New Beastie!

I don’t know about you but my life gets busy during the summer when I work full time as a museum educator/curator and part-time wildlife educator and then I get to come home to lawn mowing and it’s not a small yard in the suburbs. It’s 1.5 acres. There’s weed-whacking, gardening upkeep and house chores. Let’s not forget the 14 animals I need to love, feed, and clean caging (for some). There are projects, lots of projects. Well, all that didn’t stop me from acquiring a new little ambassador named Porkchop from Baker Street Hedgehogs (Instagram Baker_street_hedgehogs) last week on July 10. Porkchop was born April 2 and weighed 13.4 ounces when I received her! The little girl is only 14 weeks old and a little porker. She’s a sweet but shy hedgie. At times, she’ll peek her nose out of the spiny little ball and give me a look and then sometimes, not. I’m trying to litter train her. Haha, that’s not going to happen. She went the bathroom in her snuggle sack and so I’ve removed it to give her a little hut with a piece of soft material in it for her to crawl under. I tried a heating pad which Smudge and Velvet liked but none of my hedgies over the past 20 years needed one. She didn’t want it. Go figure. Perhaps in the winter when the house is 68 degrees, she might like a little warmth under her. I do know she loves her wheel. She runs all night and poops & pees in it. By the way, every hedgehog I’ve ever had has done this. They are primitive little creatures that haven’t changed much in 15 million years. I’m always amazed when people have trained them to use the bathroom in one spot. Baker Street Hedgehog says hers are trained. I’ve never been that lucky. Porkchop went to work with me on the 11th and snapped the cutest little photo. I brought her outside yesterday but the weather has been so awful. It was sunny but steamy with humidity that kept fogging up my lenses. She was a spiny little ball but on occasion would stick her nose out. She was easier to see when I put her on the walkway but then she started darting towards under the porch. Oh no! Watch Porkchop the video. Here are some photos.

Porkchop Hedgehog

7/17/23 – I forgot to add her baby photos courtesy of Baker Street Hedgehogs. As you can see from the photo of three, she was the biggest of the babies. I love her name… it fits! LOL