Hedgelings

Right at the beginning of July, I arrived home one day and heard little chirping sounds somewhere in the room. (Boy do I get lots of surprises coming home.) Wondering how a bird could have flown in, I searched the living room...the last place I looked was Harry, my fat girl (Yes, I named her Harry.) hedghog's aquarium...and to my horror I saw a lump of something under her belly!

"She's a he!?"

Yet to my further horror, I spotted 3 more of these pink lumps lying around her!

The realization soon hit me that Harry was, to my dissapointment(?), indeed a girl, but the whole time I was calling her "fat Harry" she was carrying 4 babies, and that day when I came home, Harry had just given birth!

Since then it has been 3 weeks and three of the babies are growing very well. Unfortunately the fourth didn't make it after a week or so. He had been smaller than the others and wasn't growing like his siblings. Even in an aquarium, nature is harsh.

Today while changing their pine shavings, I noticed that the little hedgelings had finally opened their eyes! They are getting plumper every day and now, barely squinting, they are able to see the blurry world around them. I pick them up often, much to the mother's discontent, just to let them become accustomed to human touch. They are never scared (brave babies, considering being kidnapped by a giant!), but just start licking around before they puke out white foam onto their fur. I learned this is how they get accustomed to new smell. Phew.

Well, now with a fresh smelling home, they should be able to huddle together comfortably.