Before you buy a hedgehog
Hedgehogs are not a birthday present, just like any other animal, and I don't know how to stress this enough. I don't believe in animals being gifts for any holiday, especially hedgehogs. A hedgehog is a 3-9 year commitment that involves a lot of financial and care upkeep. Please don't get your partner or friend a hedgehog for their birthday or christmas, etc.. unless you are absolutely positive that the person is going to have the money and the time to care for the hedgehog and everything the hedgehog is going to need.
A hedgehog is not the same as caring for a hamster. There are many health issues that can be involved with owning a hedgehog, meaning you will need to take your hedgie to the vet. Vet visits are not inexpensive and usually range from $100- $300+ depending on the problem.Hedgehogs also need plenty of attention. Lack of attention can cause a grumpy or skittish hedgehog. Meanwhile, some hedgehogs have a natural grumpiness, but that doesn't mean that the hedgehog doesn't need attention, just like any other animal.
Photos that you see of hedgehogs online can be very misleading... So don't go out and buy a hedgehog, expecting that you're going to be able to just take cute photos of it everywhere. Like i said earlier, hedgehogs require a lot of maintenance and attention.
Also, taking those cute photos of hedgehogs isn't as easy as it looks. When you see photos of hedgehogs on Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, etc... Those photos are most likely taken by very experienced hedgehog owners.
This is not me saying "don't buy a hedgehog", but this is me telling you not to buy a hedgehog if you aren't fully prepared and ready for the commitment and please do not buy a hedgehog as a gift for someone.
