# Does any one else think this??



## PinkHedgehog (Oct 16, 2012)

That people excpecting to get a hedgie don't take it seriously enough?? They just think it'll be a walk in the park!! Do some not see they would be looking after a living thing!?


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## sparkmanr (Aug 29, 2012)

My 17 year old daughter came home yesterday to tell me that owning a hedgehog is now all the rage at school and that everyone is wanting to get one. I told her that if she talked to anyone specifically and they asked anything about it she needed to make sure and tell them that these pets aren't just something you can forget about when the newness wears off. It's a living creature that take time, patience, and money to take care of. I know that its becoming an in thing to have but what they dont understand is like most fads they fade and go away, unfortunately with animals it's harder to ignore or get rid of the outgoing fad. Remember when 101 Dalmations first came out. Everyone wanted a dalmation puppy for Christmas, birthdays, etc? Well I remember hearing terrible stories of hundreds of shelters across the country having dalmations in them because people didn't realize that it would be work to get one and take are of it and that they are larger dogs with special needs. Maybe owning a hedgie makes me extra senstive when I hear people talk about how cute they are and they want one and yet they know nothing about them at all.


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## laurentj23 (Aug 22, 2012)

PinkHedgehog said:


> That people excpecting to get a hedgie don't take it seriously enough?? They just think it'll be a walk in the park!! Do some not see they would be looking after a living thing!?


Taking care of hedgies is not that hard. Try taking care praire dogs! That's a challange!


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## eskye (Oct 5, 2012)

Compared to other things, hedgies are a walk in the park. I can say that my large reptiles are definitely 10 times the difficulty at least. Try rehabilitating a hurt and aggressive 3 foot monitor, haha. They're pretty simple pets if you have cared for any other small animal or mammal before. I'd give them an intermediate rating.


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## BatmanJohnson (Aug 14, 2011)

Yeah provided your prepared and have the time, taking care of hedgehogs isn't hard at all.


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

While taking care of a hedgehog skill and time-wise is not very intensive, they do require quite a different set of care "facts" compared to other small mammals that a lot of the impulse buyers don't or choose not to know. They aren't difficult animals overall, but they're particular!


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## AngelaH (Jul 24, 2012)

From the perspective of a victim of "omg that's the cutest thing ever!!! Want" (yes I'll admitt it)... They are a lot more work than expected.  But I keep learning all I can and doing everything advised for her. It does upset me about all the irresponsible people who get them for cuteness or novelty 
and stop caring when the novelty wears off.


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

Hedgehogs aren't difficult, just particular. You just have to put a minimum of research into it so you know what they need. But, any pet should be researched before being brought home, unless you've had that kind of animal before. [Edit: LG beat me, and used my term too! Particular!  ]

When people ask I tell them hedgehogs are mid-range in terms of maintenance. They live in a cage, so they're similar to other small mammals in that regard. They have some particular requirements, but they're easy to provide once you know what those are. They need daily handling, but it doesn't have to be focused attention - you can have them in your lap while watching TV or working on the computer, or you can just carry them around with you while you do day to day things around the house.

Hedgehogs run the risk of being a "novelty" pet that people then get bored of. This is true for children in particular. For anyone in a reasonable distance, I pretty much insist that they come visit us to handle our hedgehogs before committing to getting one, so they know what to expect. With the exception of quilling, a well-socialized hedgehog isn't going to be particularly prickly, but I still make a point of bringing out one of our younger ones that's going through quilling whenever someone visits, so they can have hands-on experience with not just our sweet and cuddly hedgies, but they can also see what a grumpy hedgehog is like. Between that and getting pooped on a few times, if they're still interested, then I'm satisfied that they're not going to discard their hedgehog a few months later because they're bored of it.

As for taking it seriously - well, pet stores don't care at all, but good breeders make a point of making sure people know at least the basics about proper care. I get applications from people who are fairly well-informed, but I also get applications from people who are making an effort and just don't have good resources. I consider it part of my job to provide good resources when they don't have them, and that's in addition to all the information on our website.


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## hedgielover (Oct 30, 2008)

Hedgehogs might be easy compared to other exotics but not everyone is experienced with exotics. Most people that get fad pets or the kind of people that get pets on a whim are not experienced pet owners. Or they've had a cat for years and just gave it food and water and otherwise ignored it, (tangent warning) seriously most people I know with cats hardly ever even clean the litter box. The litter box in our house growing up was always gross. The litter box was my Mom's only pet job and it almost never got done, when she did clean it it was only to scoop out the clumps and add more litter it never once got fully cleaned out and washed. Other people I know with only one cat treat the litter box the same way. My in-laws don't even wash the food and water dishes. 

Someone that treats a cat's litter box like that would not keep a pet cage clean. Someone getting a hedgehog on a whim would not necessarily understand the need to do research on how to care for them. Lots of times a person's definition of research is asking the guy at the pet store, and while this works out sometimes, it's not the best way to get reliable information. 

The first hedgehog I got was when I was a teen, I'd saved half the cost of supplies and my Dad paid for the other half as my Christmas present. Unfortunately everything was wrong. The books I got to do my research were dangerously wrong and the pet store recommended some terrible things as well. I feel so bad now when I think about it because now I know better, if I had known then I don't know if I would have been able to change anything, I might have just found him a new home. This was all before I found HHC and my other hedgehogs have received proper care. As a teen I was also very hindered in how I could I care for my hedgehog because my parents played a part in my decisions and they are not knowledgeable about hedgehogs. The hedgehog owning experiences is much better now that I am an adult and can make my own decisions. Hedgehogs are a great pet and I love having them but when I was a teen it was the wrong time.


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## SquiggyTheHedgie (Jul 26, 2011)

Sadly most people dont understand that hedgehogs have more specific needs than say a hamster. But mostly, its expenses. To care for a hedgie properly takes a lot to set up, and people get upset once they realize its not gonna be easy at first and its gonna take a good chunk of wallet with it. Theres diet, heating, hygiene, proper housing, ridiculous veterinary expenses, and realizing that the hedgie is not gonna be a sweet cuddly creature as soon as you get it. Plus, theres the poop factor. Even I'm still shocked at how much poop comes out of these little guys and having to scrub poop everyday is certainly not something a less experienced pet owner will enjoy. So yes, they are becoming a fad pet, but as more experienced hedgehog owners who know the ups and downs I think we are somewhat obligated to discourage whim purchases unless we think the person is actually capable of caring for a hedgehog properly.


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