# Pregnant!



## leannepenny (Sep 3, 2008)

Hey Everyone,
I just found out that I am expecting a baby person! I'm excited, we have recently moved to Oklahoma for my Husband's job and we had already put down a deposit on a new baby boy hedgie before we found out. We wanted a grieving period after loosing our little hedgehog Tov, but also wanted to be optimistic and move on. Now here is the kicker, do you think it's a good idea to get a baby hedgie at the same time you're expecting a baby person? I would like to hear from the parents of young kids who are also hedgehog owners and see if you have any regrets or if it all works out for you. I was sent an article about hedgehogs and children from my Grandpa and it talked about them being bad with kids and potentially causing immune system problems and sickness in young children. I am posting this article below. I could use some advice here, I want to do the best thing for all involved and if that is waiting til a less busy time of a life for a new baby, maybe we should. 

Let me know what you all think.

Here is the article:
"CHICAGO - Warning: young children should not keep hedgehogs as pets — or hamsters, baby chicks, lizards and turtles, for that matter — because of risks for disease.
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That's according to the nation's leading pediatricians' group in a new report about dangers from exotic animals.

Besides evidence that they can carry dangerous and sometimes potentially deadly germs, exotic pets may be more prone than cats and dogs to bite, scratch or claw — putting children younger than 5 particularly at risk, the report says.

Young children are vulnerable because of developing immune systems plus they often put their hands in their mouths.

That means families with children younger than 5 should avoid owning "nontraditional" pets. Also, kids that young should avoid contact with these animals in petting zoos or other public places, according to the report from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The report appears in the October edition of the group's medical journal, Pediatrics.

"Many parents clearly don't understand the risks from various infections" these animals often carry, said Dr. Larry Pickering, the report's lead author and an infectious disease specialist at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For example, about 11 percent of salmonella illnesses in children are thought to stem from contact with lizards, turtles and other reptiles, Pickering said. Hamsters also can carry this germ, which can cause severe diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps.

Salmonella also has been found in baby chicks, and young children can get it by kissing or touching the animals and then putting their hands in their mouths, he said.

Study co-author Dr. Joseph Bocchini said he recently treated an infant who got salmonella from the family's pet iguana, which was allowed to roam freely in the home. The child was hospitalized for four weeks but has recovered, said Bocchini, head of the academy's infectious diseases committee and pediatrics chairman at Louisiana State University in Shreveport.

Hedgehogs can be dangerous because their quills can penetrate skin and have been known to spread a bacteria germ that can cause fever, stomach pain and a rash, the report said.

With supervision and precautions like hand-washing, contact between children and animals "is a good thing," Bocchini said. But families should wait until children are older before bringing home an exotic pet, he said.

Those who already have these pets should contact their veterinarians about specific risks and possible new homes for the animals, he said.

Data cited in the study indicate that about 4 million U.S. households have pet reptiles. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, all kinds of exotic pets are on the rise, although generally fewer than 2 percent of households own them.

The veterinarian group's Mike Dutton, a Weare, N.H., exotic animal specialist, said the recommendations send an important message to parents who sometimes buy exotic pets on an impulse, "then they ask questions, sometimes many months later."

But a spokesman for the International Hedgehog Association said there's no reason to single out hedgehogs or other exotic pets.

"Our recommendation is that no animal should be a pet for kids 5 and under," said Z.G. Standing Bear. He runs a rescue operation near Pikes Peak, Colo., for abandoned hedgehogs, which became fad pets about 10 years ago."


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## drowsydreamer (Aug 28, 2008)

I don't know anything about baby people, but there is already a discussion about the ridiculousness of that article in the off-topic board. You should read it.


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## h_EDGE_hog (Sep 29, 2008)

I think it is okay. Babies shouldnt be holding hedgehogs anyway, as long as you dont let your baby suck, get bit, or anything of the sort with the hedgehog, you'll be fine. (hehe :lol: ) But the one thing i am concered about is when a baby is born, it's a bit stressful, you'll be spending alot of time with your new addition (congratz on that btw  ). I think you should get your hedgehog way before the baby is due, or after awhile when you've calmed down a bit (lol). That's just my opinion though.




P.S- CONGRATS ON THE BABY!!!!


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## Zalea (Sep 12, 2008)

Congratulations on both new babies! 
There was some discussion about hedgehogs and pregnancy previously, if you're interested. http://hedgehogcentral.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=408
Basically, it should be fine as long as you wash your hands after handling the hedgie, and can get your husband to clean the cage for the most part, during the pregnancy. And after the baby comes and you have to be up in the middle of the night anyway, a hedgie would probably make a very good confidante. 
As for hedgies making kids sick, I think the general consensus is that a cat or dog is more likely to cause a problem than a hedgie. The bacteria mentioned in the article was not specified and few people have really heard about a sickness like that; I hadn't come across anything in my research so I posted the article asking if anyone had heard of it. I would think that just keeping the baby away from the hedgie until the baby is a little older, and then only letting the child (probably close to 3, at the earliest, but don't hold me to it as I am not a parent and don't know the general opinions on that) pet him while you hold him and SHOW the correct way to pet would be fine. But I don't think holding is a very good idea at that point, still. So it might actually be closer to 5 before you SHOULD let the child hold him, just for safety sake for both of them, so hedgie doesn't get dropped accidentally or anything.
If the baby is supposed to arrive about the same time you're supposed to get the hedgie, then it might be good to wait a bit. However, if there are still 2 or 3 months to go, at least, I would think it would be fine to proceed if that's what you want to do, as that gives the hedgie time to settle in and get used to everything going on.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

That article was stupid and with proper hygiene children handling a hedgehog is not a problem. I know many people who have been pregnant while owning a hedgehog and had no problem. Again, proper hygiene comes into play. 

That being said, there are many hedgehogs that get re-homed when a new baby comes on the scene. Hedgehogs are also not an ideal pet for young children. Babies are time consuming and until your baby is born you won't know just how time consuming. I'd hate to see you find that the hedgehog is not getting the attention it deserves after the baby is born. 

Congratulations on the upcoming human baby. Babies are so exciting.


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