Quirky Pets

Hedgehogs are very quirky pets. They have such individual personalities; there really is no mistaking one for another, at least in my experience.

Lola is the hedgie in my household with the strongest personality, or maybe just the hedgie with the biggest attitude. She's the wild one. As such, she will not tolerate being kept in a boring cage or eating cat food. Well, maybe just a little cat food, but not much. Wild hedgies like Lola only eat BUGS, like mealies (live mealworms) and crunchies (roasted wax worms, smell like peanuts). Wild hedgies find their own sleepy place, which is NOT the tube designed for that purpose. Wild hedgies run out to see their owners when they want, not when they're called. Wild hedgies must run and run and run all night around the house, and sneak from dark spot to dark spot.

Wild hedgies also find their OWN toys. Toys are things like scarves, food wrappers, plastic grocery bags, tea bags, gum and ESPECIALLY cell phones. All toys are to be dragged to a very dark, secret safe-spot to examine.

The first Lola decided my cellphone was a good toy I was really stumped; I looked and looked and couldn't find my phone... until it started ringing from waaaay underneith the futon. I've learned enough to leave my cellphone plugged in when I leave it on the floor. That way, I can find my phone by simply tugging on the cord. With the help of the red light, I've even had the opportunity to watch Lola dragging around my phone. She grabs it by the sparkly charm and trotts across the room with the phone riding across the carpet like a tiny sleigh behind her.

If Lola were my only hedgehog, I might think she was just like any other, wanting to be independent and exercise her curiosity because that's what hedgehogs do. With Yoda and Heddie, and formerly Sophie to compare with, however, I know how very special Lola is because of these traits.

More about the quirks of the rest of my herd later~
~kz