# Starting to get really excited!



## lehaley (Jun 25, 2011)

I have a confession to make: I am a horrible student.  Instead of spending my time tonight studying for my medical terminology exam coming up later this week, I spent about an hour making liners for my little guy's cage/getting things organized to bring him home. I am by no means a crafty person, so all I really did was cut fleece in the shape of the cage. I also cut some scrap fleece into strips, which I am planning on putting in his igloo for him to play/snuggle with.









These are all of the fleece things I have for him so far. I bought the fantastic snuggle bag on Sweetteascraps' Etsy page, then made the fleece tie blanket to match it. I have quite a bit of fleece leftover, so I will probably make a few more liners and another blanket for after bath time. (Maybe I'll study first :roll

I'm picking him up on Monday afternoon, and I can't wait! I still haven't decided on a name. I'm a huge dork and would like to do something Harry Potter themed. My boyfriend keeps insisting that I name him Sonic. Right now I'm a big fan of the name Felix, after the Felix Felicis good luck potion in HP. (Did I mention I am a gigantic dork?) I probably won't make a final decision on the name until I have spent some time with him, as I would really like a name that reflects his personality.

Anyway... I just wanted to share some of my hedgie excitement with all of you, since I know everyone here can probably relate.


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## cylaura (Jan 13, 2011)

Hooray for new hedgies! I know how excited you are and how much you have been preparing for your new little guy. Everything looks great - and I have that same alligator fleece! I think it is so cute! 

I love the name Felix as well. Did you know 'felix' means 'lucky' in Latin as well? 'Felicis' is just another form of the same noun.


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## lehaley (Jun 25, 2011)

cylaura said:


> I love the name Felix as well. Did you know 'felix' means 'lucky' in Latin as well? 'Felicis' is just another form of the same noun.


Does it??? I knew JK Rowling used a lot of Latin in the HP books, but I had no idea "felix" meant "lucky". I really like that.


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## Hissy-Fit-Hazel (Jul 15, 2011)

Felix is a great name  It is an exciting time knowing they will be home soon...I hardly slept the night before I could pick Hazel up and I arrived way early lol! Nice job on the fleece gear!


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

You did a really good job on the liners, can't wait to see pics of your soon to be new hedgie


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## lehaley (Jun 25, 2011)

Thanks guys, I knew you would all understand my excitement. I think my boyfriend is getting sick of hearing about hedgehog stuff. He bought me the cage for part of my birthday present, so I have a sneaking suspicion that he's excited about it too. 

I'm thrilled that it's almost time to bring him home, but I'm also a bit nervous too. This will be my first hedgie, and even though I've done tons of research and have asked a lot of questions on here, I really have no idea how this will go. The little guy I'm bringing home is a rescue. His current owner bought him on a whim, decided she didn't have the time for him, and posted him on an online classified ad. I've been emailing with her for about a month and a half now (I was waiting to get settled back into school to bring him home) and there's a lot about his current care that I'm going to be changing once I have him. I'm just hoping that he will adapt to all of the changes I make and that I will be able to form some sort of bond with him.


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## panda (May 23, 2011)

Love the name, i'm a HP lover myself, and i think you did great on the fleece crafting! Cant wait to see pictures of lucky little Felix


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## Rainy (Jul 27, 2011)

Awe. Congratulations on your little man! I love the name Felix. Please post pictures as soon as he has some time to adapt to his great new home! Congratulations!!!


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## EryBee (May 23, 2010)

I understand you excitement and your love for HP! I like to name my pets after characters in books too. EX: My newts are named (RIP) Andromeda, after Andromeda Tonks, and Scrimgeour, after Rufus Scrimgeour. My hedgie has a name that's in HP also- Phinneus.

I think Felix is excellent! It is peppy and just a little bit out of the way, and has a great meaning behind it.

I am so excited for you and I think you will be a perfect hedgie parent. I am so glad that you are giving a rescue to TLC he needs.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

I'm so excited for you!! This will be one of the slowest weeks of your life. :lol: But it willbe worth it. I can't wait to see & hear more!!


