# Introducing... Me and all my critters :)



## sdenney (Jul 13, 2011)

Hello Hedgehog Central! It's wonderful to finally be a member here. I have been interested in adopting a hedgehog since last November. My plans to adopt from a licensed breeder up in Northern Virginia were spoiled when a rat came unexpectedly into my life. His name is Eli, and he was abandoned in the parking lot of a Lowe's Home Improvement store in Newport News, VA. Eli was the first rat I ever held. It was love at first touch! He curled up against me and was too frightened to move. I decided to share my home with him. A few weeks later I took in another rescue - Quinn was the seven week old product of a nasty backyard breeding situation. After successfully introducing the two, Eli and Quinn have been living happily in their single-level Midwest Critter Nation (a cage I had already ordered in preparation for the hedgehog I was supposed to get).

When it was finally my turn on the breeder's waiting list, I ended up turning down the opportunity to adopt one of the hedgehogs. I thought having my dog, and two rats was enough. I figured I could wait a few years before getting the hedgie. It's been four months since that decision was made, and boy has it been difficult to keep my word! I finally caved in, and I'm picking up my first hedgehog next Saturday. 

A little background on myself - I am 21 years old, a female college student studying photography and visual communications. I have four pets, and will soon have five when the hedgie arrives. Sammy is my two year old female Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog, Eli and Quinn are the rats I rescued from unfortunate circumstances, Leviathan is my steel blue colored betta fish (he's gorgeous), and the hedgehog remains unnamed at the moment!

Growing up, I always had hamsters. I've had several dwarf hammies, and two Syrians in the past, as well as one Gerbil. I could never have a cat or dog because my mom wouldn't allow it. Then the one time we went to get a cat for me, we ended up getting a senior cat for my mom. After my mom passed away (this last September) my dad suggested getting a dog to make us feel better - that's how Sammy came into our lives. She was adopted from a Navy couple who was expecting a baby soon. They had purchased Sammy from a pet store in San Diego, CA at eight weeks old. She was listed as an Australian Shepherd, but she is in fact an Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog (a cattle dog born with a bobbed tail - a breed that DOES exist and IS separate from the ACD). 

Shortly after Sammy's arrival, I got a job at a family owned pet supply store. It was and is my first job. I thought working at a pet store would save me money on Sammy's general costs, but in fact, I spend more than I would if I worked elsewhere! The first few months, I couldn't leave the store without buying something for her. I've gotten a lot better, but after this hedgehog arrives, there is no way I can bring anymore pets into the household! Five is more than ENOUGH!

Anyway, I am excited to be apart of the hedgehog community and hope to learn as much as I can about hedgehogs. I love to write (can't you tell?) so I do run a few blogs on Tumblr (the links are in my signature). I will be starting up a hedgehog blog, but in the meantime, I need to decide on a name for my hedgie!

My assistant manager suggested, "Mr. Prickles" which makes me laugh. I would prefer a serious name, though the funny ones are cute.

Here are some names I really like:
Hugo / Hurley (from Lost series)
Tungsten (photographic term for incandescent light)
Dexter / Dex for short (from Dexter series)
Uri
Gaven
Garrett
Victor (after Victor Von Doom / Dr. Doom / Marvel Universe)
Theo
Stanley / Stan for short
Nitro (co-worker insisted on Turbo instead)
Adrian 
Spock (from Star Trek movie)
Jawa (from Star Wars movie)
Jaba (from Jaba the Hut in Star Wars movie)
Norman / Norm for short
Hodir (pronounced ho-deer, giant race from World of Warcraft game)
Nordica / Nordi for short 
Miles
Neo
Cypher
Zuri (African for "beautiful")
Aiyetoro (Nigerian for "peace on earth")
Hasani (Swahili for "handsome")


My fiance wants to name him MacLeod from Highlander.

I will probably wait until I can experience his personality before I pick a suitable name. I can't wait until next weekend


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Welcome to HHC! Can't wait to see your new little baby, and I have to say, I really like the names Zuri and Hasani. I also rather like Spock, hehe.



