December 13, 2002 - 3:55 p.m.

My Main Man

Let me introduce you to Percy, the constant man in my life. We�ve been living together for almost two years. He�s of African descent, hates getting awakened in the morning, and is very quiet. Like most males, he is temperamental, tends to eat too much, and spends most of his time lying around doing nothing. Did I mention he likes to eat bugs?

That�s my Percy, above. Isn�t he just adorable? He�s an African pygmy hedgehog. Hedgehogs make great pets because they are very low maintenance. As long as you keep them warm, clean, and fed, they don�t really care how much time you spend with them, and they are pretty content in a small space provided they get regular exercise (Percy has a wheel he runs on every night for hours). Supposedly you can get them to be more friendly, but I haven�t devoted the time necessary to do that. I�d say we�re both pretty content with the relationship we have. I occasionally take him out to hold him, and he raises his quills at first, but settles down prettty quickly. Then he just wants to crawl all over and explore. I�ve read books that recommend sociallizing your hedgie by holding him while you read or watch TV. Percy wants no part of that; he won�t stay on my lap, but prefers to roam around the couch or floor and I have to constantly watch him so he doesn�t fall off something (hedgehogs have very poor depth perception) or get stuck under furniture. I think I chose the Magellan of insectivores!

Once in a while I let him loose in his ball, but he�s not exactly potty trained so it gets messy pretty quickly, which cuts short his roaming. He seems to love the freedom to get around, though.

So, if you are in the market for an unusual pet, I highly recommend hedgehogs!

today's project: mailed presents, and will be looking for gifts for the kids later.

musing about: what triggered the massive allergy attack I am currently suffering through.

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flutter back - fly ahead