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## SaltAndExtraPepper (Mar 4, 2011)

Ohhhh my goodness! I am so excited for you!! I have been for a while now, huh? It's been forever! Haha well maybe not forever... but still! I can't wait to "meet" him here on HHC  You should name him Carlos Jr.! :lol: Kidding of course, I think I am very partial to this hedgie of yours because he reminds me of how I met Carlos. *happy sigh* 

I know how you feel about neglecting school for hedgie stuff.  "Oh, I have an assignment due Wednesday... Hm. Buuut I haven't played with my hedgie today... oh and look at this mess, I'll have to clean his whole cage. You know what? He needs a bath too, and after the bath I have to hold him for at least an hour to make sure he dries completely... Then I'm gonna want to play with him some more to boost his spirits before putting him back to bed... Yes, school can wait!" :lol:

I'm sure your man is stoked, too! He's about to be a hedgedad! Who wouldn't be excited about that  One of the very few things that'll make me "huffy" with my fiance is if he ever makes jokes at Carlos's expense :roll: :lol: But usually he's very sweet about it and very patient with my daily reports and playtimes with "my baby prickly bear" 

I adore the name Felix! It's spicy and spunky and unique and cute! Just like a hedgehog!  Pheonix is a good one too, also HP related. And next time I get a boy pet I will very likely name him Remus  Cause, I love wolves, and Remus Lupin was named after Remus, "son" of the nurturing shewolf and brother of Romulus, founder of Rome. *siiigh* I love naming things :lol: Idk why I let my man do it the past two times hahaha that's how we have Carlos and Oscar :roll:  

Ahh, I talk a lot when I'm excited. I should just say "Congratulations!" and go away but I can't xD Did I mention I'm excited for you?


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## lehaley (Jun 25, 2011)

SaltAndExtraPepper said:


> Ahh, I talk a lot when I'm excited. I should just say "Congratulations!" and go away but I can't xD Did I mention I'm excited for you?


Haha no worries. I'm just glad that I can come here and post about how FREAKISHLY excited I'm getting without driving anyone nuts. I'm pretty sure everyone on this site completely understands. My boyfriend might be secretly pumped about me bringing my hedgie home, but I think he might be sick of me endlessly obsessing over things like CHE setups, cat food options, and fleece. :lol:

I'm also really glad that everyone seems to like the name Felix. I have a list of name options, but for some reason that's the name I just keep coming back to. Maybe it's a sign? Felix is most likely the name I will end up giving him unless I get him home and suddenly I'm like "Holy crap, he's SO a Draco!" or something. (I really can't let this Harry Potter naming scheme thing go...)


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## lehaley (Jun 25, 2011)

AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

So I just got an email from the girl that I am adopting my hedgie from. We had arranged for me to pick him up on Monday on my way back to school. It turns out she has a conflict with this arrangement, so I will actually be picking him up *TOMORROW*!

I'm absolutely freaking out trying to get everything ready and packed to take care of him for the weekend. I'm driving from my apartment at school in Normal, IL to spend Labor Day weekend with my boyfriend in Madison, WI. I originally wanted to pick him up on Monday because I pretty much drive through this girl's town on my way back to school. Now I have to pick him up tomorrow, drive an hour to Madison, keep him at my boyfriend's for the weekend, then drive 3 hours back to school with him early Monday afternoon. I'm praying that the little guy will handle traveling well and that I won't throw the poor little thing into some sort of panic attack with all the moving around and change. 

*I apologize in advance for this insanely long post, but I'm sort of using it to make a list of everything I need to do and pack tonight. Please let me know if there's something huge that I'm forgetting.
*
She is sending me home with the plastic bin she's been keeping him in, a few toys, his water bottle, and 2 bags of Pretty Pets hedgehog food. Switching him off the water bottle and the icky food are my top priorities, but I've decided not to do either until I have him back at my apartment and he's a bit more settled in. Although I may go get him some mealies to spoil him with right away. 

He will be staying in the plastic bin for the weekend. I'm packing hand warmers for the car rides back and forth (although it's been REALLY warm the past few days). My boyfriend lives in a loft apartment and has this giant walk-in closet that stays very warm (I would estimate it's probably somewhere between 75-80 degrees, especially in the summer and even with the AC on full blast downstairs), so I'm going to keep him in there for the weekend. I am however bringing the CHE setup I have and a thermometer just in case the closet isn't quite warm enough.

