*Hisssss* No Light!

It turns out that Phinneus would not wheel because there was a tiny glow from the streetlamp (though the closed blinds, mind you) that bothered him. Once I shut him up in the closet he wheeled to his hearts content and left a big, huge, stinky mess for me to clean up.

He went home to Cedarburg to visit his grandparents (and scored some new fleece that my mom will make into cute new liners!) and meet new people. On Saturday night I had him out to visit with some of my friends and he discovered a patch of carpet with he was *very* interested in. He anointed like crazy over and over again! He was so into it that we could gently push him over with a finger tip without him caring! We even put the PVC tube around him, which bothered him not at all. Lick, spit rub, repeat.

Now we are back in Madison and settling in to the school routine again. Tonight he came to another theatre rehearsal with me and was the hit of the night, as usual.

New Place, No Wheels

Phinneus has been living in his C&C cage at Matt's since the weekend. This cage is much more spacious (even though it is only a temporary home) and has room for the igloo, PVC pipe, Carolina Storm Wheel, food and water dishes, and litter pan with room to spare. I have the CHE hooked up and towels wrapped around the outside of the cage to contain heat, as the room Phin is in gets pretty chilly. The problem is this: Phinneus hasn't wheeled since before we moved him. I checked his "vital signs" so to speak; food and water intake, excrement levels, interest in treats...all fine. He also doesn't seem to have any mobility issues. However he always crawls under the liner in the exact same spot, and from what I can tell, remains there except for when I pull him out for cuddles, and when he emerges to feed and drink from his dishes. I checked his nails, thinking perhaps they were too long for his comfort. Trimmed them. No reaction. Last night I pulled him out and put him in the kitchen to explore and get some exercise. He was zooming around like a tiny quilly jet engine! No lack of energy there. He had a healthy appetite for treats (mealworms) afterwards too. Now I wonder if perhaps the light leaking in through the blinds from the street lamps outside is bothering him? More experiments shall continue.

Also, since Thanksgiving is approaching, Matt and I will be making the rounds to family get-togethers. This means Matt, Phinneus, Pherb, and myself will be going back to my home (roughly 90 miles away) so that means a long car trip for the critters. Luckily both Phinneus and Pherb are good travelers, being contained and quiet animals. The cat, along with the other odd assorted animals Matt and I possess, will remain at Matt's place and be checked on by his parents.

Tunnel

I finally bought a piece of PVC pipe for Phinneus as a sturdy, washable, spacious tunnel. I believe it is the 4'' variety, and in my terminology is a "bendy piece" meanin it is slightly curved. It cost around $4 from Menard's, but I'm sure you could find it at any hardware store. Apparently there are different types of PVC for varying prices. I washed it thoroughly in hot water when I got home and placed a scrap of Phin's fleece in the pipe to make it more welcoming. The I placed it against the wall in Phin's cage and woke him up to show him. At first he was just confused and slightly annoyed at being woken up in the middle of the afternoon. The he noticed to new addition and came over to investigate. He walked inside, through to the end, and whaadyaknow there was a food dish right in front of him! Tonight will be his first night with the pipe. Will it be soiled and well crawled in tomorrow? Some people post on HHC that their hedgies like to fall asleep in their PVC pipes. Phinneus tends to be a liner diver, so I doubt that he would actually sleep in the PVC pipe, but he might camp out in there. Especially if I can scrape together some more fleece scraps as bedding.

Softly Dimly

Sometimes I forget important things. Like the fact that hedgehogs are nocturnal and so naturally prefer less light when they are *gasp* exposed. When I have Phinneus out for cuddles and exploring he is much more active when the normal lights are off and only my strings of Christmas lights are lit. This way I can still see him, but he feels much more comfortable. He also likes it when I put him in the bathroom with the lights off and let him run around. He can mess all he likes in there without getting it on the carpet :)

In other news, I am still waiting for the November/December issue of the Hedgehog Welfare Society newletter to be posted to their website. If you remember a few months back I submitted a story to them called Burberry and the Fox which they emailed back to me saying it would appear in said issue. It is now officially half way through the month and no November/December issue. Maybe they are waiting until December? I don't know, but I check their site every day just in case.

