“Spiky, small, adorable”. Those are the three words to describe this little friend. Four-toed hedgehogs are considered exotic pets. They meant to live in the wild, but somehow, humans have managed to domesticate this animal into a pet.
Four-toed hedgehogs are also known by another name, like African pygmy hedgehogs. The word African is named after them since they came from the land of Africa.
Having a hedgehog as a pet can be an alternative option for those looking for a low-maintenance pet–other than cute. Hedgehogs can also be good companions for night owls since they are nocturnal animals.
Hedgehogs have four tiny legs, a mouse-like head and covered in quills. They do make sounds, mostly huffing and puffing–which is normal. Once, the writer caught her hedgehog screaming while it was asleep. She checked on it and tried to Google the cause. She found that the screaming noise might indicate bad dreams.
Owning a hedgehog as a pet can be illegal in certain countries, but, fortunately, not in Indonesia. You can adopt a hedgehog from a local breeder in your area. With today’s technology, you can search for a trusted hedgehog breeder or seller online.
I Kadek Suastika, the owner of Candyz.betta, is one of the trusted hedgehog local breeders in Bali, Indonesia. Candyz.betta was founded in March 2020, the same month as Indonesia’s first case of COVID-19. “It was during COVID, from my assignment. I majored in accounting. I was assigned to start a merchant. Later, I made one, but I had to sell it on social media. Then, I focused on selling on Instagram at that time. I was assigned to make posts and make stories. We were assigned to be active on Instagram,” Suastika said.
At the beginning of Suastika’s business in 2020, he only bred and traded betta fish (Siamese fighting fish) and hamsters. He later found four-toed hedgehogs as a fascinating animal to own and bought a pair of hedgehogs to be kept as a pet.
Suastika perceives an opportunity to breed four-toed hedgehogs as it is rare to find a hedgehog breeder in Bali. From his point of view, four-toed hedgehogs have a high selling potential to trade as pets. “The food is also affordable. The housing is not too big, and the selling price is still high,” Suastika added.
There are several types of four-toed hedgehogs available in Indonesia. Suastika has owned, bred and traded five types of them, including Albino, Cinnamon, Pinto, Platinum, and Salt & Pepper. Those types have a variety of colours on their eyes and quills.
Suastika’s customers come from a wide range of ages, including kids, teenagers and adults. “Most of my customers are teenagers. One of the factors is probably because they feel lonely and need a pet that can accompany them everywhere,” Suastika said.
As Suastika ended the interview, he encouraged people to try to own hedgehogs as pets.
“Hedgehogs are exotic animals, low maintenance and can be easy to carry out everywhere.”
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