the craze for a pet hedgehog....

Yet again, thanks to a cute photograph, someone is touting the African Pygmy Hedgehog as the new ‘must-have’ pet. According to the Telegraph they are “stealing the hearts of rich women…ousting designer dogs like Chihuahuas from their handbags.”
For over 20 years I have studied hedgehogs. I have written scientific papers, I have helped save them from the cull up in the Uists, I went to China to try and find one called Hugh – and I have even written a book – A Prickly Affair, My Life With Hedgehogs.
And for all that work, there is one chapter in the book that always gets commented on when I am doing talks and signings. People find it hard to believe that I did not make up the goings on at the Rocky Mountain Hedgehog Show in Denver, Colorado (it is a bit like Crufts, only with an obvious difference). People find it harder to believe that I did not make up the International Hedgehog Olympic Games that takes place after the hedgehog show.
The only hedgehogs in the USA are African Pygmy Hedgehogs (APHs), kept as pets. They were, briefly, the next ‘big thing’ in the fad-pet world. Bored of terrapins and pot-bellied pigs, people leapt at the chance of owning a hedgehog, especially with the promise of great returns for their investment – like all pet crazes, there is something like pyramid-selling going on. As the craze takes hold, people invest in the animals to breed – and to breed breeding pairs to sell on to other people who want to join the racket. This did two things in the US, first it concentrated the bloodline and generated the fatal condition Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome (no, I am not joking) and second it became economically unsustainable.
And, like all crazes, it collapsed, and now amazing people like Zug Standing Bear, who runs the Flash and Thelma Memorial Hedgehog Rescue Centre, are left to clear up the mess.
What will happen if the craze kicks off in the UK? I believe it will be a disaster. We already have a resident hedgehog population – America has no wild hedgehogs (just some very grumpy ones made to dress up for hedgehog shows). There will, undoubtedly, be unscrupulous people who will try and sell our native hedgehog as a pet. This will put even more pressure onto already vulnerable populations.
And when people get bored of pet hedgehogs (nocturnal pets have their disadvantages), what will they do? Well, the less bright will just jettison them into the countryside to join all the other hedgehogs, where they will die unless they are found and handed into the wonderful network of wildlife rescuers. And what will they do with an African Pygmy Hedgehog? They cannot be released.
So, please, think again before getting sucked into the next fad-pet craze. These are beautiful little animals, but they are wild animals. And treating them like accessories demeans both the hedgehogs and the people who briefly think it is a good idea.

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THE great and good are flocking to Northwich for this year’s must-have designer Christmas present.

African pygmy hedgehogs are the latest pet craze for fashionistas and Cheshire Waterlife, based at Blakemere Craft Centre, has a whole host of them waiting for new homes.

Would-be owners of the five-inch long mini-hedgehogs, each with a £250 price tag, are travelling to Northwich from as far afield as Ipswich and the Scottish borders.

Steve Birchall, owner of Cheshire Waterlife, said: “We’ve been astounded at the popularity of these cute little creatures.

“I bought a number of the hedgehogs from a breeder who I met a few months ago little realising how popular they were set to become.

“Apparently they are all the range among the WAGS because they are cute, they love being handled and they will sit quite happily in a handbag.

“What’s more they are also inexpensive to keep, feeding on cat-food.

“And they’re obviously popular as we’ve seen customers travel the length and breadth of the country to get here and buy one.”

The little creatures are a variety of colours, from albino to apricot and chocolate to salt and pepper.

Diana Mather, Cheshire-based style-guru and etiquette expert, said: “These lovely little animals should make a perfect present for the trend setter who has everything.

“They’re ideal for designer mums to give to their children.

“The African pygmy hedgehog is a delightful little creature which is increasingly seen gracing designer kitchens and peeping out from the handbags of our fashionistas.

“Advising people on animal etiquette is becoming more frequent as new designer pets come on the market.

“Charming as African pygmy hedgehogs are, if you are going to tote them around in your handbag, it is good manners to ask whether your friends are happy to have them as an extra guest – especially if they have dogs in the house.”

the comments towards this article are very nasty...a lot of people dont like the idea of hedgehogs being a pet

Hear Hear!

For all those breeding or thinking about breeding what has been described above as our little potential 'money making fad' friends really must remember about having quality blood lines, prices set and vetting for quality homes for the little choggies to go to.

There are quite a lot now going for sale at silly prices on sites such as preloved, all that this will encourage is more breeders of less quality bred APH's that will result in an influx of poorly sick hedgehogs and maybe a few years down the line we will find that our beloved little prickly critters will end up having only a 1-2 year lifespan just like what has happened to one of our other favourite family pets, the rat.

Please be a responsible breeder and never let your standards drop.

Love from somebody who is just learning about the hedgehog world and doesn't want these fantastic little creatures to become ruined, or doesn't want a room full of poor little rescues who nobody loves - well except for those of Prickly Critterz - a helping hand for hedgehogs!

Phew....

xoxox

way to go mel......

Wow Mel!!!!

tayer wrote:

the comments towards this article are very nasty...a lot of people dont like the idea of hedgehogs being a pet

There was a follow up article to this Tayer as well where the shop concerned had a lot of flack and I was one of them - this is the shop where I continually ring up to the Pet Shop Licensing Authority to complain as I have regularly treated their APH for mites, given out correct feeding instructions, sexed them for them and taken on a female that had been sold as a pair as they are OK to keep together - bang head, bang head, bang head!!!

especially if they have dogs in the house.”

Not sure what this is suppose to mean ..x

yeah i did read it about a pet shop in cheshire.....how come they were selling them for £250...thats alot.....is that how much they were going for then.....

The place in Cheshire is a nightmare they did alter their caresheets but the hogs aren't kept in the correct conditions .. and yeah they were selling them for about that if i remember Tay .x

They buy them from a mass wholesaler and at their peak you would pay a trade price f £ 150.00 plus vat - cost to the shop 180.00 - adding a profit on = 250.00

What you have to remember about this place is that it is smack bang in the middle of an craft centre - the only shop I can afford to buy anything from is the sweetie shop - people who shop here have money and to see a cutie hoggie in a shop = impulse purchase = shop cashes in on the sale and then the "new owners" then research about their new pet after they have taken it home - wrong, wrong and more wrong and I get totally ticked off with this place - the latest one was sold with ticks - enough said!

Go Mel, everything you said is spot on, reminds me a bit of puppy farming where they only breed for the money and the poor dogs are kept in awful conditions, it is so wrong and there should be laws to stop this kind of thing,
And as for the shop concerned they are just the same all about the money with no concern for the poor little hoggies health and no vetting of new homes, just disgusting xx

yep I remember this form the northwich gaurdian, I sent them a number of emails as did a lot of people saying how irresponsible it was to keep any animal in a handbag and call them designer pets..cheshire waterlife did it just before christmas to promote them as the ideal christmas presents...which is why i have Morris as he was someones unwanted christmas present who was bought form them...they had an offer on £250 or £400 a pair.

Shocking and people are still buying from there .x

That is shocking x

yeah a lady bought one and it was covered in Tics how the hell does that happen ..x

now how come the customer did not notice before buying it....then you could report it, and its a sure thing they get something done....to them....

People are in it for the money .... regardless of wether its a big company or not they have no interest in the animal its self just how much it can pop in the till with each sale .x

I have lost track of how many I have treated from this place - ticks are had to spot unless you know what you are looking for and it depends on how well infated they are as well - hopefully they will stop selling them shortly but who knows, if there is money to be made this place will make it. x