This hedgehog video will make your day (12 photos + 1 video)

Keeping hedgehogs as pets has become very fashionable again, reviving a craze that began in the early 90s when they were a passing fad; before people realized how difficult it was to take care of them.

Thanks to their super-cute appearance and photogenic nature, sales of domesticated hedgehogs - the only breed suitable for domestication - then (and now) boomed.

Recently, hedgehog owners launched a new trend, the goal of which is to photograph the butt of a sleeping prickly animal and share the result with other users. The new trend emerged after people were inspired by a video in which a hedgehog was sleeping soundly, inadvertently exposing his pink bottom. It was this video that became the catalyst that provoked other owners to photograph and share the butts of their pets.

However, no matter how funny and cute hedgehogs look, many experts insist that you should think carefully before you decide to have a prickly one at home. For example, ecologist Hugh Warwick says that very often people get tired of animals, since they often require high operating costs.

"I really hope this trend doesn't start again, despite the very real appeal of these animals and the pleasure of owning one," he wrote in The Guardian. “Leaving aside the ethics of the exotic pet industry, there are several important reasons why we should not encourage the pet hedgehog hobby.”

“Firstly, there is the depressing inevitability that unscrupulous people will collect wild urchins in an attempt to sell them (there is evidence that they already do). British hedgehogs are wild animals and are not suitable as pets. Most hedgehogs for sale are bred in captivity and some may tolerate poor treatment.”

“Secondly, people get bored of their favorite hedgehogs. They are nocturnal, like to move around a lot and need a wheel to run on. They also tend to wobble when they run and end up smearing the wheel and themselves with feces that will need to be cleaned up every day.”

But, despite the fact that activists tell people about all the difficulties that they will face if they suddenly decide to start a hedgehog house, their popularity still continues to grow, in many ways this is also facilitated by “amazing” accounts on Instagram with successful hedgehogs.

So what is really the best way to care for these cute and quite vulnerable animals and give them a happy life in captivity?

Emma Crossan, a dog trainer from Lancashire, England, currently has 11 pet hedgehogs that she has kept for nearly a decade.

"They are not easy to keep and you always have to be dedicated," she told the BBC. "They need to be handled every day, even if the hedgehog is acting up."

“I have a separate room for hedgehogs,” says Emma.

She keeps each of them in a vivarium, a container for exotic animals. It is important that hedgehogs receive a lot of attention, eat properly - the food should be rich in protein and low in fat - in addition, the animals must have a wheel so that they can run with it.

“They can run miles overnight, the wheel is very important,” she notes.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) states that animals should be kept in a designated area at a temperature between 24°C and 30°C. Anything hotter may cause them to suffer heatstroke, while temperatures below 18°C may result in hibernation.

And while the charity says hedgehogs are not suitable pets, it advises future owners to research the animals' needs so that if people do decide to keep them in their home, they are able to provide what they need.

Here's the video that started it all: