# Hello from the UK



## BigRob (Jan 2, 2010)

Hello

I have stumbled onto here in my online ramblings and was amazed by all the info. I have a large Long Eared Hedgehog called Hercules and he has quite a personality. He can't stand men and hisses, huffs, puffs and general dislikes me. My wife on the other hand is a favoured friend and he will take food from her quite happily and he sits for hours while my two year old chats, sings and harassess him.

I brought him from a petshop which gets all kinds of strange critters in, where he had been sat for a year and a half apparently, they said if he had stayed there much longer he'd have been made a store pet. I thought his cage was empty and I was looking at the Jerboas next to it when I spotted his little face poking out of his house and grabbed a staff member. I put the deposit down and checked out what hedgies needed. They gave me a sheet of "instructions" but a quick google and asking some questions with the right people got me thinking most of them were pretty off. They were feeding him vast numbers of mealworms and those dead pink mice you give snakes, he is much happier on hog food.

I know alot of people on here have the small hedgies but I wondered if anyone else has one of the Long Eared ones?

Edit: Some Pictures


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## silvercat (Oct 24, 2008)

Hi & welcome!

i have seen a couple photos pop up with long eared hedgies on here so I'm pretty sure there's some owners. They are cute!


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

Them long eared hedgies are just too darn cute :mrgreen:


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

He is beautiful.

Pammie on here lives in the UK and has a long eared.


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## Alastrina (Sep 18, 2009)

I just saw your pictures.....what utter cuteness!

~Katie


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## BigRob (Jan 2, 2010)

The first one was taken a few weeks ago through the glass of his house by my wife, If I tried to do that he would put his front bristles up between his ears and shnuffle at me.

The second one was taken a couple of years ago. He has gone quite grey round the nose now, the shop said they had him for a year and a half and I've had him for almost four so he is getting on a bit. Still runs enough to break a wheel every 6 months or so 

Quite possibly the cutest thing about him is when he curls up because his ears actually roll up like little roller blinds and tuck in. Very adorable!


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

Pammie has a egytian long eared hedgie,don't know about anyone else.


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## Stephanie76 (Nov 2, 2009)

I would give my right arm to see a video of the "roller blind ears" bit you said they do.. 

I think your boy is absolutely handsome!


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## Hedgieonboard (Nov 15, 2009)

I love the pictures  His ears are soo cute. I don't have a long earred one but would love one


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

How adorable! Welcome.  

Ashley (username rivoli something something... there are 3 #s after it) has a LEH named Henry. She doesn't post much, I'll let her know someone else here has one.


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## krbshappy71 (Jul 17, 2009)

Absolutely adorable, the ears always remind me of a bat. I like bats. Thank you for the pictures! Welcome to the forum.


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

Such a little doll! I look forward to more pictures of this little one.


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## kurai18 (Aug 31, 2009)

Aww i love the picture of him rolled up! So cute!
I wonder if long ears let them hear better..


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## Godzilla Girl (May 23, 2009)

What a cutie pie! Welcome aboard!


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## BigRob (Jan 2, 2010)

These are from a quick reel of pictures we took just after we got him on 06. After a year and a half of minor handling in the petshop he is not very "tame" and doesn't tolerate much handling. I did try and give him a bath when I first got him because the shop recommended it. He was most unamused!


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## Tasha (Feb 24, 2009)

Oh my god those last pics are adorble!  I didn't realise they were so big though?! 

Im Uk based but afraid i don't have long eared, though after those pics i would certainly love one. x


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## Stephanie76 (Nov 2, 2009)

Look at those legs!!!!! 

Now I am going to sound like shetland and beg for more pictures...


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

Beg????? Meeeeeeeeeeee?????


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## BigRob (Jan 2, 2010)

I've got a few more, stills taken from a video. I put the camera on and left it in his cage. He got very curious and tried to break it open with his paws.



















He uses those legs to run all night in his wheel, he has a big rabbit/guinea pig branded wheel but he wears the plastic out and after a few months they just break. When he isn't running he has various balls and tubes he likes to kick around. He had one of those treat balls you fill with food and the food falls out gradually as they play, but he ripped it open, he is very strong. If he is having a bad day and is in a sulky mood he will pick up his ceramic foodbowl and throw that too which makes a really loud bang, perfect at 3am!


