Hello!
Meet my adorable pet hedgehog, named Sushi, born on 8 Jan 2018, adopted on 30 March 2018, a commonly domesticated African Pygmy Hedgehog. She is currently 4 years old, still a picky eater, sleeps most of the time, nocturnal and most of all the most irresistible poop machine. Look at that face, how can anyone not fall in love with it? Sushi really hates being carried and touched, she is pretty independent with just her daily treats and water bowl so most of the time I'll just leave her be until she is more awake to start her daily adventure.
She is my first pet after much consideration. I have no experience in having a pet, hence, a cat was out of the question, but thinking back, a cat would probably make an easier pet! 😂 A hedgehog sleeps during the day and is most active at night, their nails require clipping every 2-3 days and even though they hate taking baths and too much washing dries out their skin, it is recommended for at least 1 bath a month. The thing that really caught me by surprise is the amount of running they need, at least 2km a night! The worst part is that they can only poop while running, so they HAVE to run to poop to prevent constipation. 😐 I pretty much let Sushi runs around the house when I go to sleep and she consistently keeps to the walls of the room (back then, when I live in a studio), but there are those few times when she decides to be adventurous and stray from her "path". I guess Sushi is lucky she is so cute, it's the only thought I have every time I clean up the house after her in the morning.
There is just so much about hedgehogs that we do not know and aren't educated enough about. After spending 4 years with my spiky friend and caring for her as she ages, I personally feel that they should never be domesticated unless you have a big (and safe) room for them to run around in and the time and patience to clean up after them every single day. So here's a few photos of my unusual friend, Sushi:
She mainly has a few moods, sleepy, hungry or just hating on human touch in general 🤷♀. Isn't she cute though, hehes. Any guesses why she is named 'Sushi'?