Being the curious animal that I am, I researched my history and found that my ancestors were domesticated as early as Four BC. Problem was we were raised for our meat and quills. I could find nothing, however, on how we got the name “hedgehog.” A few days later the mystery was solved. I passed by the kitchen and heard mom and dad eating lunch. Hearing the grunting noises and the racket they made while pushing their food around sounded like two pigs eating out of a trough. It was not a pretty sight.
I must confess I am a lover and not prone to fighting. I follow a simple motto: When the going gets rough, I get going. In the event of a confrontation, though, I pity the fool who goes against me and my 5000 sharp spines that surround my body. Thanks Mother Nature.
I’m kind of a loner, sleep most of the day and prefer to be by myself except for when we do our exotic animal show display. To keep me fit I eat a diet consisting of insects, slugs, earthworms and a nasty tasting commercial hedgehog diet. I sometimes wonder what a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach would taste like. I know its wrong and I feel bad. After all, they are members of Mindy’s Menagerie and Bugsy is a friend. But in my defense he also is a BUG. I take comfort by telling myself that Bugsy would be the last roach to be eaten.
One of the perks of being a hedgehog is that the venom from an adder, a poisonous snake, does not affect me. But how many adders will I run into while walking the streets of Chicago? The guys around here don’t believe me and are attempting to convince Mindy the Monkey to ask her dad to add an adder to the show. So not funny!
LIKES: ANIMAL RENTALS, a clean cage, fresh water, good food (maybe including some Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches), entertaining our audiences and a heavy duty toothbrush for my 64 teeth .
DISLIKES: a dirty cage, anyone who calls me “Pokey Junior” and those times when I have a “bad spine day”.