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## LizardGirl (Aug 25, 2008)

Oh my freaking goodness, he is too cute for his own good.


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## Stephanie76 (Nov 2, 2009)

I ... need... to see this one on LIVE VIDEO! hehe 

Thanks for all of the great pictures.. I am **almost** satisfied. :lol:


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## tie-dye hedgie (Dec 19, 2009)

AAAAWWWW he is too cute!!!! His ears are adorabley floppy! :lol:


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

It sounds to me like Stephanie is begging!


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## Pipkin (Aug 26, 2009)

Hello  

Im from the UK. I cant believe you found the little guy in a pet shop. Where abouts in the UK do you live?

He is absolutely adorable!


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

I love his soft white tummy!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Pipkin (Aug 26, 2009)

Shetland you might have to move to the UK with all the hedgie napping you're planning on doing over here :lol: mind you then you could have your own little one


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## BigRob (Jan 2, 2010)

I got him from Porton Pets and Aquatics in Wiltshire near Salisbury back in 2006. He was inbetween a cage of Jerboas and a cage of Giant Jerboas and I wish I could have got them too because they were so ugly they were adorable.

It's quite a good petshop but the staff are a bit muppety. They usually have a wide range of exotics in but the prices are high, they have a tenrec (labled as Tenricks Hedgehog) but they want £300 for him. I paid that for Herc and got his big glass tank and all his toys included (the tank was selling on its own for £350, they wanted him gone). I just couldn't believe no one had brought him, he is such little hassle.


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

The closest I have been is Ireland. But I could move in next to you and hedgienap little Turbo Buttons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By the way, what is a "little hassle?"


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## BigRob (Jan 2, 2010)

"Little Hassle" means he is not a difficult pet to look after. If somethings continuously difficult and tricky or annoying then its a hassle, rather like keeping fish and having to worry about the water temperature and stuff all the time. 

He has never been ill (although I have heard him sneeze a couple of times which is super cute), he doesn't cost alot to keep, he is constantly cute and doing fun stuff at all times of day, he isn't a problem to clean, he doesn't make a break for the hills as soon as you open the cage, he doesn't bite, he is no problem really. The only other pet I have ever encountered like this is a Guinea Pig.


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## pammie (Aug 31, 2008)

hello! yep i'm in liverpool and have a long eared called pharoah. i was told when i got him he was egyptian but now believe he is 1/2 egyptian and 1/2 indian. he is too dark for egypt and too light for indian. he is ruthless! if you put your fingers near him you are likely to be charged at like a rhino or bitten! he does have a cute side tho (only if you happen to have a tasty treat)
here is a pic









like yours he had been in the pet shop for 18 months its such a shame as he really is a character


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## anna m (Dec 19, 2008)

They are lovely Big Rob and pammie
You are not alone Big Rob in finding your other half handles pets better than you
I find that my hedgehogs are more relaxed with my OH
He manages to lean back and watch tv with hands behind his head and the hedgehogs just relax with him
I think I worry more


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## BigRob (Jan 2, 2010)

Gorgeous Pammie, He looks like a darker version of mine, does he have the white belly fluff?

You have the same wheel as I do too, does yours break them regularly by running too much?


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## Bengall77 (Aug 1, 2009)

Such a cute! I love those long ears. More pics!


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## pammie (Aug 31, 2008)

no even his belly is dark i'll see if i can root out a pic. yeah he does break em but not as often as yours does! they seem to last about a year or so. we got a different one once and he hated it! he only likes that kind ifs funny.


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## pammie (Aug 31, 2008)

my laptop has been sent away to be fixed so the only pics i have were from photobucket that i had saved you can see his fur a bit but to be honest he is such a grump it is almost impossible to get a decent pic of him!


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## BigRob (Jan 2, 2010)

Aww he is cute, do you know how old he is?

We can only kind of guess with Herc because the pet shop were not sure. We think he is at least 5 and he has started going grey round his nose and mouth. He breaks them by running too much. I tape the wheel down because otherwise it ends up bouncing round the cage and making a terrible noise. Once he managed to bounce it right round against the side of the cage and he ended up trapped inside it, not amused in the morning.

