog (Jun 15, 2012)

Quinn said:


> I love the pics! I think you're going to really impress the house specialist. Sounds like such a fun job  And I didn't know that zoos kept hedgehogs.


the hedgies really are adorable! one shift and i was already in love! 

i think the zoo has had the hedgehogs a few years but they aren't on "display" for visitors, they are kept in the ED. house for critter chats. they get brought to classrooms to teach little kids about hedgies 
i don't have my next shift for awhile because i'm out of town this weekend, but when i get back i'll see if i can shadow again. make an impression and hopefully get nominated by the end of the summer.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Hey, it's nice to hear about how the zoo is taking care of their hedgies! I'm in Corvallis, but the few times I've been to the zoo I've wondered how well they take care of them (and have had a few doubts about the quality). Good to know.  I hope you can help improve the care they give them.


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## Kelsey the hedgehog (Jun 15, 2012)

i have emailed the head zooteen lady and i mentioned my concerns and what they can do to improve, ex: dried skin = flaxseed oil (although my sentences were more detailed than that! i mean come on, she has to think i'm professional if they're going to take my advice.  )

so far no reply. i will check my email for one and keep you guys posted. hopefully they take the initiative and help out the hedgehogs. i will even help be the "hedgehog care giver" ! i would love that job! getting to spend time with them and personally know that they are being taken care of!  
...but i don't think that's a job..


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## nualasmom (Nov 13, 2011)

That sounds like such a great oppurtunity!! I'm excited to hear more about it. Looks like not only will u be learning from them, but they will be learning fron u!! Great job


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## Kelsey the hedgehog (Jun 15, 2012)

still waiting on a reply to my email i sent.. :| 
but my next shift is coming up.. this wednesday.. so if they haven't replied by then i'll talk to them in person. 

here's to hoping it all works out!!


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