I've been trying to decide what animal I wanted to get to replace Fester. Whether or not I wanted to get another snake, or something else, like a turtle (I love turtles.) I thought about getting another ball python, but I don't think I will just yet. And I'm not all that fond of lizards. I did go so far as to call the various and sundry animal shelters around to see if they had any snakes. They did not.
Yesterday, on my way home from the writer's group meeting, I was thinking about the empty aquarium again. I had pretty much decided not to get a reptile until the weather was warmer, but I had an empty aquarium just sitting in my room. And I knew if I removed the aquarium, I'd never find space for it again.
And then it hit me. Self, I thought, You've always wanted to get a hedgehog... and now you can! See, back when I had chinchillas, hamsters, and snakes in my room, the hedgehog craze began and I saw some albinos at the pet store. I thought they were rather ugly, but the normal colored ones were cute! And I really wanted one, but I had no room at all.
But now... now I have an empty 30-gallon aquarium just sitting there. I didn't want to get rid of it, and I didn't want to see it empty every time I went up to my room.
So today, I started to do some research. I looked up hedgehog care, I looked up what they ate, I looked up how long they live (every site said something different in that respect), and I fell in love all over again.
I got the yellow pages out once more. I wrote down some numbers, and I started to call around. None of the animal shelters had any (I wanted to try them first, just because.) The first pet store I called said they used to breed them, but then the law changed or something, and they decided it was too much of a hassle, so they stopped carrying them.
The second store I called had two.
My friend at work was leaving soon after I discovered that there were hedgehogs to be had in my area, and she said she might stop by and take a look at them. So she did, and she called me at work and told me all about it. :) Turns out they were two females, and she thought they looked healthy and well cared for.
So I did some more research, printed out some stuff, and discovered that they can eat high-end cat food (with the right protein/fat mix) and fruits, veggies, meat, eggs, etc., all sparingly. Wow. I don't think I've ever owned an animal so easy to feed!
So after work today, I headed down to the pet store and I peeked in at the hedgehogs. They were adorable. One was larger than the other, and both got very disturbed when the pet store lady went to pick the smaller one up.
It's funny. They roll into a ball and jerk, making purring/growling noises like they're much bigger animals. It's absolutely fascinating to watch the spines become erect. These are cool animals.
And of course, I fell in love all over again, and took the smaller one home. :) She is now sleeping in her hiding box, in a nicely cleaned, fresh cage. I bought a hedgehog book to help me along (although it doesn't really say much that the websites didn't already say) and then went cat food shopping. And now I'm set.
I have this idea of how to name her, and it involves a contest with a free signed copy of The Tenth Ghost as the prize. Not sure I'm going to do it... Would anyone be interested in such a naming contest? So far, I haven't come up with any good ones on my own.
Yesterday, on my way home from the writer's group meeting, I was thinking about the empty aquarium again. I had pretty much decided not to get a reptile until the weather was warmer, but I had an empty aquarium just sitting in my room. And I knew if I removed the aquarium, I'd never find space for it again.
And then it hit me. Self, I thought, You've always wanted to get a hedgehog... and now you can! See, back when I had chinchillas, hamsters, and snakes in my room, the hedgehog craze began and I saw some albinos at the pet store. I thought they were rather ugly, but the normal colored ones were cute! And I really wanted one, but I had no room at all.
But now... now I have an empty 30-gallon aquarium just sitting there. I didn't want to get rid of it, and I didn't want to see it empty every time I went up to my room.
So today, I started to do some research. I looked up hedgehog care, I looked up what they ate, I looked up how long they live (every site said something different in that respect), and I fell in love all over again.
I got the yellow pages out once more. I wrote down some numbers, and I started to call around. None of the animal shelters had any (I wanted to try them first, just because.) The first pet store I called said they used to breed them, but then the law changed or something, and they decided it was too much of a hassle, so they stopped carrying them.
The second store I called had two.
My friend at work was leaving soon after I discovered that there were hedgehogs to be had in my area, and she said she might stop by and take a look at them. So she did, and she called me at work and told me all about it. :) Turns out they were two females, and she thought they looked healthy and well cared for.
So I did some more research, printed out some stuff, and discovered that they can eat high-end cat food (with the right protein/fat mix) and fruits, veggies, meat, eggs, etc., all sparingly. Wow. I don't think I've ever owned an animal so easy to feed!
So after work today, I headed down to the pet store and I peeked in at the hedgehogs. They were adorable. One was larger than the other, and both got very disturbed when the pet store lady went to pick the smaller one up.
It's funny. They roll into a ball and jerk, making purring/growling noises like they're much bigger animals. It's absolutely fascinating to watch the spines become erect. These are cool animals.
And of course, I fell in love all over again, and took the smaller one home. :) She is now sleeping in her hiding box, in a nicely cleaned, fresh cage. I bought a hedgehog book to help me along (although it doesn't really say much that the websites didn't already say) and then went cat food shopping. And now I'm set.
I have this idea of how to name her, and it involves a contest with a free signed copy of The Tenth Ghost as the prize. Not sure I'm going to do it... Would anyone be interested in such a naming contest? So far, I haven't come up with any good ones on my own.
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