Acorn's fall photoshoot

Some people have asked/ begged for me to post more pictures of my hedgehog. I understand. He is very photogenic.

The reason I don't post more pictures of him is many-layered. First, he prefers to come out at night and so for me to take a nice sunlit picture of him, it means waking him up in the middle of the day. He is already a grumpy dude and when I interrupt his sleep, he is DOUBLE GRUMPY!

The second is because I think hedgehog ownership is becoming more popular and I bet much of their popularity comes from people seeing cute pictures online and desperately wanting one of their own. I always want to post pictures with a disclaimer. Hedgehogs are not for everyone. In my opinion, hedgehogs are probably not for the vast majority of people. I love Acorn but he is also a high maintenance, low on tenderness, stink machine that recently bit a hole through my fingernail because he was nervous when I gave him a bath. Justin and I did plenty of research before "rescuing" him from a disappointed teenager who posted him on Craigslist but we didn't fully grasp what it is like to have a nocturnal, exotic pet covered in spikes who likes to eat insects and prefers to poop while running on his wheel.

I think what I am trying to say is that I don't want to post cute pictures of him because I think it helps to create a demand for hedgehogs and I don't want to help create a false sense of pet perfection. They are tough customers. Hard to please little prickleballs. I love Acorn but Acorn does not feel the same about me and I can handle that. I bet some other people need a little reciprocal affection for all their efforts.

I know not all hedgehogs are the same and I have witnessed (with envy in my heart) some hog/human relationships that are downright cuddly. I just thought I should give my full speech so that I can post this insanely adorable picture of Acorn and some gourds without any reservations.