Monday, October 24, 2011

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.

2 comments:

O'Reilly Ink said...

Very good advice. People need to do so much research before getting any pet. It should never be an impulse buy.
That being said, ACORN IS TOO CUTE!!! My husband LOVES hedgehogs. We've had all sorts of small animals, but have not done that yet. Thanks for all the hedgie advice! :)

Anonymous said...

Well said. Of course that little fella is undeniably cute! I just want to squeeze that little prickleball (love that)!