The Boy Who REALLY Wanted A Hedgehog

I came cross this story from CBS. It's about a boy in Kansas who decides that he wants a hedgehog (because they are so cute, of course) and so he begins a campaign for one. Of course, like all worthwhile childhood pet campaigns, his mother refuses. Not only that, but he happens to live in one of the places where owning a hedgehog is illegal. Neither of these (formidable) barriers stop him. I don't want to give it all away- watch the news story!

Burberry Lives!

I am very excited that my story 'Burberry and the Fox' has finally appeared in the Hedgehog Welfare Society newsletter! Here is the link- just go to the November/December issue. The story continues for several pages throughout the newsletter...I guess I didn't realize how long it is! I originally wrote it as a birthday present for my grandma.

As far as the daily life of Phinneus Fergus Wilkes, Hog, goes he has recently come off a steak of Grumpiness. Hedgehogs are rather bipolar, I've noticed. Phinneus will be pleasant, charming, adorable, etc for a week or more, and then wham-o! He's nothing but a huffing and puffing indignant ball of spikes. There doesn't appear to be and reason for the mood swings. He also has been boycotting his wheel since December, with the exception of a few nights here and there. It's gotten to the point where I am *excited* when I get to clean his wheel in the morning. Today was a cleaning day. Hooray for poop!

HedgePiggy Sitter

Someone please buy me these. Here they are.

This weekend I am going home again for a doctor's appointment and a day to celebrate Matt and mine's one year anniversary. Since I just came back to school last week, and since Phinneus has moved three times since then, I figured it would be asking too much of the little man to do it again. I asked one of my friends who lives close by to take care of him and she graciously (and excitedly) agreed. I took her through his care tips; it's simply enough, and she's spent time with him before. I will miss my Phin, but he probably won't even notice that I am gone until I come back.

A Wheel Discussion

This week and the previous weekend have been all about moving back to school, settling in, reorganizing, and getting back into the flow of college life. Phin has been at Matt's and when I'm at my place I miss having my little guy with me. I am planning to move Mr. Grumpus back with me tomorrow since today I have inopportune class times. He has all new exciting fleece liners made by my mother and for once I am actually exciting to clean his cage and see the new look.

I wanted to write a post about exercise wheels today because they are so important for hedgehogs (even though my guy has been boycotting his lately) and there is so much bad information out there about them. When I did my research I went to Hedgehog Central. So keep in mind that the opinions I share are born both out of experience and information I retained from that site. The people there are extremely knowledgable, as I have stated before, and I trust them on their hedgie know-how. Now then, onto the wheels.

#1 The WORST FIRST:

This wheel is a run-of-the-mill mesh wheel, which unfortunately most people end up buying because this is what pet stores often use in their own displays. THESE WHEELS ARE VERY DANGEROUS! The mesh can catch feet or tails or other other body parts as the animal runs and break them. Your poor little critter can end up with serious damage and you can end up with some unpleasant vet bills. Do not buy these.

#2 The Silent Spinner

These wheels are loads better than those awful mesh wheels, but as far as commercially available wheels they still present some dangers. The big deal with these is that they have a seam where the colored plastic meets the white of the inside of the wheel, and you furry friend''s claws and/or toes can get caught and ripped off or broken i

n there. Some people solve this problem by taping the seam. I have not heard how well this works and I personally think it would look unapealing. That's just me though; it's not like your hedgehog cares how pretty her wheel is. Their average cost is $9.99

#3 The Flying Saucer

These space age wheels are still new to the market, but they seem to work well and present minimal problems. One safety concern is how running at that angle will negatively affect your hedgehog's back. However, since these wheels are so new, no one has done any research yet to determine whether or not this is a real concern. One thing I have heard from owners who purchased this wheel is that while the wheel itself is often cleaner, it is because the feces and urine just flies right off and splatters the cage. They cost around $25.00

#4 The Comfort Wheel

This is widely agreed to be the best commercially available wheel on the market. It is the safest, it comes in a large enough size, and is stable. This is the first wheel I bought for my little hedgie. It ran beautifully for months. The only downside was that the feces would often get stuck in the ridges and would require dutiful scrubbing to remove. After about four months or so the wheel began to make a lot of noise. At night I would end up banishing Phinneus to the bathroom so that his wheel wouldn't keep me awake. With some regular cleaning, perhaps some greasing though, this wheel could be a good choice. It is affordable at around $16.99

#5 The Carolina Storm Wheel

This wheel is not commercially available, and is hand-made by a respectable breeder known as Larry from Carolina Storm Hedgehogs. The wheel has been designed with hedgehog safety and comfort in mind, and avoids all the flaws of the commercial brands. It is large, safe, easy to clean, and extremely quiet. In fact, you are more likely to hear the pitter patter of you hedgie's feet thant he revolutions of the wheel. They are more expensive because of their quality and because they are hand made. Larry sells them for $30 plus shipping. Here is the page on his website which advertises them. They also come with a litter pan as you can see from the photo. I bought one of these when my Comfort Wheel began to make too much noise and I can't tell you enough what an excellent purchase it was.

So there you are, an introduction to buying a wheel for your hedgehog. Remember, make sure they are large enough; your hedgehog should not have his or her back coming into contact with any part of the wheel and he/she should be able to run without bending their backs.

Lugging It All Back

Winter break is drawing to a close (this is the second most depressing part of the year, the first being directly after Christmas, and the third being February-March). Now it is time to lug my things back to school- critters included- and try and squeeze it all back in. How did it fit before? And how will it fit now that it has all doubled?

Pherb is going to stay at Matt's for a while. We like him there, and since Suzie died he has been a nice little tub of fur running around....besides Rodrigo the cat that is, and let me tell you Rodrigo isn't little.

As of right now Phin is blissfully unaware that he is about to be bundled into a cat carrier and driven across the state and re-set up in his usual home. I hope he finds it familiar, but after being with me at home for a month he might have just assumed the move here was permanent. Oh my little squashblossom, this is not the case.

Now I am going to go finish packing and getting ready.

What A Blustery Month

Well after returning from my theatre trip I found my hedgehog in perfect health. His wheeling hasn't been as consistant since December, but I am not worried. He had the round of antibiotics, a good heartbeat, and he still eats, drinks, and emits waste like a fiend. Currently he is suggled in his hedgie bag, but that will change soon enough when I come over for cuddles. My mother, his grannie, made him some beautiful new fleece liners which I am eager to try out. His cage is due for another cleaning in the next day or so.

In other news, I have applied for a job as an animal caretaker at Shelter from the Storm. I'm a long shot because of my hours and lack of professional experience, but I tried to impart how badly I want to care for critters on my resume and application. I even included that I have knowledge of hedgehogs, among other animals. I am sure the job will go to some aspiring vet or zookeeper, but I can still have hope, right? I'll let you know how it goes.

Hello Goodbye

Well it has been a long time since I last posted...but it's the holidays, right? Phin finished up his round of antibiotics and we enjoyed a few days of peaceful- and dare I say gentle?- hedgehog cuddles. Now he has apparently lost the fear of god and is back to being huffy and curmudgeonly. I have left him in the capable hands of my parents this week as I embark on a trip with the theatre department to ACTF. Phinneus will need lots of cuddles this week and I hope that he hasn't been getting used to my absence as I flit around from place to place during winter break. Is there anything better than winter break? Honestly I think not, because it includes Christmas. *Ahem* I mean Hanukkah.