Herc is very much a "look at" pet, he is not amused by the idea of handling. He does have a cute habit of curling up one side and bristling up while the other side away from me stays uncurled so he can see and hear.


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## Pipkin (Aug 26, 2009)

Pammie you don't live far from me  
I cant believe you found these gorgeous little things in pet shops over here. How cute is Pharoah, so dark and cute. He does look like a right little grump tho bless him. :lol:


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## Stephanie76 (Nov 2, 2009)

So, question on these Euro hedgies... do they need the same warmth that our African hogs do? I know nothing about these long-eared breeds, so forgive me for my ignorance. :lol:


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## BigRob (Jan 2, 2010)

Yes since they live in the Middle East usually. I keep Herc in his glass viv thing at room temperature and he has a heat pad under his house where he sleeps and one that runs the whole back of the cage. The shop tried to flog me a big old heat lamp but I wasn't sure if it would bug him, my wifes geckos hated thier heat lamp and it dried their skin out. 

He seems happy enough, the mats warm the glass and he likes to flop out on his house one, I did try giving him some nice bedding and some hay to sleep in but he took it all out and dumped it in the litter corner, he prefers to flop straight on the glass. I have checked it, its nice and warm, not too hot  

He will alternate during the day between his house and sleeping up against the back wall behind his wheel or if its a really hot day, on his concrete slab that I put in to help stop him filling his water bowl with woodchips and poop. The cage traps heat nicely (although it is well vented with a mesh roof and side panel) although its really cute to put a hotwater bottle against it sometimes because its warmer than the pad so he will come out and snooze next to it until it gets cooler, then he will look grumpy and go back in.


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## Stephanie76 (Nov 2, 2009)

Doh! Idiot point for me! :lol: I completely forgot that these were the long-eared hogs, not the European ones.. Pffft.. 

So I guess my question is still open. 

I want more pics of this long-eared one!


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## BigRob (Jan 2, 2010)

We looked after a baby hedgie we found on our patio after the first frost of the winter about 10 years ago. It was far to small to hibernate so it got taken to the vets to be de-fleaed and wormed, then it lived in a cardboard box in our bathroom for the winter, getting fat on tasty dog food and treats.

Come the spring a huge and healthy hog was released into the wild as per the instructions from St Tiggywinkles (the famous hedgehog hospital). 

Euro hoggies dont need heat, but they like to hibernate when its too cold.


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## pammie (Aug 31, 2008)

Pipkin said:


> Pammie you don't live far from me
> I cant believe you found these gorgeous little things in pet shops over here. How cute is Pharoah, so dark and cute. He does look like a right little grump tho bless him. :lol:


he he where u from? pharoah was in a lil per shop in hunts cross they seemed to kinda ignore him like the other long eared he is definately a look at pet and cant bear to be touched last time he was picked up he kicked off big style proper did this mad screech i thought i had hurt him but knew i hadnt. lol he is a little sweety. when i feed the cat she jumps up next to him so he runs over to watch trying to make u give him some him and the cat have a very love hate relationship, she is vaugely interested in him and he loves her food lol. we are not 100% sure of his age i think probably about 3 or 4 but its a guess the pet shop seemed pretty clueless all they said was they had him 18 months or so. like yours he is going grey around his wiskers its funny x


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## Pipkin (Aug 26, 2009)

pammie said:


> Pipkin said:
> 
> 
> > Pammie you don't live far from me
> ...


I live in Birmingham, aw they are just adorable i love them. I want one


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

I could babysit Turbo for you if you get another baby! I promise to bring him back. Heeeeeeeee


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## strawberryfields (Oct 3, 2009)

Suuuuure you'll bring him back Shetland. Hahaha :lol: 

Those long-eared hedgies are just so cute! I love how they kind of have whites around their eyes. The little African ones do too, but you can only see them sometimes.


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## Beth_Davies94 (Jan 24, 2010)

hello!
i live in the UK too, and i was wondering if you knew of any Pygmy Hedgehog breeders in Wales? im looking forward to owning one!
thankyou =)


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