Couch Friends

In case you were wondering, hedgehogs make great couch friends. When you come home all tired and sunburnt (or cold and damp, or bruised and sore, or...whatever) it is just delightful to pull out your prickly pet and cuddle him on the couch. Maybe throw on some Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe and have some eatins' and you have a relaxing evening.

My Surprise Hedgehog Gift

Today when I came into work my boss gave me a gift which one of my extended coworkers (meaning someone who works in the same department as me, but which I never work directly with) had left for me. It was a tiny and very cute hedgehog eraser; one of the little Japanese ones which can be taken apart and then put back together. What a great way to come into work! I think my gift-giving friend had seen my hedgehog tattoo and that's how she knew I liked them.

It turns out a lot of people are hedgehog fans. For example, today Matt and I were idly browsing around a store called Fontana and one of the employees spotted my hedgehog tattoo on my arm and started telling me how much she loved hedgehogs, and that she had even gotten one for her sister as a gift. This is not the only incident where complete strangers have seen my arm and struck up a conversation. Of my four tattoos people seem most delighted and surprised (delightfully surprised that is) to see the little hedgepiggy. Even though hedgehogs are getting more and more popular they have yet to achieve the tattoo status symbol of say, and eagle or a panther or even a swallow.

Also, Phinneus is very glad to have a group of fans over at the Aurora Healthcare office where my dad works.

Hedgehog Bottle Opener

Just in case anyone wants to score a really cool hedgehog bottle opener for themselves or someone they know *cough cough*, here is one from Anthropologie! Anyone who has a trained eye for hedgehog artifacts has probably noticed an increase in the popularity of our spikey friends. Pop culture has apparently latched into the cuteness and marketability aspect of hedgehogs and come out with hedgehog themed everything. Hooray for hedgehogs! Now maybe people will stop running them over all the time...maybe.

Variety Is The Spice O' Life

Yes, for most variety is the spice o' life, but for my dear Phinneus it is an excuse to pout and be lazy. Yesterday I decided that Phin had had his cage setup the same way for too many months and that it was time to rearrange and use some hog furniture which had been gathering dust, so to speak. He kept his wheel, blankie, and dishes of course, but I traded out his cardboard box and PVC tunnel for a plastic igoo (known as a "pigloo", fondly). He had his cage scrubbed and rinsed, his wheel shone with cleanliness, and he had a wonderfully fresh and clean liner. This morning I went to check on him and, little sunshine that he is, I found his wheel untouched and him under the liner. Ah well, perhaps tonight after he throws his weight around a little he will settle back into a routine.

Chirp Chirp the Wheel Goes Round

The other night Matt was able to enjoy a singular- and rare- hedgehog treat. Phinneus was talking to himself! Apparently he chattered happily as he went about his nightly business of eating, wheeling, pooping, drinking, and eating. And wheeling. And pooping....and so forth. I have only ever heard him make vocal sounds (huffing and puffing do not count) once or twice since I brought him home over a year ago.

I guess it just goes to show that it pays to be an insomniac some nights.

Kitten Thief

The kitten, Luis, is a thief. His chief crime (besides knocking things down and being stinky) is stealing Phin's food. Phinneus lives in a closet- which sounds awful, I know- but has all his amenities to hand. He has his CHE, his timed light, food, water, and complete cage set up. Most of the time we keep the closet doors shut so that naughty kittens can't get in, but sometimes I leave it open for Phin. That's when Luis strikes. He doesn't actually care at all about the hedgehog, he just wants the food. So does the other cat, Rodrigo, but he is much too fat and lazy to do anything. I come in to find kitten-dearest snarfing down all of Phin's kibble and then, when he sees me, he bolts. Argh! Luis, you will learn consequences!...but not too dire because he's too cute to stay mad at.

Phinneus and Pherb, A Duo No More

Yesterday during Small Animal Boot Camp I was busy cleaning everyone's cages and I discovered that either during the night or in the early part of the day Pherb had passed away. I found him curled up with his little eyes shut, so he must have been sleeping and just never woken up. Although this is terribly sad as he was, in my opinion, the best hamster ever, Matt and I suspected that he had reached old age and that he wouldn't last too much longer. We adopted him last summer and so it is impossible to age him. Hamsters are not long-lifers, so it is entirely possible that he simply grew old and died.

I shall miss my dynamic duo, Phinneus and Pherb.

Small Animal Boot Camp

It has come to my attention that Phin's routine is boring. His cage setup is comfortable yet always the same. His food is nutritious and delicious, yet not too varied. His main form of exercise is wheeling, with a portion of trying to escape from cuddles.

It has also come to my attention that my gerbils are obese (actually I noticed that a while ago and have been trying to change it). So today is Small Animal Boot Camp. I cleaned out the old Habitrail cage, which is actually very new and space-age looking. Now the gerbils are running around like a pair of furry little psychos- excellent!

For Phinneus I partitioned off the linoleum floor of the kitchen and set up an obstacle/fun-a-thon course. There is his old friend, Mr. PVC tube, two mostly empty containers of mealworms for him to dig through, a paper bag, food and water dishes, and a towel. Now if I can keep him out of the towel and the cats looked in the bedroom for long enough I might be able to get Phin to accomplish something.

Finally, Pherb has escaped boot camp because plump and cuddly is just the way he is supposed to be!

Steiff and Hedgehogs: A Love Story

Steiff, a high end German toy factory dating back to 1880, has long been making hedgehogs in their line of toys. See the one above? I just discovered him on Ruby Lane and fell in love. Unfortunately, he was already sold, and very a very reasonable price of $55 despite being around half a century old, hand made, and hard to find.

Let me back up a little bit. For those people who haven't heard of Steiff before $55 might seem like an absurd price for a toy which is only about 12 cm (4.5 in) tall. The Maragarete Steiff GmbH company began in Giengen with a woman handicapped by Polio who had skill in sewing and business. She started by making clothing and small felt elephants. Pretty soon the elephants became a hit, and with the help of her brothers and nephews, she began making more and more toys until they far outsold the clothes. The company grew and grew and today it is still situated in Giengen, still makes all of it's beautiful toys by hand, and is known all over the world for the skill and workmanship which produces it's beautiful pieces. I am a devout collector, can't you tell?

Getting back to the point, since hedgehogs are so beloved in Europe Steiff has made many different models in their lines throughout the years. They are called Joggi (Igel) in most cases. Here is another adorable example.

This prime specimen is from my collection. Here is link to a page from a blog called My Steiff Life where a much more experienced collector shared some knowledge with me about my little Joggi Igel. I have collected Steiff since...well...ever, I guess. My very first Steiff was bought for me by my parents before I was even born. He was also bigger than me, hence his name "Big Bear". Since then I have accumulated a mixture of old and new Steiff critters in all kinds of species. Even Matt helps to fuel my collection! So now that I have a chance to combine my love of hedghogs with my love of Steiff...well let's just say I am very excited. The adorable hedgehog in the photo at the top (also called Joggi) is standing in the "begging" position, and his head is jointed. Here is a link to the page with more photos and information. In case anyone of you happen to be Steiff collectors, or just want one because they are adorable, Rosalie (the seller on Ruby Lane who's shop I linked) is a really excellent and personable vendor. She makes sure that all the information available is presented clearly and accurately to her buyers and prices her items very reasonably.