Rare albino hedgehog is new Christmas family member! "Kitty"

[Schnauzer]

Mum has wanted a hedgehog for at least 10 years and this Christmas was destined to be a real downer given a horrible family situation. I wanted to get her something that she would love. My boyfriend also wanted to get her something, but didn't know what. We thought about it for a little while until a couple of days later I came up with an idea: a hedgehog. I asked my boyfriend if he would collaborate with me money-wise so the hedgehog was possible, and from both of us to Mum. After I found out hedgehogs were on sale at our largest local pet store, my boyfriend and I went on December 15 (I'm almost sure of the date) to look at them. Oddly, there were three normal ones and one albino! Only 1 in 10,000 hedgehogs are born completely albino, and this one was. It was in the corner and with the other three surrounding it. We asked to see it and it was fun to hold, not to mention adorable! It seemed very healthy and was no more expensive than the others (someone obviously screwed up because this is a rare animal). It just rang up at the register as "hedgehog." We got very lucky. I knew Mum would go crazy with love for this little spiky animal. My boyfriend's parents picked us up and wanted to know what we got. I told them and they wanted to see it, but it was scared and rolled up in the back of the box. His dad said, "looks just like a tennis ball." I was amused. We brought it to my house and cleaned out one of my 28 gallon aquariums to put it in. We made mum close her door upstairs and turn on the fan and tv loudly so she wouldn't realize anything we were doing in preparation for the gift. We had to keep it a secret for a week and I kept my door closed. My boyfriend and I did some more research on taking care of hedgehogs and how to sex them. It was a female. Now we could finally say "she" and "her" instead of "it." She was a cute little hoglet about 1 month old at the time of purchase. When Christmas finally got here, Mum was so happy that she started crying and caressing the cute little white cactus with pretty red eyes. I knew she would love her, but honestly I didn't know how much! That made my boyfriend and I extra satisfied. Plus, we were both already attached to her because we took care of her for a week and held her. Mum holds her a lot and she gets tamer all of the time. Not to mention it looks like she grows everyday! Literally... They must grow very quickly. All three of us listed possible names. We thought Coconut would be best, but the more we thought about it, the more of a mouthful it was to call her that all the time. So we decided on Kitty and it fits her. She eats cat food and poops a lot, but that's ok. She's a spiny ball of cuteness!! I'm back to school from my break and I miss her. I miss all of my pets and my boyfriend and Mum. I have some new pictures to post and to add to my slide show of Pepper. I tried to give Pepper a haircut resembling a show coat as best as I could. Mum hates the eyebrows that show Schnauzers have, but I love them. Christmas was great despite the odds and I wish I had a longer break.