I will take the snuggle bag and the blanket I have for him, his igloo so he can hide if he's feeling overwhelmed, and I'm going to sleep in an old t-shirt tonight so I can put it in his bin. Also, the sparkly blue CSBW that I ordered from LarryT is waiting for me at the post office. I am planning on picking it up on my way out of town. I will probably put it in the bin with him, but I won't force the issue until I'm home if he's just not feeling it yet.

Basically I am planning on bringing the bare essentials until I get him back to my apartment, mostly because I was anticipating having a little more time to prepare. In the future when I bring him somewhere, his whole cage will probably go with me. There is an animal hospital in the Madison area that has experience with hedgies, just in case I need a vet. (I checked a few weeks ago, since my little guy will probably travel with me to Madison quite a bit. I wanted to make sure I have a vet at school, at my dad's, and at my boyfriend's.)

So am I forgetting anything major??? :?


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## CinderSmoke (Jun 6, 2011)

Sounds like you are forgetting to breathe!! LOL.............
I feel excited for you! Best of luck to you on your trip and meeting with your new prickly baby. Sounds to me like you have it all figured out and also like you will be a great mom to him. You may, however, want to switch him to a bowl for water instead of a bottle. Bowls are safer, easier to clean and more natural for hedgies.
I look forward to seeing pics of your new baby, and I'm guessing that there will be TONS of them!!!


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## lehaley (Jun 25, 2011)

CinderSmoke said:


> Sounds like you are forgetting to breathe!! LOL.............
> I feel excited for you! Best of luck to you on your trip and meeting with your new prickly baby. Sounds to me like you have it all figured out and also like you will be a great mom to him. You may, however, want to switch him to a bowl for water instead of a bottle. Bowls are safer, easier to clean and more natural for hedgies.
> I look forward to seeing pics of your new baby, and I'm guessing that there will be TONS of them!!!


Oh right, that whole oxygen intake thing is TOTALLY what I forgot! :lol: I'm definitely wigging out, that's for sure.

No worries about the water bottle/bowl thing. I have a water bowl for him and plan on making the switch as soon as I get him back home. I don't want to make too many changes until after this weekend because I'm not really sure how he'll react to so much driving and moving around in just a few days.


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## sweetergrrrl (May 5, 2009)

How exciting!  I have my new baby in my lap and typing one handed cuz i have a few fingers in the towel with him. lol he licks fingers, i guess i taste good... You'll do great and I am happy for you and the hedge-butt!


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## ProjectParanoia (Jan 27, 2010)

How exciting! Despite the time change, I don't think you're missing anything. Except your studies, but, as a fellow college student, I completely understand XD


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## lehaley (Jun 25, 2011)

ProjectParanoia said:


> How exciting! Despite the time change, I don't think you're missing anything. Except your studies, but, as a fellow college student, I completely understand XD


 :lol: LOL no kidding! I've already accepted the fact that I will probably get absolutely no homework done this weekend. On top of bringing Felix home (yep, I decided on the name!), my boyfriend and I also have plans to go boating and go on a tour of an awesome brewery in WI. I have a hugely busy weekend ahead of me.


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## ProjectParanoia (Jan 27, 2010)

Oooh, I love boating! Fishing is too tedious and time-consuming for me, though. And a brewery sounds pretty interesting, though I'm a tad bit young to go, myself.

I figure you're picking up Felix (A cute name, Harry Potter referenced or not) right about now, so this is a request for pictures asap!!!


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## lehaley (Jun 25, 2011)

ProjectParanoia said:


> Oooh, I love boating! Fishing is too tedious and time-consuming for me, though. And a brewery sounds pretty interesting, though I'm a tad bit young to go, myself.
> 
> I figure you're picking up Felix (A cute name, Harry Potter referenced or not) right about now, so this is a request for pictures asap!!!


The brewery tour was my boyfriend's idea. It's a local place that makes his favorite beer, and I think he just wants to go for the free samples.

I'm not supposed to meet Felix's current owner until 3:30, but I'm sort of already here. I got out of class early and decided to get on the road, thinking that there would be tons of construction on the highway. There wasn't, and since I have slight road rage issues and tend to drive like a crazy person, I'm super early. So now I'm sitting in a Burger King parking lot trying to figure out what I'm going to do with myself until this girl is home.


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