[catOkid]

Hi! I really want a hedgehog, i've done a ton of research I have a ton of space for a cage and the temp is between 21C and 24C everything is perfect. Now all I have to do is convince my parents.

I have been acting like an angle but every time I get a little grumpy they yell at me and say
"Why should we give you a hedgehog if you're attitude sucks !?! :x "

Its really hard to convince them of anything. How can I convince them to let me get a hedgehog?

 

[krbshappy71]

Take up some responsibility around the house to earn chore money. This will show them you are willing to work for what you want. Then, when you get about $100 or so you can tell them that is your emergency vet visit money that they can hold onto for when your hedgie gets sick. That should impress them that you are serious and willing to do the right thing for what you want. It will show them that you are committed to it, it isn't an impulse.

Casually talk about the hedgies here and there, basically dropping tidbits of knowledge that you have learned through your research. Nothing too overwhelming, just "did you know? Isn't it cool that..." etc. to keep that seed planted in their head in a positive way. Be happy and positive about all that you are learning.

There are other young adults/kids on this website as well that hopefully will chime in with more ideas for you. Mine are from a parent's perspective.

 

[hedgielover]

I have been acting like an angle but every time I get a little grumpy they yell at me and say
"Why should we give you a hedgehog if you're attitude sucks !?! :x "

I know that line. I used to get it all the time. Apparently being in a bad mood or being tired (whatever) means that you have an attitude problem to some parents.

krbshappy gave some good advice but also I think you should get organized. Make a budget for hedgehog ownership and a daily care to-do list. Having a list of all the expenses, start up and continuing as well as all the stuff you will have to do to take care of your hedgehog will help your parents see you are serious and responsible.

 

[Herisson]

I'm going to offer you my point of view as a parent of two kids.

I will only allow my kids to have a pet if they meet certain requirements.

1. They must have a household chore they do in exchange for my buying food and litter.

2. They must buy or pay for the adoption fee & house themselves with birthday, Christmas or earned money.

3. If I have to take care of the pet, he/she becomes mine.

4. I will only allow a pet I would not mind having as my own. This way if the kid gets bored with him/her, I won't mind the extra pet. My son wanted a bearded dragon. He didn't get one. Daughter wanted a bird, she didn't get one.

5. Bad grades= no pet!

My kids are 10 & 13 and have their own rats they take of themselves. My daughter also has Quillbert after helping with Herisson for over a year. She bought Quillbert a Ferret Nation with her own money. This impressed me greatly! She also makes me a hot tea every morning without being asked. Kindness goes a long way.

I would love to hear from other parents. :mrgreen:

 

[nationofamanda]

i'm not a parent, but i remember wanting a pet as a kid. (i wanted gerbils)

i told my parents that i wanted them and asked what i could do to be allowed to have them.
first i had to keep my grades decent, which was not easy for me as a kid...i was a daydreamer.

i also had to keep my room clean enough that an animal could live in it...haha.

i had to promise that i alone would care for them, and keep them fed and clean, and make sure they didn't escape.

gerbil upkeep was a lot less expensive than a hedgehog, so i would also advise that you save your money, from a job or chores or babysitting to both pay for your pet, plus expenses...even if you can't pay for everything you should always have enough to cover most of it. set a budget with them so when it comes time to need to go to the vet or to buy more food and stuff you are ready. that something even most adults have trouble with so keeping a budget will make you a more responsible person and pet owner.

let them know that you have done the research...find a breeder near you and ask if you and your parent's can ask them questions so that you can both know more, and so that your parent's can make an informed decision...ultimately it's up to them.

if they say no...be an adult about it. don't pout. maybe if you keep being responsible they will come around in a few months or a year. you have to understand that pets become your parent's burden if you get tired of them. showing them that you still want one 5 or 6 months from now will do a lot to show them it's not just a silly phase your into.

 

[Nancy]

First off, 21C is only 69F and is too cold for a hedgehog. You need minimum 23C with no dipping lower. What type of heating are you planning?

Often kids say they act like angels but that is the childs viewpoint only. Parents are very well aware when good behaviour only happens when the child wants something. If good behaviour, helping, good grades, etc isn't the norm, chances are high the parent is not going to be very co-operative when the child wants something especially a pet that could land even more work onto the parent. This is very often what has been happening when a parent refuses to discuss or outright says no.

How well you care for other pets or have in the past as well as how neat you keep your room and tidy up after yourself also shows parents how responsible you will be toward a new pet. If you haven't been keeping your own stuff neat and tidy, there's not much chance of a pet.

Parents rarely give in to spur of the moment changes, whims, whining, or impatience. If you really do want a hedgehog and are serious, prove that to them over the next months. If a hedgehog is truly important to you, waiting means nothing and you can continue to research and get proper heating in place before he/she arrives.

