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| Name: |
Annabelle
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Age: |
One year old
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| Gender: |
Female
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Kind: |
African Pygmy Hedgehog
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| Home: |
Troy, New York, USA
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Annabelle
deserves to be Pet of the Day because she is the very first pet I
ever had that was all mine. We have always had lots of animals, but they
belonged to everyone in the family. When I moved out of my parents' house
to attend college in NY, I wanted a pet of my own, but couldn't get one
because only fish were allowed in the dorms. Then I got an apartment last
summer that allowed small animals, and immediately started researching
which pet would be right for me. I knew someone who had a hedgehog and had
loved playing with him, so I did some research and decided that a hedgehog
was indeed a good fit for my lifestyle. Luckily, I was able to locate a
breeder nearby. I brought Annabelle home in August 2009, when she was three
months old.
Annabelle is a great pet because she is quiet, playful, curious, and
relatively easy to take care of. She is most active at night, but still
loves to come out of her cage for snuggles and attention at any time of the
day. Hedgehogs are supposed to enjoy eating store-bought insects like
mealworms and crickets, but Annabelle does not like them. However, she
loves her cat food, especially when it's topped with yummy flax seed oil to
help moisturize her dry skin! When she was barely six months old, Annabelle
was diagnosed with Secondary Liver Disease. Liver disease is common in
hedgehogs, but it is not a death sentence and can be managed with proper
diet and veterinary care. Despite her chronic yellow coloration, Annabelle
has been going strong with SLD for nearly a year now; she has a great
appetite, and runs full speed ahead on her wheel all night. This April I
adopted a second hedgehog, Lily, who Annabelle gets along with very well.
They live in separate enclosures, but seem to like being around each other
during playtimes.
My beloved Annabelle is proof that hedgehogs do make wonderful pets, as
long as the potential owner is willing to provide for their unique needs
and doesn't mind getting poked by an errant quill every now and then!
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Talk about today's pet in Pet Talk!
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