According to a local newspaper, we are trendy. As city residents raising miniature hedgehogs, we have joined the 'latest pet fad' to sweep the country.
I had no idea we had joined the latest pet-raising craze when I (reluctantly) took possession of two African pygmy hedgehogs a fortnight ago. In fact, I thought they were porcupines.
The article, which appeared in a Thai English-language newspaper recently, is full of handy tips about how to befriend the little animals, care for them, and even tell when they are unwell. One illness goes by the comical name of 'Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome'.
Boyfriend Maiyuu brought home the hedgehogs after we lost the last of our four hamsters. The first two perished reasonably quickly. Then we were left with just two, but they fought so much they had to be separated and kept in their own cage. Finally, the third one died, and I thought: 'It can't be long now!'
The last one must have known I was eager to get rid of him. He hung on for months, struggling with a huge growth on his hind leg, which gave him his own wobble of sorts. No sooner did he die, however, than Maiyuu decided he wanted to raise hedgehogs instead.
Our hedgehogs, one male and one female, live together in the same cage, but so far have not mated as they are still too young. I will be interested to see it happen, as negotiating those spikes would not be easy.
Yesterday was Clean the Hedgehog Day.
I am not willing to pick them up, as their spikes are just too sharp. Boyfriend Maiyuu wanted to raise them, so handling the animals is his job - and for his first Clean the Hedgehogs routine, he used rubber gloves and a toothbrush.
He rubbed a toothbrush on a bar of soap, then scrubbed their backs. The hedgehogs struggled, but did not escape. Maiyuu could still keep a firm grip, despite getting pricked. After scrubbing their backs he dribbled water over them, before drying them with a patting action, wrapping them in a cloth and putting them back in the cage.
I was Maiyuu's audience of one, perched on the toilet seat. It was painful even to watch, and I wasn't the one getting pricked.
I will have to ask Maiyuu where he keeps that toothbrush. One colour looks the same as another to me, and as much as I would love to get matey with our new pets, I don't want the hedgehog toothbrush getting mixed up with mine.
I had no idea we had joined the latest pet-raising craze when I (reluctantly) took possession of two African pygmy hedgehogs a fortnight ago. In fact, I thought they were porcupines.
The article, which appeared in a Thai English-language newspaper recently, is full of handy tips about how to befriend the little animals, care for them, and even tell when they are unwell. One illness goes by the comical name of 'Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome'.
Boyfriend Maiyuu brought home the hedgehogs after we lost the last of our four hamsters. The first two perished reasonably quickly. Then we were left with just two, but they fought so much they had to be separated and kept in their own cage. Finally, the third one died, and I thought: 'It can't be long now!'
The last one must have known I was eager to get rid of him. He hung on for months, struggling with a huge growth on his hind leg, which gave him his own wobble of sorts. No sooner did he die, however, than Maiyuu decided he wanted to raise hedgehogs instead.
Our hedgehogs, one male and one female, live together in the same cage, but so far have not mated as they are still too young. I will be interested to see it happen, as negotiating those spikes would not be easy.
Yesterday was Clean the Hedgehog Day.
I am not willing to pick them up, as their spikes are just too sharp. Boyfriend Maiyuu wanted to raise them, so handling the animals is his job - and for his first Clean the Hedgehogs routine, he used rubber gloves and a toothbrush.
He rubbed a toothbrush on a bar of soap, then scrubbed their backs. The hedgehogs struggled, but did not escape. Maiyuu could still keep a firm grip, despite getting pricked. After scrubbing their backs he dribbled water over them, before drying them with a patting action, wrapping them in a cloth and putting them back in the cage.
I was Maiyuu's audience of one, perched on the toilet seat. It was painful even to watch, and I wasn't the one getting pricked.
I will have to ask Maiyuu where he keeps that toothbrush. One colour looks the same as another to me, and as much as I would love to get matey with our new pets, I don't want the hedgehog toothbrush getting mixed up with mine.
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