# Hedgehog or Cavapoo dog



## holiday (Jun 18, 2020)

Hello! I have gotten most of the supplies for a hedgehog. All I need is bedding, heating and wheels. But this afternoon it was proposed to the family that instead of a pet hedgehog for myself the family could have a cavapoo dog. It is NOT a option to have both. My two favorite animals are cavapoo dogs and hedgehogs. The choice has been set to me. We travel some over the summer, and cavapoo's are known to get separation anxiety. But if I got a hedgehog the rest of my family would not get to cherish the pet as much. Either way, I would disappoint someone in my family. We also have two cats, so that is something to consider. Everyone in my family except one person is gone for the majority of the day. The one person works from home. This is a very hard choice for me to make and I would love if anyone could give some opinions, advice, and encouragement.


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## Ria (Aug 30, 2018)

That sounds like a hard one

The first thing to think about is you've already got cats. Dogs and cats CAN get along, but a lot of the time they don't. Have you ever seem their reaction to a dog? Especially a dog in your house?
Because the cats may well be fine with a dog, and if you get a puppy it will grow up with the cats so it will be fine with cats. 

Cavapoos are adorable. But like you said they are prone to separation anxiety. That takes a lot of work to prevent it. But if you always have someone in the house that's probably not going to work. Which means going on holidays would be a lot harder. Because you would need to find someone who is always at home.

You also now have to go and spend a whole lot more money on all the stuff for a dog - when you already have majority of the stuff for the hedgehog.

Hedgehogs are not really family pets. They tend to bond to only one person, sometimes two, but not a whole family.
But they make amazing pets. 
And they are funny to just watch. And their cuddles if you get a cuddly hog are honestly amazing.
Thats not to say you can't make it so that everyone gets a bit of enjoyment out of the hog. Its harder though. 

But again with a hedgehog you still need find someone who can look after them when you go away, and who will keep the schedule and make sure the temp is right when you go away. 
They also have handle the hedgehog so you need someone who is willing to do that even if they are spiky and huffy.

Have a look at who can look after the pets when you go away which pet do you trust people looking after more?


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

It is going to sound like I'm opposing hedgehogs. I tend to point out the negatives, because then you have good expectations of what life can be like with a hedgehog.

Hedgehog personalities vary widely, you can get one that is overly friendly, and seems to enjoy being out with you, but you can also get one who is just defensive and keeps their quills raised all of the time and tries to spike you every time you try to pick them up. 

A hedgehog is nocturnal and typically sleeps all day and in general has a personality of I could do without you. Play with them is more of you watching them or allowing them to sleep on you. 

Housing for hedgehogs can be problematic. Temperatures must be held in safe levels else risk hibernation attempts which can lead to other health issues and diet can also be challenging as some easily become obese and hedgehogs can be very resistant to diet changes.

Hedgehogs are mostly healthy, but when they do have a health issue it can be challenging to find a knowledgeable vet to treat them, and the cost is often much higher than a dog or cat. Around here, office visits for exotics is nearly double that of a dog or cat. Hedgehogs live short lives, and cancer is extremely common with the only real treatment being surgery which expect at least a $500 bill to remove it.

You will need to really to consider what you want out of a pet. If having something that will want to be with you all of the time when you are awake, wants to play and interact with you and that you can take places with you. Go for walks with, etc. seems appealing. Get a dog. 


Make a list of pros and cons of each animal. Make sure you add in cons and carefully consider them. Hedgehogs can make great pets, but they can also be awful pets for some. Same goes with dogs. We have seen many hedgehog go through here who couldn't deal with the downsides of these creatures, or quickly became bored with them, because they just were not a good fit and ultimately the person wanted something whose care and interaction with were more in line with a dog, cat or even a rat.


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## holiday (Jun 18, 2020)

*Hedgehog or Cavapoo Dog*

Thank you both so much. You have given me some great things to consider.:-D


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