My pet pygmy hedgehogs

By Sarah Jones
BBC Wiltshire

Are these Britain's most sought after pets?

They've been dubbed 'Britain's most sought after pet', a 'must-have hog' that's creating a 'spike in demand for mini-hedgehogs'.

And you can see why.

A quarter of the size of the bulk standard British hedgehog and boasting pink eyes and albino white spines their 'ahhh appeal' is rapidly making them the very latest 'must-have' pets.

For Lauren Matthews, from Swindon, it was love at first sight:

Lauren fell in love with Hufflepuff, her African pygmy hedgehog, at first sight

"I first got my male, Hufflepuff, in December 2007. I was just looking for something that you could have in a flat and I was looking for something small and a bit different.

"I came across a breeder, and Hufflepuff, and fell in love with him and had to have more."

Two years on and Lauren's immaculate flat, in West Swindon, is now home to a whole herd of dwarf hedgehogs. Ten, in all, ranging in age from just a week to a fully grown but still diminutive two years.

But with pet fads, including Harry Potter inspired pet owls and Vietnamese pot-bellied 'babe' look-a-like pigs, being condemned by wildlife experts - are miniature hedgehogs not only 'not just for Christmas' but just not for everyone?

A prickly pet to own

According to Lauren, it's impossible to find African pygmy hedgehogs in the wild. There are no jungles, in the depths of Africa, where the pint-sized white spined hedgehog runs free.

In fact as a cross between an Algerian and White bellied hedgehog they've only ever been bred in captivity.

Lauren now has a a whole herd of dwarf hedgehogs

But despite their less then wild status, they can still be a prickly pet to own.

Not only do these carnivorous mini-hogs have to have a specialised reptile style vivarium to live in, but lots and lots of hands-on training as well:

"They are quite a specialist animal," says Lauren. "They eat normal cat food, although you have to get a senior brand rather then the full fat brand otherwise they would just become little barrels.

"And although they're fairly easy to look after on a day-to-day basis, because they're spiky if you don't handle them regularly they will end up being quite anti-social."

Mealworms and hedgehog chocolate

But handling a prickly pig, however cute, can be a thorny issue if you've inadvertently got their hackles up:

"If they're upset, a bit scared or if you startle them," warns Lauren, "they'll put their spikes up and make this huffing noise which is quite funny to listen to.

"And if they're very scared, or you make them jump, they'll go into a complete ball but when they're friendly they do lay all their spines down so they're quite soft to hold."

They also need lots of exercise.

With the surprising knowledge that the average wild hedgehog runs an impressive five miles a night, pet hedgehogs must have access to hog size hamster wheels to stretch their legs in:

"They're nocturnal so they sleep during the day but if you walk in to the sitting room at night you can hear them running around on their wheel.

"So they have lots and lots of exercise."

Which is just as well as they've a tendency to be more then a hog, when it comes to snacks, and can easily become pudgy pygmies:

"They love mealworms," admits Lauren. "Mealworms are like chocolate to a hedgehog, they go mad for them. But not too often in case they get too fat.

"And if you don't take them away from them, they'll eat and eat."

Litter of hoglets

But it's Lauren's new litter of six hoglets, from her 'stud' hedgehog Hufflepuff, that is guaranteed to make you go weak at the knees. Born just over a week ago, the miniature pygmy babies, are so small that the entire litter can nestle easily in the palm of the hand:

"They're the size of a baby hamster," coos Lauren, "they're that small.

There's a waiting list and a price tag of £150 each for these hoglets

"And their faces are all wrinkly and squished up at this age. Their eyes are just about starting to crack but they won't open properly for another couple of weeks. So they just feel their way around at the moment."

For Lauren, though, with a waiting list of potential would-be owners and a price tag of £150 each her hoglets have only a few more weeks to feel their way around before leaving home.

But with a stringent vetting process, it won't be to just any home:

"I need to make sure they get the best homes," says Lauren. "People that have the time and the ability to care for them and people that will keep them in a similar standard to what I keep them in.

"And I'm not having anymore then I've got at the moment. As much as I'd love to."

If you want to find out more about Lauren's African pygmy hedgehogs and how to care for them then go to Lauren's website by clicking on the link below:

Coolpig African Pygmy Hedgehogs