It all started in high school when my neighbor texted me saying that she had a new pet.

Instantaneously my phone was blown up with pictures of an animal that looked like a porcupine. I was so confused as to why she wanted a porcupine as a pet because they grow to be so large in size as adults. When she said that it was actually a hedgehog, I realized that I had never really seen a hedgehog or a porcupine in real life, I had only seen pictures. When I visited her to meet the new addition to her family, I fell in love.

Hedgehogs are a hand-held bundle of joy.

Since that day, I have always wanted a hedgehog. However, being a college student and taking care of an animal other than a fish is not an easy task. I feed my beta fish once in the morning, once at night and I am set. I do not have to walk it multiple times a day or spend hours entertaining it.

Oswego State students cannot have animals other than fish unless they have documentation for emotional support. Some students living in the residence halls have animals such as cats, bunnies and dogs. For me, that would never work. I cannot imagine having a dog in the residence hall, between feeding it, walking it, entertaining it and cleaning it, I do not have that much time to take care of an animal.

That is why hedgehogs are the perfect animal for college students.

Hedgehogs do not like that much contact with other people. They like about an hour of socialization a day. Hedgehogs like to be on their own most of the time, so they spend their days exercising, eating, peacefully sleeping and playing with toys.

There are around 17 different species of hedgehogs worldwide. They only grow to be about 12 inches in length as an adult. 

One negative to hedgehogs is quilling. Almost like a snake sheding its skin, hedgehogs lose their quills in a process called quilling. Most hedgehog owners say that it is a pain and can be really difficult to take care of. Also, hedgehogs only live to be around six years old. I would be devastated if I lost my hedgehog after six years.

Every time I see a hedgehog on an Instagram video, I will never scroll past it. I have to watch that video in its entirety and smile at the screen stupidly. I will watch the video multiple times, which at the end of the day, only feeds my strong desire to own a hedgehog. Maybe I should just get a hedgehog.