Hedgehogs!

[aidanjm]

Originally posted by: pontifex
wow, i never realized hedgehogs were so cute. look at the little guys!

awww, man...i live in PA, so much for getting one, look at this BS:

they are very cute. I used to know a guy who had a couple of hedgehogs as pets.

 

[aidanjm]

Originally posted by: pyonir
I've only seen one hedgehog that was a pet, and it was the meanest thing i've ever encountered in my life. (not counting MichaelD)

it depends on their childhood and their temperament. some hedgehogs just feel like the world is against them, and they are very defensive and bitter. but if you persist with them, you can break through and eventually they will accept you as somewhat of a friend.

 

[Sheepathon]

Originally posted by: Iron Woode

Originally posted by: Kilgor
Wonder what they taste like?

:thumbsup:

From wiki:
Hedgehogs are a food source in many cultures. A common recipe, often attributed to the Roma people, is to bake a hedgehog that has been covered in plaster or clay. When the hedgehog is taken out of the oven, the plaster is smashed, also bringing down the bones and spikes of the hedgehog, leaving only the meat.

😱

 

[teddyv]

I wonder what the reasoning is behind limiting it to only a few certain bloodlines? Sounds like a few breeders got a good lobbyist 🙂

 

[Zolty]

Gus FTW

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: AndrewR

Originally posted by: OrganizedChaos
they look awesome but there to small for me. i'd get depressed keeping such a happy little thing alone in a cage, but i don't think it and kitty would get along if allowed to run around.

Hedgehogs are solitary animals in the wild and only associate with another hedgehog for breeding. They are very content to be left alone to go about their business, and it takes awhile (4 months for us) to get them comfortable with new owners.

I wouldn't worry too much about the cat. If the cat swiped at the hedgehog and hit the quills, the cat would most certainly NEVER attempt that again. Those things are incredibly sharp.

R.I.P. Murray.

thats something i was wondering about - the quills. they must not be too sharp if people can hold the little buggers.

"he hedgehog can never be buggered at all"

 

[pontifex]

whoa...double post...

 

[Crescent13]

damn, I didn't know this was happening. We had a hedgehog that lived under our shed. He just decided to move in one day. So we started throwing carrots and other things out on the deck, and he'd come up and eat them. He died last summer I think, because we'd throw out more stuff and it wouldn't get eaten.

EDIT: He lived there for about 2 years. He just came and went randomly. It wasn't really "our" hedgehog, he just lived under our shed.

 

[thirdeye]

Originally posted by: pontifex

thats something i was wondering about - the quills. they must not be too sharp if people can hold the little buggers.

"he hedgehog can never be buggered at all"

The quills are very sharp but when they aren't threatened they'll let their quills down and you can pet them just fine.

 

[bersl2]

Dinsdale?

 

[crownjules]

Cuteness overload here on hedgehogs


Hedgehog

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: thirdeye

Originally posted by: pontifex

thats something i was wondering about - the quills. they must not be too sharp if people can hold the little buggers.

"he hedgehog can never be buggered at all"

The quills are very sharp but when they aren't threatened they'll let their quills down and you can pet them just fine.

It's like petting pine needles. That's the closest thing we could approximate it her quills to. When she balled up when she was upset or scared, even holding her in my palm was slightly painful simply from the weight of her body, which wasn't all that much. It would also hurt for awhile afterwards so I suspect there's a very mild toxin on the ends of the quills.

One of the most painful things I could imagine would be getting your finger caught INSIDE the ball of quills (ie., your finger is underneath the hedgehog when she balls up). Since your finger would be stuck there, annoying the hedgehog, the hedgehog wouldn't be inclined to unravel for some time. I've read about people having that happen, and I can't imagine what kind of shape your finger would be in afterwards! :Q

Keep in mind that there are two kinds of hedgehogs -- European and African pygmy (yes, I realize the Monty Python implications). The European ones, mainly in England from what I know, are MUCH larger, about the size of a gopher. The African pygmies, which are the pets in the States, are about the size of a small guinea pig or a large gerbil.

 

[essasin]

lol sonic the hedgehog

 

[JujuFish]

Originally posted by: AndrewR

Originally posted by: thirdeye

Originally posted by: pontifex

thats something i was wondering about - the quills. they must not be too sharp if people can hold the little buggers.

"he hedgehog can never be buggered at all"

The quills are very sharp but when they aren't threatened they'll let their quills down and you can pet them just fine.

One of the most painful things I could imagine would be getting your finger caught INSIDE the ball of quills (ie., your finger is underneath the hedgehog when she balls up). Since your finger would be stuck there, annoying the hedgehog, the hedgehog wouldn't be inclined to unravel for some time. I've read about people having that happen, and I can't imagine what kind of shape your finger would be in afterwards! :Q
.

That's happened to me, but I've always found that if I was able to touch its stomach, it would open right back up.