Speaking of Hedgehogs

Not surprisingly, I receive quite a few e-mails and comments concerning my little hedgehog friends.  Although I do enjoy the correspondence, the fun wears a little thin after a while, repeating the same information again and again.  It seems expedient to present the answers all in one place, for anyone who might be curious.

How many hedgehogs do you have and what are their names?

I currently own five hedgehogs, and three more are on their way here.

My first hedgehog was a gift from my sister-in-law after a trip to England.  She brought back a small hedgehog made of rabbit's fur, with a little leather nose and glass eyes.  Kevin and I were smitten, and we used to hide this little guy in unexpected places, to surprise each other: pockets of jackets, sugar bowls, suitcases, and shoes... no telling where he'd turn up.  Until one day, when he didn't turn up anywhere.  We were forlorn.

Two decades later, I spied a little green hedgehog -- the first of the version I feature in my articles and photos -- in the now non-existant gift shop of the Cyber Cafe West in Binghamton, NY.  There was a basketful of the little cuties, and I ooohed over them.  Kevin immediately purchased the cutest green hedgehog as a surprise gift; we named him Hedgiemon (after Peter the Hegemon in Orson Scott Card's Ender series.)  Hedgiemon was mailed out as a surprise for our son Kyle when he was away at Philmont Scout Reserve in New Mexico, and accompanied him back home.  Hedgiemon's next trip through the mail was rather like Amelia Earhardt's last flight, however; he was never seen again.  Alas.

A few years later, I purchased Hedgie, Bob, Thistle, and one other at the Nature Store of the Waterman Conservation Education Center in Apalachin, NY.  Kyle claimed the unnamed hedgehog, and lost custody of it when a relationship went sour.  Hedgie took up residence on my dashboard, Bob moved in under my monitor at work, and Thistle lives under my monitor at home.

Where can  I get a hedgehog like yours? 

The two newest (and the three hedgehogs in transit) were all purchased from Exclusively Hedgehogs, a website run by a charming lady named Valerie.  

As previously mentioned, the Cyber Cafe West no longer features a gift shop, so don't go there for hedgehogs.  Instead, come down for the music any Tuesday night -- that's where we have our fiddle jam, every week.

The Waterman Center Nature Store does try to get in a supply of hedgehogs, along with some other awesome, beautifully-crafted toys and puppets, but they are a very small operation, and currently have no hedgehogs.  A supply is expected in late March.  If you don't get there before I do, you might be out of luck.

So, I do recommend visiting Valerie's site.  Not only does she offer the hedgehogs I prefer, she carries the newer version -- with feet! -- and a huge selection of other designs and manufacturers.  Even if you weren't looking to purchase a hedgehog of any style, Exclusively Hedgehogs is a fun place to visit, where you are greeted by a live hedgehog sporting a little straw hat.

Valerie once owned a 30,000 square-foot barn, wherein she raised and cared for a huge variety of live pets: hedgehogs, wallabies, emus, and other exotic animals along with more common pet varieties.  She spoke with real love for the animals and the experience of raising and caring for them, but she admitted it was hard work, and there was always that worry that someone who took in a pet might not love and care for them as well as they should.  Running a pet store cannot be all that much easier than running an orphanage, I suspect -- I know I couldn't do it.  Letting go would be too hard.

Now retired from that labor-intensive career, Valerie enjoys her hedgehog website, and travels the world in search of hedgehog toys.  She was excited to learn of my first, real-fur hedgehog toy, and in turn told me that there are businesses that use hedgehogs as their mascot! (What smart people!)

Hedgehogs are very ancient creatures, she tells me; they have been around since before the time of the dinosaur, and they have learned to survive and thrive under all manner of planetary conditions.  As such, along with being immensely cute, hedgehogs have some admirable and enduring traits.  

All the more reason they ought to be the official animal of Gather, eh?