I got Lady at an exotic pet shop a little far away from where I live in Japan. It took me about a year of researching to finally decide on getting a hedgehog. At first, I was all set on getting a boy hedgehog and naming him Morris because how cute are little boys? (no pedo) The pet shop i went to was out of male hedgehogs that weren't too afraid of me. All hedgehogs are sensitive and doesn't relax easily but Lady was the only hedgie that relaxed easily on my lap. Her body was on the larger side for a 5 months old hedgehog so she was left over, people wanted cute small baby hedgies. She was also the only hedgehog bred outside Japan and the only one without a birth date. The shop owner explained that hedgehogs that are left over until the end gets sold to hedgehog breeders to breed more hedgehog babies. By then I was attached to the left over baby that sat quietly on my lap, I just had to take her home with me.
I mean, look at these.
There are hedgehogs available in many larger chain pet shops in Japan, but often these pet shops stocks hedgehogs without proper knowledge about them. Not that theres a lot of studying required to take care of them, but you do need some knowledge to provide a comfortable home for your hedgehog. Plus, a lot of hedgehog breeders don't give enough milk to babies because they want to breed smaller sized hedgehogs. As I mentioned briefly, smaller hedgehogs are popular in Japan as they are considered 'cuter'. Lady isn't that small but I think she's the cutest thing in the world.
Hedgehogs are super quiet and low maintenance. To tell the truth, hedgehogs are better off alone, they love their peace. They also don't eat in large portions so it's really easy for me to get food ready. Maybe I'll write a separate post on hedgehog petting 101, do you want that? I'm no expert but I'm good enough to keep a hedgehog alive. Let me know (:
