Dear Mom,
As you know, my 17th birthday is in 6 days. I have finally decided what I want as a present: a baby hedgehog. I know that getting a new pet is a big responsibility. Below, I have accounted for some questions that I predict will arise. I believe that a hedgehog is perfect for this family for many significant reasons: 1) its size, and 2) its low ongoing cost, particularly compared to other pets.
The financial breakdown is as follows:
Fixed costs:
Cage* - $0
Wheel - $30
Pouch - $13
Cloth - $15
Heat lamp - $20
Thermometer - $5
Food and Water Dishes - $6
Hedgehog - $220
TOTAL START-UP COST: $306
Recurring costs:
Item: Cost and Frequency/ Monthly Cost
Food**: (see below)/ $3.42
Shampoo: $7 every 6 months/ $1.10
Vet: $120 every 6 months/ $20
Bugs: $5 per month / $5
Heat lamp bulb: $1 every 6 months/ $1.66
Litter: $5/6 months $0.83
TOTAL MONTHLY COST: $32.01
*A note on the cage: My friends have offered to build me a hedgehog cage for my birthday, saving us approximately $200.
**A note on the food: The good news is that hedgehogs eat cat food, so we won’t have to purchase specialty food for it. That said, we will need to shift our cat food purchasing strategy to account for the hedgehog. I propose the following in order to optimize for efficiency and cost: we currently purchase 16 lb./256 oz. bags at $11.88 for our two cats. Cats consume 4 oz. each per day, making for a 32-day bag-consumption cycle at 1 cup/8oz. per day. Hedgehogs will consume ¼ cup/2 oz. of cat food per day. Two cats plus one hedgehog would consume our current bag size in a 25-day timeframe.
Thus, I suggest we begin purchasing a larger, 22 lb. bag of cat food to keep our purchasing cycle consistent. This bag would cost $16.73, creating a daily cat cost of $0.38 and a monthly cat cost of $13.31 for a 35-day cycle. The hedgehog’s food cost would be $3.42 every 35 days, accounted for in this model. I am prepared to cover this monthly cost increase.
Moving on. You might be experiencing sticker shock at the start-up cost, but in reality it’s quite reasonable in comparison to other animals. As you know, I babysit Lydia’s bearded dragon often and was considering adopting one. Bearded dragons eat 10-15 crickets a day at 10 cents per cricket. That’s $1-$1.50 a day on crickets. Additionally, the crickets need to be fed--cricket food costs $6/month. This ends up costing between $37-$52.50 per month on food alone.
You may have concerns about if the cats and the hedgehog will coexist peacefully. In the wild, hedgehogs fight off big birds and wolves with their quills by rolling up into a ball and activating their spikes. They’re more than equipped to handle two house cats. Cats adapt to respect the quills and will inevitably get bored and stop paying attention to the hedgehog.
Another foreseeable concern is the time commitment. Hedgehogs are perceived to need more care than household or domesticated pets because they are “exotic” animals. That is not the case here. I must hold it everyday to maintain comfort around people, much like a cat or a dog. I commit to cleaning its cage and washing its sleep cloth each week, checking food and water levels daily, and bathing and trimming its nails every 2 weeks. Besides holding him, the weekly time investment is only about 2 hours, which is well worth it for a new best friend.
Hedgehogs also help with anxiety and stress. Animals rely on you, which is both motivating and comforting. Cuddling acts as a calming effect and mood booster.
I hope that you strongly consider adding a hedgehog to our family as my sole birthday present.
Sincerely,
Celeste