One Week

Today marks week one for cohabiting with Magellan. I guess it's going well...but it's sort of hard to say. I thought he was warming up to me a few days ago but now he's gone back to hissing at the sight/sound of me coming near. Sigh. I know that he isn't a puppy or a kitten and is probably never going to come running towards me with joy, but if he would learn to not hate me that would be really nice. Also because I have never had a hedgehog and all of the websites contain contradicting information, I never know if his behavior is normal or otherwise and thus I am constantly worrying. His cage should finally be here by Tuesday. I am still really irritated with the original company I ordered from. I can only imagine that it will stress more Magellan out all over again to be placed in a completely new habitat. Poor thing.

Life outside the hedgehog realm is so-so. On one hand, I'm enjoying the holiday season and all of the good cheer and what not. Today though, I'm rather grumpy. I haven't been sleeping well at all. Jonathan made a ridiculous mess in the kitchen and has just been plugged into the Wii for the last few hours. Silly me thinking weekends were for spending time together. I should just stop writing this post...it's quite clear I am just in too bad of a mood.

Love Hurts

On all of the Hedgehog care websites that I checked out, there are instructions for how to pick up a hedgie without getting poked. They instruct you to simply scoop up your pet with both hands and you will just be touching their soft belly instead of the spines. I am here to tell you that this is not as foolproof as the writers of these websites make it sound. At least, not with Magellan.

While I must admit he is getting better and only flinching when I go to pick him up instead of going into full armored tank mode, any flexing of the spikes while in my hands is quite pokey. I've developed some tender spots on my fingers but this is not going to deter me from my quest to gain Magellan's love; or at the very least his acknowledgment that I am not going to eat him or otherwise do him harm. Also, it would be great if he could learn to use the litter box.

Jonathan had a stressful day at work yesterday. I worry that he is not happy and is just settling because this is all he's ever done. But then...what am I doing? I'm not out there following my personal destiny or whatever.

Love and Terror

I picked the name Magellan for my hedgie baby in the hopes that it would inspire him to be fearless. So far, this hope has not come to fruition. He balls up and hisses at sudden movements, loud sounds, and probably the mere thought of my hand descending into his cage. He is just a baby and I am big and scary and new, after all. I'm trying to tell myself that this is way more fun than having a puppy or a kitten because it is much more of a challenge. I have to work for his affection, instead of just being showered with it for free. Unfortunately my brain always pipes up at this point saying that the point of getting a pet is to be showered by its immediate, unconditional love. Oh well.

In other news, the tree is up. We bought it at Lowe's, which broke my heart just slightly less than getting a fake one would have. I love Christmas traditions, specifically trudging through a snow-filled Christmas tree lot in search of the year's holy grail tree. Then the dragging it home, wedging it through the door and getting tangled in lights that inevitably don't work. Of course, driving to Lowe's and throwing a pre-cut, netted tree into the back of the truck saved a lot of time and stress...but it didn't entirely feel like Christmas. After we got it up I was pretty sure we had accidentally picked from the 'special' tree section. The poor thing looked as though alternating chunks of branches had been stunted in their growth; giving the overall effect of a crooked tree despite the perfectly straight spine. So of course I felt like Lowe's was the demon of Christmas and yearned even more for the tree lots of yore. But when I crawled out of bed this morning the dear tree had unfurled itself in the night and has taken on a new, wonderfully Christmasy cone shape. It also smells delicious. I love real trees!

In a couple hours I'm going to head over to Jonathan's parents' house and pick up some decorations. I don't know how I feel about decorating really. I'm sort of against owning a bunch of crap. However, even though I am wearing green today I am not the Grinch and I suppose I should at least make the house look cheerful. I'll try not to go overboard.

Baby Comes Home

About a month and a half ago I was feeling particularly lonely and wanting a pet. Since my boyfriend and I are currently renting and our landlords have a no dog or cat policy, I turned to google to help me find a creative solution to my companionship needs. Google came through. I discovered that not only are hedgehogs pretty much the most adorably strange animals alive, they are also (supposedly) relatively simple to keep. I tracked down a breeder near my area and found out that there was a litter of babies just born who would be ready in just a few weeks. The few weeks was up today.

Unfortunately, I did not expect my prickly bundle of joy for another week or so, so he will be hanging out in a big cardboard box until the cage I ordered comes in a few days. I've given him all his essentials, including another box to hide from me under. When I held him at the breeder's he was inquisitive and calm, but now that he is here he is quite skittish. I am hoping he will warm up to me in the coming days. I must admit, I feel like a new mother! I have been pouring over articles about hedgehog care; struggling with conflicting information and worrying that he is not warm enough, well fed enough, comfortable enough. What I should be worrying about is the fact that he has yet to be named! Jonathan seems set on Hawthorne, but I'm not so sure. I must decide by tomorrow!

Everytime the little critter makes I noise I peer over to see him in action...who knew a ball of spikes could be so endearing!