 

[Ariel]

I'm 16, so this is coming more from the child angle, which, as it's been mentioned I'm thinking could be helpful since all the people that have posted so far are coming from a more adult angle.

My parents were hesitant about letting me get another pet, but I earned everything, from the cost of the hedgehog, as well as start up supplies, and while you may not be able to do this, I also buy her food and contribute $20 a month to our water bill because Sophie has liners that need washing.

All the ideas that have been contributed so far have been good ones, but perhaps your parents want more than just you being an angel. If I was a parent it would be an expectation of mine that good grades and a good attitude be upheld in my home if my kids wanted something (such as permission to get a hedgehog). I'd be sure that you make that your standard so they can't just hold it over your head like you said they've done, and just tell you that you have a bad attitude and therefore shouldn't get a hedgehog.

I'd highly suggest seeing if a friend or neighbor has a hedgie you could watch for a weekend or something, or getting a job or set of chores from your parents as a means of earning money. If you've got a trickling income it shows your parents that you're being responsible on all fronts and makes them much more amenable to your desires.

 

[SnufflePuff]

I'm 19 and I got my first hedgehog when I was already 18, but even though I'm technically an "adult" ( :lol: still find that a funny thought) I do still live with my mom and had to get permission.

For me it was the "I'm an adult, these will by my pets, I will pay for everything and they will be coming with me when I move out" that allowed me to get them.

Even though you are 12, hedgehogs have been known to live up to 6 years so the important thing is that you show your parents that you are in this for the long-run.

For me having two hedgehogs in two very large cages is going to get tricky down the road if I want to move out into an apartment or if I am required to move into residence for any of the vet programs I apply for. But when you get a pet you make a committment and I'm not going to be one of those people whose mother is selling my hedgehogs on Kijiji cause I'm going off to school.

Obviously this probably won't apply to you at your age, but the message is the same. I think if you can get some "hands-on" hedgehog handling/care skills that would be best both for your and your parents so you can prove that hedgies are a match for you and that you won't "outgrow" them.

 

[HedgeMom]

Start by taking responsibility for one of the existing pets. Walk the dog, clean the cat box, do the water changes for the aquarium without being asked.

If there are no existing pets, there isn't much chance your parents will allow a hedgehog. They may just not be pet people.

 

[ILOVElily]

I am 12 and it took me months of proving to my parents I was responsible enough.
money was the main thing keeping me from getting a hedgie.
they were worried that I would not be able to pay for the hedgie and they would end up needing to, and they were aware that a hedghog is an exotic pet that needs expensive care.
While I was researching I also was saving up money. Birthday money, Christmas money from relatives, dog walking etc.
I made sure I had enough money to provide my hedgie with the very best for the rest of her life and at least 100 dollars at all times to be ready for any vet emergency.
I already had money so if you dont have any money to start out with it is gonna take you awhile. But it does take time to show you are responsible, unless you really aren't.

Money is not the only thing you should be aware of, as SnufflePuff said, hedgies can live up to 6 years and you have to make sure that you will be able to provide your hedgie with all its needs ( including love and snuggleing time ) when you are in high school and have a job or whatever you are planning to do.
hedgies are a joy to have but in some cases it can be hard to provide absolutely everything to keep them happy and healthy. If you have done proper research than you should know that. also hedgies aren't always going to want attention like a dog or cat would. Hedgies of any gender can be good pets, But you'll be suprized how different one hedgies personality is from another :lol: .Some hedgehogs will simply never come around and will always be huffy. Many people here have had to wait for months until their hedgies accepted them, others have a hedgie with a curiosity of a cat, and a hedgie who is always ready to explore, and some hedgies prefere to take a nap on mommy,lol.

But if you do get a hedgie, you have to make sure that your parents always are able to back you up if there was ever a problem.
Good Luck! Hedgies are amazing pets! I'm sure that with the right data, you'd be a great hedgie mom! :mrgreen:

 

[hedgielover]

ILOVElily: that was such a well written and articulate post. I hope your parents are very proud of you for how responsible, friendly and well spoken you are.

catOkid: any news? have you tried any of our suggestions or made any progress with your parents? I hope that you discover a hedgehog is the right pet for you good luck!

 

[ILOVElily]

thanks! and my parents are proud they remind me everyday how much they love me ( can get lil' bit annoying but than again i'm probably on pinchitas nerves all day heehee) :mrgreen:

yah cat0kid any news? lately you havn't updated lately. :|

 

[meganis--]

im 18 and i am still living at home, i am getting my little girl next month and i too had to go thru the convincing process. Heres what i did in a list haha:

1. do your research: i bought a hedgehog book from petsmart and read it when my mom was around and obnoxiously talked about all the cool hedgie facts
2. MAKE SURE you mention: hedgies are not smelly, they are very quiet, and they are hypo-allergetic (no allergies for those who are allergic to cats dogs or other small pets)
3. talk about the fact that they are potty trainable!
4. i mentioned to my parents that because i am in college and working, having a pet of my own that i can take care of will help me practice responsability in all aspects of my life.
5. sad but true: hedgies only live about 3-6 years, for some parents they are worried that their kids will move on and leave them with these unwanted or inconvienient pets, but hedgies dont last 10-20 years so your parents probably wont be put in this situation.

