The "What About Carl" Story

Carl the hedgehog!

It was an ordinary day.  Holding Carl in my hand.  Now, I should tell you that throughout my lifetime I have had a variety of pets; dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, horned toads, tropical fish, white mice, white rats and even a pigeon that had a broken wing.  My parents were animal lovers which in turn made me one also.  My children also had a variety of pets; dogs, cats, hamsters, tropical fish, parakeets and even a chinchilla.  Now my grandchildren are picking up the slack with pets such as cats, dogs, hamsters, fish and now a...hedgehog.  The hedgehog is classified as an exotic animal and thus may be illegal to own in some states in the United States.  In the state of Pennsylvania it is illegal to own one, but in neighboring Maryland they are legal; and my granddaughter Courtney, who lives in Maryland, is now the owner of a hedgehog.  

Courtney and Carl.

During the holidays Courtney and her family made a three-day visit to Lancaster, PA and brought along their dog Rocco and hedgehog Carl.  Pretty neat little guy with many, many spines.  He seems to be afraid of me and therefore stays curled up most of the time while making a hissing sound.  When he does unfurl he has a white body with tiny little feet, a long snoot with black nose, dark brown ears and hundreds of black/brown/white spines.  The spines are soft to the touch, but I imagine that if he makes them erect they could pierce the skin and cause some painful puncture wounds.  There are 14 known species of hedgehogs in the world with three of these, known as desert species, native to North Africa and the Middle East.  

Carl relaxing

There are four long-eared species which are native to China while one specie is found in Ethiopia.  The species found in Western Europe, Scandinavia and the British Isles are known to be tame while a variety of African hedgehogs can make good pets.  Courtney's friend, Carl, is an African pygmy hedgehog which is known to make a great pet.  The pygmy variety you can safely and conveniently hold in your hand.  When Carl is happy and relaxed his quills are down and he feels soft to the touch, but get him mad or startle him and in a tenth of a second he can be a prickly ball of stiff thorns.  

Carl getting ready to eat a mealworm.

Hedgehogs actually can be found in a variety of colors with the snowflake hedgehog completely white.  Cinnamon hedgehogs have cream colored quills with brownish red bands.  These hedgehogs are referred to as champagne or apricot hedgehog.  The mocha variety has coffee or chocolate and cream colored quills, usually with a dark mask.  The cream hedgehog has quills that are off-white or ivory with eyes that very light in color.  If the hedgehog has a mask and dark legs, but its quills are between white and pale gray, it is known as a smoke point or silver hedgehog.  Finally, those that defy a description based on color, but have definite patterns in their quills, are known as pinto hedgehogs.  Hedgehogs are very susceptible to heat and can have a fatal stroke if they get too hot.  Therefore, a wire-mesh enclosure may be the perfect place for them.  Keeping them in a shoebox can be cruel since they like to scurry about, looking for items to eat.  Wood chips make a good bedding material, but make sure they are dust-free as well as unscented.  

Neat shot of Carl showing his small feet.

A drip-bottle is a great source of liquid for the hedgehog and a small litter pan and small cardboard box for sleeping are welcome.  Another source of privacy for the hedgehog could be a piece of PVC pipe with a 90 degree connector attached.  A perfect temperature would be in the 70 to 90 degree range.  Hedgehogs are carnivores and need both a diet of of vegetables and meat.  Crickets and mealworms are a great source of meat for them.  Hedgehogs can be entertaining, but placing two males together usually is asking for trouble.  A male and a female may look as if they are fighting, but will more than likely be parents before you know it.  Before getting one for a pet, make sure it is legal in your state.  Now, as far as Carl is concerned, he is pretty neat and loves to be petted.  I have never seen him walk around much, but he always seems to have his quills lowered.  My granddaughter is learning more about him all the time and enjoys his different moods, socialization and watching him eat.  He definitely is not type of pet to take to bed with you...unless you care to have to pull a few of his quills from you after rolling over on him.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.