Why NOT to Own a Hedgehog
Overview: Hedgehogs are adorable little creatures that are picture perfect and would make the cutest pets in an ideal world. Unfortunately, they don't make good or healthy pets due to their very bad common health issues that are almost inevitable. Hedgehogs are extremely prone to cancer and liver failure and no matter how well you take care of a hedgehog, they are likely to develop fatal illnesses very quickly due to their genetics and due to the way they are mass bred making them very prone to very serious illnesses that can kill them very suddenly. Owning a hedgehog is even illegal in many states and getting one in a state where they're illegal to own poses a very big threat to not only you, but to your hedgehog. Because of hedgehogs' tendencies to get very sick very quickly, they would require a veterinarian to diagnose and treat them the best way they can but owning one in a state where hedgehogs are illegal drastically decreases a hedgehog's ability to survive because of the inability to get one to a vet. African pigmy hedgehogs, the breed that is sold and bred to own as household pets are not the same African pigmy hedgehogs that live in the wild. The household pets are the product of breeding two different species of hedgehogs, Algerian hedgehogs and four-toed hedgehogs. Because of this breeding, there is still a lot that isn't fully understood about this breed and has led to wobbly hedgehog syndrome which is an illness that can be fatal and requires owners to be extra cautious when handling their hedgehog. The way these hedgehogs are badly bred is what ultimately makes owning these flawed animals extremely heart-wrecking and problematic because of the lack of information about them to help them. Please consider this before going out and buying a hedgehog!