To get the quick questions out of the way – yes, it is real; no, it is not mine; and no, I did not hold it.

This is my friend Karen’s brother’s hedgehog. Owning a hedgehog as a pet is illegal in California, but Karen’s brother goes to university in Arizona, which is a neighboring state. Hedgehogs are legal to own in Arizona, which is how he has one. He was back visiting his family in California, and brought the hedgehog along with him.

I wasn’t really able to make a good assessment as to how much I like hedgehogs just based off this visit, primarily because this particular hedgehog smelled absolutely terrible, and all it did was exhale really loudly and curl up into a ball. I tried touching it a bit, but its spines are obviously prickly, so I didn’t really have any further interest in interacting with it.

I’ve only ever had pet dogs in the past (I guess I also had a pet fish for a little bit while I was taking care of it for an eighth-grade science project), and dogs are obviously extremely friendly and interactive. I’m not exactly sure what the appeal is of having a hedgehog as a pet is … it’s not like you can cuddle with it or sleep with it, unless you enjoy receiving amateur acupuncture all night.