Kai Dodd and wily Willow

While dogs and cats are popular pets, some students have companions who are a little less conventional. Sophomore Kai Dodd’s (he/him) spiky companion Willow is far from the typical pet. She’s a 3 year-old hedgehog who loves to play. 

“When you first meet her, she’s really very closed off and very shy, and so she’ll just curl up into a really spiky ball,” Dodd said. “She just expects that you just leave immediately. Once you stay there, she’ll lower her guard and then be pretty sweet.”

Although having a hedgehog can be a lot of fun, Dodd said it is also a lot of work. Compared to Dodd’s dog, Willow’s maintenance needs are higher, and because she’s an African hedgehog, she has to be kept under specific temperature and simulated weather conditions. 

“They have to be in a certain temperature,” Dodd said. “They have to have enough space to roam around, otherwise they’re going to get depressed.” 

Dodd said this environmental requirement causes him stress at times. 

“We have heating lamps, and if the power goes out, we just have to lay a lot of blankets on her and just hope for the best,” Dodd said. “She’s still here, so she’s survived.”

Dodd stated that owning a hedgehog poses its own array of unique challenges with their care needs, and, sometimes, their fear of meeting new people. Nevertheless, in the end, Dodd enjoys spending time with and taking care of Willow, supervising as she swims and explores.

“She’s really goofy. She’ll run into walls a lot, and I think that’s really, really funny sometimes,” Dodd said. “And she’s also really all game, really likes baths. She really likes swimming around in the bathtub and stuff. And I think it’s really, really cute.”

Beyond baths, Willow likes exploring Dodd’s house and running around new areas. Dodd has a playpen that he will set up for her so she can explore safely.

 “Then she can just roam around and just look at all the things that are in the living room,” Dodd said. “Because she’s mainly in my room a lot, and so when I pull her, when I put her in the living room, it’s really fun.” 

Willow is an active, engaging pet, and Dodd enjoys having such a unique animal to play with at home. He also enjoys showing her off to his friends, as many of them don’t have experience playing with animals like hedgehogs. 

“My favorite part is probably just being able to have such an exotic pet, and having to say that I have a hedgehog,” Dodd said. “I’m able to have that experience of having a pet that not many people have.” 

Jam Harris, jolly Juicy and merry Mulch

Senior Jam Harris (he/him) loves to watch his tomato vampire crabs Mulch and Juicy scuttle, swim and hide in their shallow water tank. This tank is a huge part of the crabs’ upkeep, and it has been specially designed for their specific species. The crabs’ tank is about 30% water and 70% land for them to burrow into.

“My crabs really like the water, so they spend a lot of the time there,” Harris said. “Sometimes they burrow, and I don’t see them for two weeks.”

His tank setup includes a large piece of wood. 

“I know that’s part of the land, but that’s jutting into the water, and then I have a filter that kind of waterfalls onto the wood and then into the water,” Harris said.

Harris’ primary task when taking care of Juicy and Mulch is keeping their tank clean, and maintaining a fun, stimulating environment that can keep them happy and healthy.

Even before adopting his crabs, Harris said he had a longtime fixation with the animal. He was fascinated by all different kinds of crabs, but he found tomato vampire crabs particularly interesting because of the males’ bright coloring and their relative simplicity to keep as pets.

“For two years, I had the most insane obsession over crabs. I could tell you about any species I knew.” Harris said. 

Harris also said that Juicy and Mulch had recently made a family, with at least two newborns. However, he is trying not to get too attached to them. 

“You have to not care about them because the parent crabs tend to eat the babies a lot,” Harris said. “I’m trying not to hold on to them because there’s a very high chance that they don’t make it.” 

Harris said he’s especially enjoyed observing and getting to know his crabs’ personalities. Mulch is much shyer than Juicy, often running away to hide under the wood in the tank when Harris approaches. On the other hand, Juicy is the subject of most of Harris’ crab pictures. However, she is still skittish and will run if Harris gets too close. 

“Really, it was kind of a shock. I don’t know why I was shocked when I got them. I was like, these little, tiny, tiny things have personalities,” Harris said. “Getting to know a more exotic creature’s personality is really fun, too. It’s a bit harder, but that’s fun.”