I have a good excuse for being absent over here on the blog the last little while… a few good reasons in fact. But one SUPER CUTE reason:
I’m a new HedgieMama!
My family surprised me and bought me a hedgehog for my birthday. I’m totally smitten!
Meet Mignonne the Hedgehog.
Isn’t she ADORABLE!?
I’m totally in love with this little critter. Yes, I’m obsessed!
You can follow Mignonne (pronounced Mee-nyohn) on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:
Facebook: Mignonne the Hedgehog
Twitter: @MignonneHeggie
Instagram: Mignonne the Hedgehog
She is totally the best kind of pet for a weirdie like me – unique, fun, and SOOOO cute!
Do you know anybody who has a hedgehog as a pet? Well, now you do! 😉
Cute hedgehog! I’ve only just seen one (in real life) recently at the pet store.
Thanks Dreena! I think I had only seen a hedgehog in real life once before my family bought Mignonne for me. But I just knew I wanted one – I’ve always wanted one. LOL!
So jealous I want one!!!
Mrs. Twiddlewinks will be her name.
Aw, Bren, that’s SO cute! That would be an awesome name for a hedgie! There’s a great community of hedgehog owners on Instagram, and there’s a hedgie there named Mrs. Tiggy-winkle. LOL! TOO fun!
Mignonne is ADORABLE. I’ve been following along on facebook for awhile now. You’re not the only one with a hedgie obsession, I keep checking back in to see if you’ve posted new pics!
Okay, now I want one!! LOL TB would KILL me if I got any more pets right now…hmmm… 🙂
HEHE! This post seems to have a similar effect on others as well… I’ve had lots of emails asking about Hedgehogs now. 🙂
Oh my word this is soooo wild because tonight our son brought up the whole “wanting a hedgehog” thing again. He loves them and has wanted one for a long time. I was seriously in my mind and heart considering getting him one for his birthday. Not sure though – how hard are they to take care of? Would love your thoughts on this. So glad to have re-found your blog. Apparently I was a reader a while back but then got out of blogging and now am back with a vengeance. Well, not really. I’m harmless.
Hi Melody!
How old is your son? Here are my thoughts on hedgehogs:
First, I’d buy from a certified breeder that can tell you about the temperament of the hedgies you have to choose from. There seem to be 3 kinds of hedgie personalities: Explorer, Shy, and Snuggly. Explorers may have snuggly moments, but they don’t hang around a lot. If they are awake, they’re moving. Shy ones just don’t want to be handled a ton, and will hide a lot. Then there’s the Snugglers, and they will kinda be sleepy types who don’t mind hanging out and sleeping with you, on you, around you, etc…. LOL! Also, breeders tend to handle their hedgies in very positive ways and get them acclimated to people from very young. I don’t think mine was handled a lot before she hit the pet store…
Second, in general, hedgies are not like dogs or cats or bunnies – they won’t automatically snuggle and be sweet pets. Hedgies can be very defensive, and even if they’ve been handled a lot, it takes time for them to warm up and settle in to their new homes. They don’t just love you because you feed them and love them. They don’t crave human attention for the most part. (So, if you aren’t patient, a hedgie can be a really disappointing pet.)
Hedgies are fairly easy to care for – they need to be kept warm (72 to 78F ish), they don’t need a lot of bathing (just dirty feet usually), they aren’t smelly, they can be litter trained…. But they are mostly nocturnal (or diurnal) so they are active at night, or like a cat, early in the morning and late at night. When woken up during the day, they can be a bit grumpy! LOL!
Check out http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/ for more specifics. I found that a very useful resource.
All that being said, I really do love my Mignonne. She’s a lot of fun, she’s feisty, and she’s got tons of personality. She’s just a babe, so we’re all still getting used to each other.