Little monster July 12, 2010

Kiwi was driving me nuts with her digging. Superbatman asked if her digging was indicating any problems, but I think it’s fairly common for hedgies to dig under their liners. So I tried using magnets to hold down the liners. Crazy little bugger still was digging like crazy at 4 in the morning to get under the fleece and the plastic liner. So I switched to bedding to see if she would cut it out. She still digs and scratches but at least she isn’t trapped under a liner.

Just one of those times I wish hedgies were trainable.

Still no decent pictures: Non hedgie related pictures from someone else.

Oh em gee, lookit A naked hedgie!

a moment July 7, 2010

omg we just had a moment. babygirl wakes up and comes out of her blanket so i scoop her up and put her on the bed. she starts snuffling around my computer and smells my peach gummies. gets to the end of bed and starts to ponder jumping or falling. so i call her back. AND SHE COMES BACK. she’s snuggled next to my leg under my laptop. wtf. how cute.

still no pictures 😦 accept this instead? kiwi monster with rocking music. (edit) oh goodness, there’s a school bus monster truck at 3:03 if you need to skip any of the awesome to get to the superawesome.

time warp July 5, 2010

shoot, i disappeared for a month didn’t i? kiwi is napping on my ankle right now, just thought to update since my last post, mybad. trying to find a job takes a lot outta ya.

good thing kiwi was always there for me to play with and unwind. baby girl has been doing well 🙂 she’s got steady weight (almost half a pound of Kiwi ;P), eats well, poos a lot and seems happy when she’s outta her cage. she is my lil’ explorer 🙂 we still hate it when she needs a nail cut, but i’ve figured out a good way of bathing her so she doesn’t freak out. her dry skin is slowly stopping but i think she’s going through another quilling. she’s still got bits of fabric paint on her bum, but i hope that comes out too.

my roommates and i have been trying to figure out her full name. kiwi monster fellow poopy face, etc. i had a good one, but i forget.

and i still don’t have any new pictures 😦 camera’s really broken. this is the best i’ve got:

since i’m up June 5, 2010

this thunderstorm is awesome!

Good thing Kiwi isn’t one of these guys

or should I be scared?

Kiwi FAQ June 2, 2010

What do hedgehogs eat?

This one is eating a carrot
This one loves cilantro, almost as much as I do

Most captive hedgies are fed dry cat food because of the high protein and low fat. The best cat foods have all natural ingredients like meats, and grains (not corn) listed at the top. I feed Kiwis a mix of two types, Wellness and Purina One. Wellness is one of the best cat foods out there and the Purina One is good too, but corn meal is one of the top ingredients. The funny thing is the Wellness smells awful. It smells like fish pellets. Seriously, if I had to pick one to eat, it would be the Purina One. Good thing I eat human food.

The majority of commercial “hedgehog food” is not high quality food which leads to unhappy hedgies. Some hedgehog breeders and pros feed them more natural diets including boiled chicken and fruits and veggies. Kiwi doesn’t like fruits or veggies, but I haven’t tried the chicken yet. She didn’t like carrots or cilantro or kiwi. She does like the smell of different foods, but she won’t eat it when I put it in her food dish.

Wild hedgies don’t have white bellies.

Bugs: Wild hedgies are insectivores so pet hedgehogs are sometimes fed bugs. The most common are mealworms and crickets. Disgusting, bugs gross me out. But I wanted to make Kiwi happy. I bought freeze dried canned mealies and they were easy enough to deal with, not too gross, there was a feeding spoon. Only problem, the process to can the mealworms takes out an enzyme that digests their exoskeletons, or something like that, so most hedgehog owners don’t feed them canned worms.

But canned crickets should be ok right? No, absolutely not. Freeze dried crickets are even more disgusting. Ugh, nasty. There’s still a spoon, but they are so gross I had to throw the rest of them out.

Surprisingly, I bought some live mealworms and fed Kiwi a couple each night for treats. They live in their bag until I feed Kiwi and I don’t touch them. I don’t feed her too many because then her poo is grosser than usual. I’m not going to start farming mealies, but I think I will occasionally buy mealies for treats.

So there you have it, a detailed post on Kiwi’s diet. So interesting…not?

Oh no! As I was looking for pictures, people eat hedgehogs? 😦

1 monthiversary June 1, 2010

Here’s those pictures I promised a few days ago when we were cuddling.

Best for last

It’s been one month since I’ve had Kiwi and things have finally leveled out. I’m not freaking out anymore, I’ve spent far too much money, but I think I have things under control finally. Things are routine now and I don’t have to worry about temperature changes for a while. She’s still the cutest ever and we hang out a lot when I’m home. She’s eating well and up to a healthy 204 gms. Grossness after the cut to save your eyes –

Love of my life May 29, 2010

Is nuzzled in my lap half sleeping. wtf how adorable. This is out of control. I will upload pics later tonight 🙂

Too much May 25, 2010

My camera is broken, and it’s far too hot in my room to operate like a normal person or hedgehog, we’re both breathing heavy and trying our best not to overheat.

Baby girl May 24, 2010

My baby girl hasn’t been eating too well and I’m worried again. She didn’t eat much one night, there was no poo anywhere and she hadn’t touched her food. The next day she physically felt lighter and her shape was slim in the back. I dunno how to bump up her weight again other than mealies (which are gross, but not as gross as crickets). I also bought her some better cat food, but she doesn’t like the new stuff as much.

I gave her an oatmeal bath today, some mealie treats and some Revolution. She’s snuggled in my lap right now. I feel bad because I haven’t been giving her enough attention lately. It’s also been super hot and humid and I need to regulate the temperature of my room much better. I’m still trying to figure out how to manage the 89 degree weather tomorrow. And I won’t be home until after 9 😦

Warning: hedgie butt!

When she’s hot, this is what she does:

She’ll stick her butt and tail out beyond her quills, it’s so silly looking. I also caught her munching on her toes again. Lols.

Hedgie language May 20, 2010

lols, I just tried to bother Kiwis in her blanket so she turned around to peek at me and turned back to sleep. I need to look at her skin because it’s very dry and I’m still wondering if it’s mites…she turns back after a few seconds of close inspection and gives me the “leave me alone, I wanna sleep” look. was I imagining it? mebbe, doesn’t really matter, she’s cute. the end.