Four Legged Friends: Truth About Exotics

From time to time, I ask Canton Citizen editor Jay Turner if he has any ideas for my column. A while ago he suggested writing about some of the less common pets. It just so happens a dear friend of mine, Jennifer Plombon, is one of the founders of the Hedgehog Welfare Society. I knew I had the perfect animal to write about. But this column isn’t going to be about why you should adopt or buy a hedgehog; it’s going to be a story about why you shouldn’t.

Some of you have probably seen the adorable internet sensation “Biddy The Hedgehog.” Biddy is photographed all over the place, outside, during the day, looking cute. There are adorable videos on YouTube showing hedgehogs doing all kinds of things. I can see why people would want one based on what they see on the net.

Adorable? Yes. Suitable pet? No.

Hedgehogs sold in the pet trade are typically African hedgehogs. A limited number of these animals were imported years ago for the pet trade. They have been overbred and inbred by careless breeders, and they have a high incidence of cancers and a disease that is similar to ALS in humans called “wobbly hedgehog syndrome.” They are often raised in deplorable conditions that would make a puppy mill look like a glorious place to grow up. The adorable hedgehog in the picture with this article was Norma, my friend Jennie’s pet. Norma suffered from wobbly hedgehog syndrome and had to be euthanized.

The cute animal you see in the pet store is probably in a nice, clean cage or tank. You cannot imagine the filth and squalor these animals are typically bred and raised in. In December 2009, 27,000 exotic animals were seized from the Arlington, Texas warehouse of US Global Exotics (USGE). Animals were being held without food or water, many until they died if they were not sold. It is estimated that as many as 500 animals a day died in the “care” of USGE. Animals included tortoises, lizards, lemurs, frogs (including rare and endangered species), prairie dogs, chinchillas, hedgehogs, and hamsters.

USGE supplied places like PetSmart and PETCO with their “exotic” pets. Don’t ever believe that the animals sold in pet stores come from nice places. They just don’t. I personally do not patronize pet stores that sell animals. I’ll go to a store that has an adoption area for rehoming cats and dogs, but not to stores that sell puppies, rabbits, ferrets, chinchillas, etc. Jennie tells me there are a limited number of people who can be called responsible breeders of hedgehogs, but they do not sell their animals through pet stores.

Most of the exotic animals sold by pet stores are totally inappropriate as pets. It is simply impossible for the average person in a home to meet their needs. Just as I was unable to meet the needs of the Brazilian tortoise I wrote about last year and had to give her to a zoo for her well being. Most owners find that the habitat and nutritional needs of exotic animals are too difficult, and veterinary care is too expensive.

Hedgehogs are very shy. They also have quills that stand on end when they are frightened, and the quills can hurt. Hedgehogs need to be kept at 70 to 75 degrees. They feed by foraging at night for their food. Not many families are willing to accommodate a pet who wants to be left alone all day and fed at night. Jennifer, my friend, lets her hedgehogs use one of her bathrooms to pretend they are back in Africa. She puts some sand on the ground, hides some food for them (including live and wiggling meal worms, and turns off the light. They have a wonderful time. But can you imagine many parents allowing that?

Hedgehogs like to exercise on a wheel similar to a hamster wheel. Like all nocturnal animals, they are active only at night. This will likely disturb and/or wake up your child. A pet hedgehog won’t exercise during the day. That’s when you’ll most likely find your prickly cutie hiding under a cozy fleece “cave” that Jennie refers to as a “pigloo.”

Jennifer and her group took 800 hedgehogs from the animals seized in Texas and found homes for them. She ended up with six of her own. Even a healthy hedgehog has a short lifespan. Jennie has said goodbye to all six of those ’hogs at this point.

In addition to the 800 animals placed following the Texas seizures, the Hedgehog Welfare Society (HWS) has found new homes for thousands of pet hedgehogs over the years. According to Jennie, “The majority of hedgehogs given up to the HWS for rehoming come from the parents of children who find the hedgehogs are not good pets for them; from college students who get caught with a pet they are not allowed to have, or a pet they no longer wish to care for once they leave school; and from owners whose hedgehog needs expensive veterinary care they cannot afford.” The HWS feels so strongly about the hedgehog’s suitability as a pet they will not adopt out to children, or to teachers wishing to use the animals as classroom pets.

While hedgehogs might not be the best pet for everyone, the truth is they are here being sold as pets, and they deserve to be cared for and loved. The Hedgehog Welfare Society exists to make sure they are, and to find homes for those that need them. They have a wealth of information available for anyone who is interested in these prickly creatures. If you’ve ever been tempted to purchase a hedgehog, please educate yourself before you dive in.

Jennie was concerned when I asked her for the adorable picture of her Norma in her hands. She doesn’t want the cuteness of that picture to tempt anyone into wanting a hedgehog. But if you ever decide to, please visit the HWS website, www.hedgehogwelfare.org and apply to adopt one.

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Posted by Susan Scheide on Apr 14 2016. Filed under Featured Content, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.