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Joe17

Joe17

Hedgehog lover!
Joined
Jun 16, 2011
Messages
18
Location
Southern Louisiana
I have been researching hedgehogs for the past couple of weeks now. I already have a great cage for my future hedgie and I am saving up my money now. I asked my mother what she thought about getting a hedgehog and she said no! :banghead: How can I convince her to let me buy one? I don't think it's about the care of the animal. I think it's mostly the money aspect of it even though I am paying for it. She thinks $250 for a hedgehog is a bit ridiculous. I really can't blame her but..... I really want one!

I really don't know why my mothers so worried about me. Guess it's just what moms do no matter what. I can take care of myself now!
 
How old are you? You say you are paying for it- would you be able to pay for a several hundred dollar vet bill?

As long as you live with your parents, you should follow their rules and what they say...sorry, but that's part of being a kid. Once you get your own place and support yourself, you can do what you please. Until then, you should respect your mother's say.
 
Remember, pets take a lot more money than just the upfront cost of buying the animal. Hedgies can rack up some huge vet bills. I'm sure your mom is just looking out for you. If you're dead set on getting one, it needs to not be a spur of the moment "mom I want a hedgie" you need to prove to her over the course of many months (sometimes longer- depending on the parent) that you are knowledgeable about the animal and are willing to make sacrifices in order to be a pet owner.
 
To get my hamsters I had to wait a year and a half :) Just be patient. She's right, vet bills can be really bad :)
 
A hedgie is a pet you have to be responsible for for several years. You certainly don't want this to be an impulse decision. Not only does it cost a lot for the animal itself, all of it's accessories, it's food, and any vet care. The vet care costs can be sudden and a lot of money. As a parent, I would be thinking that I would be saddled with the bill if something happened to this pet. I think if you saved up hundreds of dollars, to cover the cost of the animal and accessories, and had several hundred dollars set aside for medical emergencies, then I think you could approach your mom as a responsible pet owner. She might have a hard time turning you down then.
 
I think what upset me the most was the way she answered me. She didn't really even think about it. I do have a job and would be able to afford a few vet bills. If something so bad would happen for me to have to spend $700 dollars then I may even give the hedgehog back to the breeder. If I would buy a hedgie, the breeder I purchased it from has partial custody and would take the hedgehog back at any time.

I'm not in a rush to get one now. Maybe in a few months. I know how expensive animals can be! We have horses and just to get the vet here is a few hundred bucks! It's crazy! What we don't do for our pets :)
 
I'm saying if I absolutely could not afford a vet bill and had no other option, my best bet would be to return the hedgehog back to where I know it would be taken care of. It's better than letting the hedgehog die. That would be a last resort of course. I may be mistaken but I don't think my vet bill would be that expensive. I'm friends with a few small animal vets that have a small private practice. When we bring our dogs to the vet even for emergencies, the bill is never over a few hundred dollars. Hedgehogs may be more sensitive than dogs so I will start saving money for future vet bills also. I haven't even purchased a hedgehog yet. I may buy one for a few years, who knows?
 
The same vet that treats your dogs may not be qualified to treat your hedgehog. You'd have to make sure they treat exotic animals.

More often than not, vet bills will be expensive. $700 is not uncommon. It's also common for emergency vet bills to be even more than that, depending on the circumstances.
 
Unfortunately if you have to convince your mom to let you have one, you probably shouldn't get one. How old are you? If you're planning on going to college in the next few years- who will care for your hedgehog? Most dorms don't allow them and a lot of apartments won't either. As well, once your life changes you may not have the time to care for your hedgie anymore and that's not fair to the hedgie. You should always have provisions for him/her and for any major vet bills that arise....I know you said if you had to, you would give him/her back, but just remember how hard it can be to adjust to change and how unfair that is to your animal. Another thing to consider is what you will do with him/her if you go on holiday? Someone will have to babysit and it will need to be someone hedgehog savvy. If your parents don't want you to get one, they may not be interested in taking care of him/her if you go away for the weekend or on a trip, and then you will have to find a babysitter.