> Shortly after Sammy's arrival, I got a job at a family owned pet supply store. It was and is my first job. I thought working at a pet store would save me money on Sammy's general costs, but in fact, I spend more than I would if I worked elsewhere! The first few months, I couldn't leave the store without buying something for her.


 :lol: I know exactly how you feel! I work at a pet store as well and have the same problem. I always find myself walking around the store, going through the aisles and absently judging each product on whether I could use it for Lily or not. It's how she got a ferret play tunnel, aquarium plants, a puppy kong toy, and five different bags of cat treats. :lol:


----------



## shaelikestaquitos (Feb 2, 2010)

Welcome to HHC 

I absolutely adore ratties <3

Could you please share some pics? 

I like Zuri and Hasani too


----------



## ReginasMommy (Apr 13, 2011)

Welcome! It sounds like you have a bunch of awesome critters! And YAY for getting a hedgie!!! I like Hugo, Theo, and Victor as names! Can't wait for pics of your new little guy...


----------



## sdenney (Jul 13, 2011)

Thanks everyone! Also, to Lilysmommy, I honestly do the same thing. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one succumbed by pet store temptations! LOL! I am forever mentally shopping during work, haha!

Right now I only have pictures of my rats, which can be found on my Flickr Stream linked below in my signature. Starting next weekend I will have pictures of my new hedgie! I am picking him up Saturday. Until then, maybe this picture I received of him will hold you over.

Click for a larger resolution.


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

He's beautiful! And heee, your ratties are just adorable too!


----------



## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Welcome to HHC! You've got a lovely family there.


----------



## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

Welcome to HHC!


----------



## sdenney (Jul 13, 2011)

Thanks everyone!

And hey there LarryT. I finally get to use that wheel I bought from you back in like January/February LOL I can't wait to see it in action.


----------



## sdenney (Jul 13, 2011)

More names to consider:

Fumo is Swahili for "spear"
Tokah 
Token
Rhino
Hudson
Tremor
Anaki
Dodger


----------



## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Your family is beautiful, and I'm so happy to hear you're getting a hedgie of your very own soon!  

I have to admit - up until a few months ago, rats kind of... grossed me out. I think it's their tails that make me a bit uncomfortable. But, when I started looking into hedgehogs, I noticed that they have kind of a stumpy rat tail too, and I realized I'd have to get over being grossed out by naked tails. I'm actually a bit interested in getting a rat now. Are they as high maintenance as hedgehogs?


----------



## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I like Tokah and Anaki. And oh man, MissC needs to name her next hedgehog Fumo! Fumo and Sumo! :lol:


----------



## sdenney (Jul 13, 2011)

Fumo & Sumo is awesome LOL

And yeah I never thought I would ever have rats as pets. It's not that I was appalled by them, I just never thought of having them as pets. Like I said, I was preparing for a hedgehog when my first rat came into my life unexpectedly. I fell in love with him so fast! The tails never really grossed me out like it does most people. I actually think it's pretty neat how they use it so often - for balancing and holding onto things. When you hold them, they will wrap their tail around your hand or arm, or sometimes they will swat you in the face with it if they lose their balance while sitting on your shoulder or behind your neck. It sounds disgusting, but it's not so bad. My rats actually have a pretty clean looking tail, too, so that kind of helps. It's easy for their tails to have a dirty appearance because it drags in urine and feces. I clean my rats once a day so they don't get to run around in feces very often.

I can't really compare rats to hedgehogs because I have never had a hedgehog. The male I am picking up next Saturday will be the first hedgehog I have ever had. I can tell you one thing, though - rats poop a TON! The reason I clean them every day or every other day is because they poop so much, and if there is too much poop in their cage, they will push it out and then it gets on the floor. I personally don't want rat poop in my carpet, and I don't really want to put up a plexiglass guard to prevent the poop from being pushed out of the cage because it will still get crammed into the crevices and it will be just another thing for me to clean.