Some Helpful Breeder Info

After doing research potential hedgehog owners will no doubt come across the "Buy from a breeder" pitch, which is a good one. Especially for first time owners. These little hedgie may be expensive, but they are healthy, happy, and ready to go home. Good breeders will provide food for the new owners, as well as support and care information. The breeders also will take the animal back at any time in order to keep track of where the babies go. Now, I am all about adopting animals, but often the hedgehogs in shelters and in rehoming programs require more skill in socializing, or have health problems. Females can be pregnant, which is a nightmare for first time owners when they are suddenly landed with a whole family of hedgepigs! I am in no way discouraging people from the noble act of providing a forever home for a hedgehog in need, but I am advocating that potential owners think about which route would be best to take. To make this decision easier here are some helpful links.

• Hedgehog Breeder Alliance - This website can help you find a reputable breeder. Make sure the breeder you buy from is REPUTABLE AND WELL KNOWN! Backyard breeders can produce babies with health problems and who are at risk for hereditary diseased like the fatal WHS. Reputable breeders make sure that they know the pedigree of their breeding stock and that the babies will be healthy.
• Here are some places to adopt from! Hedgehog Welfare Society , Petfinder.com , Classifieds at Hedgehogcentral.com
• You can also check your local shelters and Craigslist. Just beware, Craigslist and other similar sites are not as reliable as a shelter or rescue organization. All of these can yield wonderful results however!

All's Well That End's Well

Well Phin's irascible curmudgeonly phase finally broke the night before last, and Mr. Spikey Pants is now back to being sweet and cuddly. Last night he had a grand adventure exploring Matt's kitchen and eating some delicious chicken. His weekend getaway, as I like to think of it, at Matt's is quite spacious and he just loves to utilize his extra habitat land by liner diving. As my dad said, he is Mr. Personality.

Etsy

I don't know how many people are familiar with Etsy.com but this is a wonderful website which is made up of individual artists selling their craftwork. You can find just about anything, and then ten variations of it besides. I, personally, spend long stretches of time browsing through all the hedgehog things. There are stuffed animals, jewelry, t-shirts, prints, etc, and there are always new things. Why am I writing about Etsy? Well, if I'm being honest with myself, it's probably because I am lusting after so much stuff on that website, and this is my way of dealing with being financially handicapped.

Busy Bee

Whew, with a show at my college in tech rehearsals and the homework piling up I have been quite the busy bee...although not busy enough because I am still not quite on top of all my work. Everybody has times where a million different things pile up at once and life seems to become more like a maze with the exit sign offering a faint hope of rest and relaxation. It's during these times that I simply love to come home to a hedgehog. Right now Phinneus is in one of his pissy stages, and it has lasted for several days, but too bad for him his quills don't deter me at all from wanted to cuddle and squeeze him. Last night his bad mood earned him a bath (which he so richly deserved- he reeked of urine). There's nothing like watching a little ball of spikes equipped with a twitchy nose, tiny twig legs, and big ears scooting around the floor searching madly for a mealworm. I saw all of Phin's teeth last night as I was holding him when he lunged out of his fleece at my finger in order to madly like me...I suspect he does this manic licking because of the hand lotion (completely unscented) I put on. I think tonight I will let him loose in the bathroom so he can burn off excess energy and perhaps become a little sweeter.

Treats! Treats!

This is Phinneus. He is waving. I wanted to share this fine hedgehoggy moment with you.

I have learned, since getting up the nerve to feed like mealworms to Phin, that he becomes quite a pleasant little fellow once he has had his treats. Phin is a young adult male, and he goes through phases every once in while were he will be nothing but a hissing, sharp, angry, grumpus. The best way to deal with this situation is not to simply let him be (you must not let the hedgehog think that she/he can get away with this, or they will become progressively more aggresive) but to coax him out of his bad mood by feeding him mealworms. With other hedgies the treat of choice may be a piece of chicken, or some watermelon, etc. I typically give Phin three or four worms every night (it is important that mealworms remain treats, not a staple part of your hedgehog's diet), and after this he becomes a charming angel. Many owners struggle with taking care of a grumpy hedgehog. They assume the animal does not like them, and so they opt to leave the hedgehog alone. Instead, why not try to entice your hedgehog out? Make him or her curious? Give the little prickles a good reason to crawl around on you. This will build a much stronger relationship between you and your hedgie, and will help you to gain their trust. One they do trust you, it's like you are "in the club".