Also to give you a bit of perspective on costs, from someone who had no idea how expensive a hedgehog can be: I had an issue with my hedgehog not eating properly just weeks after I got her, and paid over $500.00 at the vet (in 3 visits) and there was no emergency care or hospital stay involved (those make costs go waaayyyy up). As well there are the initial costs - with her cage, toys, food, heater, liners etc it all came to somewhere in the 400-600 range. So in that first month and a half we had her I spent over $1000.00 on her. I'm not saying that's normal, but I had not prepared for that, so as you can imagine I was very shocked. Thankfully I had resources I could use in this situation and I am really glad I did have them. If you don't and you're parents aren't on board with it, you would have to return him/her in a similar situation and that would be unfortunate for everyone involved.

So definitely waiting a few years (like you mentioned earlier) sounds a good idea, especially if you plan to go away to school.
 
I don't think that I will get a dorm or apartment when I go to college which is going to be soon. I have a dog (actually a few) and I have a lot of time for them still. Are hedgehogs more likely to get sick than a dog? I am curious because I take care of my dogs fine and I can handle their vet bill. It's not that my family can't afford a hedgehog or the vet. My mom is money smart and she doesn't think that a hedgehog is worth the money. I originally meant how can I convince my mother that a hedeghog is worth all of this money? My siblings and I ask my mom everything before we do it. My sister is 23 living in her own house with a husband and she still asked my mom if she could get a dog.
 
I don't think they get sick more than a dog per se...but their health concerns can sneak up on us and become serious really fast - hence the big vet bills. Before you even know they're sick, they can be really, really sick. They're great at continuing to eat enough to keep you from worrying and running on their wheels when they're sick. The lack of knowledge out there also can add to that because, unlike dogs, they haven't been domestic for centuries and don't come with centuries of experience/study. They're exotic animals so there aren't a lot of resources out there and there is still a lot we don't know about them - this forum is a excellent resource but it seems a lot of hedgehogs have different outcomes to the same health concerns so in the end, in a lot of cases, your only option is a vet visit when something odd/concerning comes up.

*Edit: Also, a hedgehog needs to see an exotic animal vet, which tend to be more expensive than a regular vet. Their treatments are usually more expensive too. So when you do get a hedgehog, just make sure you have already lined up a 24hour exotics vet who has experience with hedgehogs. Some regular vets are willing to treat hedgies - but it is best to get one with experience as hedgehogs are not like dogs or cats.

Good luck!
 
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Thanks! I figured since hedgehogs were exotic that they were harder to diagnose and therefore treat. Louisiana actually has quite a few exotic animal vets.

Thanks to everyone for their advice! I see where y'all are all coming from. So many kids want animals then they get boring or expensive. I hatch and breed exotic chickens. I hate when children come and want baby chicks for Easter! Once they grow up they get old to the kids fast. Pet peeve of mine!!! If/when I get a hedgehog, I won't ever forget about it's needs and wants. Just like with your actual kids, if it's necessary it's going to happen. So if my hedgie needs surgery that's 5x more money than I thought I would have to spend, then I would do it.
 
Depending on where you go to school, most schools require freshmen to live on campus in a dorm. And the majority of dorms don't allow pets. Just something to think about...

And also, it is very hard to find vets in some areas. If you took the hedgie to school with you, you may have to drive several hours to a vet. I have rats that come to school with me and the closest vet that would treat exotic animals them was almost 2 hours away.

Also, keep in mind they have specific temperature requirements.
 
I think you should pay attention to your mother advice if she is saying than you shouldn't insist to buy one.....
Animals takes a lot of money on their food and maintenance just wait for couple of year
 
The purchase price of any animal is usually the cheapest part. Just last week, I spent over $500 over the course of TWO DAYS when I lost two hedgehogs. Cremation and tiny little urn cost just over $225 per hedgehog. They were dead on arrival, so euthanasia wasn't included. The last time I euthanized a hedgehog, the total bill was flirting with $400.

A basic exam can run you approximately $100, simply because they are considered exotic animals. Add on medication, tests, overnight care and emergency visits, and you have a very hefty vet bill very quickly.
 
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