My 9-year-old son would love a pet and unfortunately we’ve got fur allergies and would not be able to tolerate a cat or dog in the house. So far we’ve just had fish and hermit crabs, but he’d like something a bit more interactive and interesting.
I’ve been considering a guinea pig or gerbil, but being a young Sonic the Hedgehog fan, he of course has been asking about those. I’ve done a little research and discover that some for sale where I live run in the $200 range, which seems a little steep for this type pet.
I guess I’m asking: are they worth the price? Do they make good pets? Any advice from anyone with experience with these beasties would be welcome.
I know next to nothing about hedgehogs but I do know several people who have managed to kill them in a very short time because they knew nothing either. Whatever pet you decide to get please have him read up on it before he gets it.
Guinea pigs make great pets. They’re diurnal so it’s not like all the stupid hamsters you used to get that would keep you up all night with their wheels.
They’re also more responsive than hamsters or gerbils. They know you apart from others. They will actually play, not just run through your hands over and over.
They’re far less than $200. Spend the money on a large, elaborate environment for them.
That does seem steep. One of my cousins is married to a guy with the worst asthma ever (seriously, he’s coded three or four times from asthma attacks) and they got two hedgies for their girls last spring. Given their employment situation at the time, I have a hard time envisioning that they spent $400 plus cages, exercise balls, etc.
I’m not over there all that often, but overall the hedgies seem to be about like any other pocket pet–they sit in a cage pooping and gnawing on things, or run around in their little ball, and that’s really about it. Then again, maybe they have spectacular hedgehog talent shows when I’m not around. I’ll ask her for you.
How does your son do with feathers? They’re not house pets, but I’ve been astounded by how personable and interactive my hens have been. They follow me around the yard like a pack of tiny dogs and will sit in my lap, and when they were little they would perch on my finger like a canary. You can teach them to do tricks, too. And they’re waaaaaayyy under $200. Plus you get eggses.
I had a hedgehog many years ago and while they’re pretty boring, they would be an okay pet for an older child. Use newspapers instead of shavings (shavings can irritate the hedgehog’s respiratory system, and also people can be allergic to the shavings) and be sure to provide a large wheel and keep that wheel oiled (with a food-grade oil, obviously.) Because they love to run in a wheel and metal wheels can squeak and be really annoying.
Be sure to handle it often so it’s always used to you.
And whatever you do, READ and RESEARCH before purchasing ANY pet!! You’re going to have it for about 5 years or so.
IMHO, guinea pigs are smelly and bitey, but it all depends on how well you look after it.
Well, I do plan to do research and I don’t plan on killing the thing, so I hope that eases everyone’s minds. I was thinking guinea pig mainly because I’ve had them before, but the last one I had was a real butthole. I mean, he bit and screamed at us to bring him fresh vegetables. And pooped on the carpet when we got him out. But, the one I had as a child was sweet. Maybe the females aren’t as big as jerk as the males. Or maybe he just hated me because I named him Piggy Sue.
Anyway, I’d personally love a bird, though I live in a neighborhood with a HOA and they’d probably have me hauled off to jail if I so much as mentioned the word “chicken,” Crazy Cat. I personally have longed for a little parakeet or canary for most of my life, though I’m not wild at the thought of bird poop in the house.
As far as small pets go rats are really hard to beat. They are affectionate, interesting to watch, they interact with humans very well. They require little maintenance but do need to be handled regularly, they enjoy being handled.
I looked into a hedgehog for a pet a few yrs ago - I was doing some travelling (by car) at the time and thought I could take a hedgehog with me in a pet carrier.
Being nocturnal and they don’t do well with temperature changes nixed it for me.
But I still have a stuffed (toy) hedgehog in my home den/office. Dang, I’ve forgotten what I named him.
I live next to a field and have a problem with mice acting like they’re invited in. I’d be afraid a rat would put up a neon sign and say Y’ALL COME THE EATING’S FINE HERE.
Pet rats aren’t the same as …feral? rats! I understand why so many people are :dubious: + :eek: at the thought of a rat as a pet, but they really are amazing pets. They like to be clean (how clean could you get living outdoors or in dank city areas with no washing facilities?); they’re REALLY smart and and affectionate. It’s generally nice to get them in pairs (pets like hamsters are the exception, being extremely solitary in the wild) and their interactions are cute. My friend always had 2 rats for years and each one would learn their own name, come over when called, learned some tricks, and loved climbing onto her shoulder and kinda nuzzling.
I know you said no dogs, but what about poodles? Many with allergies tolerate them just fine.
I know from experience gerbils and any other rodents kept in cages stink no matter how often you clean the cage. And get all one sex or you’ll have 30 of them soon. Although it is a good reproduction lesson for kids to witness I think.
To save money on acquisition, and do something nice for animals, consider adopting a rescue, a pet that was abandoned or dumped. Petfinders is a good source and they list other animals, not just dogs and cats.
A completely different idea, maybe you could get him riding lessons that way he can have exposure to a horse once a week without having to be totally responsible for it.
We’ve signed on with our daughter’s school to keep one of the school’s pets for a month or so over the summer, and we’ve requested a hedgehog. There was one in her classroom for a short while; its name was Hokey Pokey. I’ll be able to report in July about what it’s like as a household pet.
Another vote for pet rats. Our Beckett was the most affectionate pet we ever had, very playful(he thought “hide the tv remote” was a fun game), and very chatty. Word of warning, though-to a rat, a Habitrail is nothing but a large chew toy.
I talked to my cousin, and apparently that’s just how much hedgehogs cost. She also said that they can fairly social if you handle/play with them a lot, but otherwise they’re nocturnal and dull. Her girls have pretty much lost interest in theirs, and she said she’d give you one for free if she had a way to get it to you. If that’s something you’re interested in, I can pick it up the next time I go home and drop it off on my way back to the mountains.
It’s very disappointing about the HOA. The city/county government, for reference, has no issue whatsoever with urban poultry within certain restrictions, and there is in fact an urban poultry association in town. (It’s called CLUCK! because of course it is.)
I have a friend who has (had?) a hedgehog. They are insectivores, so feeding an appropriate diet is important. They are kind of boring. Veterinary care can be more costly since many will require sedation for examination/treatment.
They have an interesting behavior called self anointing, or anting. Basically they smear stinky stuff over themselves…
