One of the most common questions I’m asked can be summed up in this post title — What kind of commitment is a hedgehog? It is a good pet for my classroom, my child, my teenager – how long do they live? What is it like to own an exotic pet?

Now, I’ve previously said here that a hedgehog is not terribly difficult to take care of. That is still true.

They’re easy pets to care for if you know what you’re doing.

That is a very large if.

Hedgehogs require research. They require having a vet on hand that you hopefully won’t need to use too often. They also require a lot of patience.

Which is to say, hedgehogs are a large commitment.

They aren’t a commitment in the way that a dog or a cat is. Hedgehogs are not going to be following you everywhere, an they aren’t going to be demanding attention and needing a lot of time to play. Instead hedgehogs are going to need you to be willing to look up information you don’t have an immediate answer to – and possibly look up information that your vet might not know. They’ll require your patience as they prick up and are scared, they’ll require a daily commitment of spending time with them so you can get to know them and their personality properly. These are a very different animal from cats and dogs, but a very, very rewarding one if you’re willing to put in the proper time and effort for them.

Happy 2015. 🙂