Good luck!!
ps- once you get studying you will be completely consumed with these amazing pets! Beware of addiction!! haha

 

[Nancy]

2. MAKE SURE you mention: hedgies are not smelly, they are very quiet, and they are hypo-allergetic (no allergies for those who are allergic to cats dogs or other small pets)
3. talk about the fact that they are potty trainable!

2. Unfortunately, this is not true. While hedgehogs themselves have no body odor, one of the most common complaints about them is the smell of the cage and poopy wheel that they run on all night. Babies in particular smell because they are poop machines so cage and wheel needs to be cleaned daily which is often something people, especially young people, don't want to do.

It is myth that hedgehogs don't cause allergies. While sometimes those who are allergic to other pets do not react to hedgehogs, for most they do cause allergies and often people with no other allergies are allergic to hedgehogs. Allergies is one of the most common reasons that hedgehogs are rehomed. If you search on here you will find many who have been rehomed because of allergies.

3. Yes, some hedgehogs can be potty trained but the majority will never be.

 

[Herisson]

You should read the book LizardGirl wrote. It's up to date and has much better information. She has it available on PDF as well at the bottom of this thread.
viewtopic.php?f=20&t=4163&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=PDF&start=50

 

[digipen13]

I'm also having a trouble with convincing my parents to have a hedgehog.
but I think I have to use some of the tricks you guys said here. =) (crossing my fingers)

 

[Pipkin]

Oh yes do not be fooled into thinking hedgies dont smell, they stink especially baby ones :lol: they do lose the strong smell as they age, but at first that baby poop is very strong. cute though .
I was going to say i thought some people on here were allergic to their babies.

Id definately say the main thing is to show responsibility around the house, take on a few chores or save your pocket money up to a certain amount to prove you can save for emergencies.

Luckily my parents bought me and my sister lots of animals as we were growing up our house was full of gorgeous pets, but like most kids me and my sister loast interest in the cleaning side of things, thankfully i have great parents and they always cleaned the pets out regularly and took full responsibility for them on behalf of us, we were only young (about 8 yrs old), but thats the only reason we had so many was that my parents were completely willing to take on the responsibilities, both financially and cleaning aspects. Which I am very thankful for now, because I am now 25 and i have 6 pets and they are my life,I put them first all the time and spend hours a day looking after them all, but i love it, I think this was from watching my parents with our pets as I grew up. They showed me responisbility and how to look after a pet, they didn't just disown it because we didnt look after them properly. So it is partly the parents responsibility as well as the childs to make sure any pet in their home is taken care of.

 

[littleblacktutu]

Hi there, im new to the forums..I just wanted to say that im 23 and I also had to convince my father that Im responsible enough to take care of a hedgehog. For awhile he had to live at my boyfriends house, because my father wanted nothing to do with him. Finally my dad came around after talking to him. I told him that it was like a hamster and that it would stay in my room, and i would take full care of him. Id buy all the hedgies food, wash the fleece bedding myself(even tho my mom seems to want to help..), and also if something were to happen I would pay for the vet bills. I set aside time each day to bond with my hedgie. As i type this Peno is sitting in my lap in her blanket. Also i pick off daily poopie from her liner twice a day. But good luck to everyone whose parents are unsure about it.

 

[rainbowcookie]

My parents would have NEVER let me get a hedgehog! They let us have cats, and a few outside dogs. I had a few betta fish in my bedroom in high school. I always wanted a small caged pet of my own, and I know I was a serious and responsible kid. Looking back, I can see that I probably would not have had a lot of time to spend with a small animal, and my parents STILL don't get why I love hamsters, mice, rats, hedgehogs, etc!

I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but the truth is that some parents just won't go for any kind of small pet.

I wanted a pet in college, too... but they were not allowed in the dorms or campus apartments. I didn't want to risk losing a pet. I've always loved animals, and by that time had done a lot of research on the pet I really wanted--a hedgehog.

I moved into my very own house in July 2007... and I got a hedgehog the very next month! Being an adult isn't always what it's cracked up to be, but at least you can have your pets!

 

[shetland]

ILOVElily, are you really 12 years old??? Wow, you are so impressive. Your comments are so honest and thorough concerning the responsibilities of hedgie ownership. Time, commitment, funding-you focus on everything. You also note that someone of a younger age might still need backing of parents in the event of a crisis. A++++