All the rage: the African pygmy hedgehogs were first bred in America 10 years ago
Posted on 04/15/2008 11:22:50 AM PDT by Stoat
They are small and prickly and are the very latest must-have pets.
Would-be owners are will happily wait up to a year and will travel any distance to get their hands on an African pygmy hedgehog.
The cute pets are a quarter of the size of a normal hedgehog and are fully domesticated and don't carry diseases or fleas.
They love being handled and rarely curl up in a defensive ball. The animals were first bred in captivity less than 10 years ago in America but have recently been introduced to the British pet market.
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All the rage: the African pygmy hedgehogs were first bred in America 10 years ago
And because they are so rare and so unusual, people are queueing to buy them for £190 each.
Breeder Bonnie Martin, 35, said: "There are only eight serious breeders in the country and we can't keep up with demand.
"I have a waiting list that is 20 strong, which is about five litters and will take about a year to clear. One man in Edinburgh is waiting to pick one up.
"They are incredibly cute and can fit in the palm of your hand. They are just as cute as a hamster or a guinea pig but they have the added wow and novelty factor.
"They are a very easy pet to handle and cheaper to maintain than a cat." African Pygmy Hedgehogs are a cross between an Algerian and White Bellied hedgehog and were bred in the US about 20 years ago.
They are born pink and the most common colour is a chocolate brown, however it is possible to get albino varieties.
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Energetic: The animals will cover up to eight miles a night on their little hamster wheels
Prickly character: The little hedgehog will set owners back up to £190 each
They grow to just two pounds in weight and eight inches in length and have a lifespan of between three and five years.
Unlike hamsters, they are carnivorous and feed on a diet of cat food, chicken, beef mince and turkey.
As they are nocturnal the cute critters come alive at night and can run up to eight miles a night on an exercise wheel.
Mrs Martin, from Fairford, Glos, started breeding them last year and has a 'stud' hedgehog called Mr Pig and four females, which produce two litters a year.
She said: "Mr Pig has fathered two very healthy litters already and I am waiting for more. "The males reach sexual maturity at five months and the gestation period for females is anything between 32 to 50 days. They normally produce three or four babies per litter.
"There is a popular misconception that all hedgehogs carry fleas, but that is only in the wild and just like a fox or badger would have them.
"The African Pygmy variety are much smaller than a normal hedgehog.
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Cute: There are just eight African pygmy hedgehog breeders in Britain
"They are a very convenient pet because they sleep during the day when you are at work and wake up when you sit down in the evening.
"They aren't a problem at night. I have got three living in my bedroom and they don't bother me.
"They are shy creatures and you do have to put a lot of effort in into taming them. After that they won't tend to roll up in a ball because they are used to being handled."
The current British population of African Pygmies is about 300, which are registered and have lineage certificates.
The Brits ought to keep pet ants -- those are VERY economical and don't take much room in their tiny flats.
Hopefully you’ll soon be in a “spiny-creature-friendly” home :-)
In the meantime, there are all sorts of fishtank screensavers available which ‘usually’ require less upkeep than the real thing :-)
A friend had one, and was holding it, belly up, while I tickled it... well, it didn’t take kindly to that. My friend said “well, if your gonna piss it off, YOU hold it!”
Didn’t think that a bit of tickling would cause the spinies to pop out on the other side...
Cool, a more easily concealed weapon.
Try a cute little ball python.
Just because
Yesterday my 4 year old son said to me: "I'm going to write a letter to Santa Claus that says, 'Dear Santa, My daddy won't let me have a hamster. Please bring me a hamster.'"
Given their size, I would think that you would’nt need a tactical nuclear device to get rid of Spiny Norman’s “mini-me”.
“As they are nocturnal the cute critters come alive at night and can run up to eight miles a night on an exercise wheel.”
That’s what my Daughter’s did.
Never did find out where that thing went.
I hope you get one soon. My daughter got one last Christmas to take back to school with her. She loves him dearly and her friends think he’s a hoot. Hedgehogs like to burrow and sometimes she will let him have the run of the bathtub with an empty toilet paper roll. He sticks his head in it and runs all over the place. He’s definitely cute.
I walk by the gym and see people on treadmills, just like hamsters. They could probably tell you why.
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