H E D GE HOGS
Hedgehog Hysteria Forget the fluff; it’s all about those fine spines BY STACEY FREED
86
PET GUIDE 2015
THINKSTOCK
M
ove over, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, and make way for the real deal, Miss Teazel. Step aside, Sonic, you adventurous maniac you, and recognize the bona fide wonderment that is Shming, who’s been viewed on YouTube more than 6.3 million times, frolicking and floating in his mommy’s bathtub. Teazel and Shming are riding the wave of hedgehog popularity — from T-shirts and Internet memes to actual pet ownership. “They’re adorable! Different, fun, very odd-looking and not the average pet,” says Christine Hannigan of the Hedgehog Welfare Society, a resource for education, information and rescue.