What I do is this - every day or every other day I take a wet/dry vac to the cage. I set up a wall of cardboard I made out of two large boxes that divides half of the room. The rats share a room with our computers and we don't want them getting into things they shouldn't, so I cut off the half of the room with the most electronics. Then I let them out of their cage and let them run around their half of the room, which consists of their Critter Nation and my computer desk, which I use for my laptop so there are minimal wires for them to get into. I'm always watching them, and fortunately, they aren't big chewers (I got lucky).

While they are enjoying their freedom, I take a wet/dry vac to the cage to suck out the poop. Then I remove the fleece and make sure there is no poop stuck to it. Then I take some all natural cleaning/disinfecting solution for small animals and scrub the CN pan, shelf, ramp, and bars to clean up any urine that soaked into the fleece liners. Once everything is clean and rid of poop, I replace the old fleece with new/clean fabric so I can wash the old/dirty fabric and put it away until next cleaning day. Doing this often keeps the odor down (rats don't really smell bad, but if you let urine and feces pile up, obviously there will be a smell regardless of the type of animal), my rats cage looks nicer, and they aren't running through poop (so their feet, bellies, and tails are cleaner).

Obviously, you wouldn't have to clean as often as I do, and if you set up scatter guards, you won't have to worry about poop being pushed onto the floor. Rats are pretty great pets, and very smart (I actually just read that hedgehogs are more intelligent than rats in a recent Times magazine). If you ever decide to get a rat, it is highly recommended to get two (preferably from the same litter because it can be difficult to introduce new rats later on). Females are a little more petite than males, and are more adventurous while males are bigger and more laid back and likely to cuddle. The only thing I dislike about males is their unsightly testicles (they are pretty big... lol). Most people don't like them, but I have kind of gotten over it by now. You can have them neutered, but it's pretty expensive. I know some people have been able to neuter their rats for as cheap as 30$ but the cheapest I could find in Hampton Roads, VA is about 300$ per rat! Females are even more expensive because the procedure is internal, and more difficult.

I don't know if hedgehogs do this, but rats also scent mark. Neutering can decrease or totally eliminate scent marking, otherwise they will leave very tiny amounts of urine as they move around - on you, on your furniture, and on your floor, etc. Sometimes I wear a hoodie to keep the urine from touching me if they decide to mark me. I also lay down an old blanket or sheet when they run around outside of their cage to keep from getting urine in the carpet. Scent marking is a territorial thing. So if they pee on you, they like you LOL!

A really great rat forum is the Rat Shack at http://www.ratshackforum.com/

You can see pictures of my ratties if you click the Flickr link in my signature.

Both of my males are under a year old, and I feed them a staple diet of Harlan Teklad 2014 (best rat blocks on the market in most opinions). It is a diet designed by Harlan Animal Research Laboratory. They only sell it in 40lb bags so you have to order from other sites, like from Mainly Rat Rescue (they sell smaller bags online). If you didn't want to have to order online, Mazuri rat blocks from Petsmart aren't that bad for them. Oxbow Regal Rat is hard to find in stores, but the second best choice in my opinion. Then of course, I feed fresh fruits and veggies as part of their diet. Sometimes I add in a few pieces of lunch meat, yogurt, cereal, and/or baby food. Rats can eat pretty much anything.

I could talk about rats all day! LOL!


----------



## shortnerdy (Jul 3, 2011)

Welcome  I'm new too. People here are amazing and feels like a family. When someones Hedgie gets sick or passes we all mourn and worry. When one makes progress we all celebrate the victory 

Looking forward to seeing your lil guy. Personally I am a huge fan of naming animals after nerdy thingsm My guy is Sheldon Pooper lol. My vote is for Spock 

Again, Welcome 

-Meg


----------



## panda (May 23, 2011)

Welcome! :] Cute pets you have there! & you have some awesome name choices picked out! its hard to pick one!


----------

