meet guinness

What: Female African pygmy hedgehog
Full name: Guinness Harriet Martin Cliffe, after Harriet the Spy, because of the way she tilts her head and looks at us out of one eye
Aliases: GP (for Guin-nea Pig), Huffy Hufferton, Tubby Tubberton, Bubby, Bubbers and Bubberton
Coloring: Pinto (same as the horse; she has a few pure-white patches on her sides) with a white furry tummy
Namesake: Most of her quills (which don't come out like a porcupine's) look like the stout; dark brown on the bottom and white on top
Length: 7-1/2 in. (when we got her, she was about 5 in.)
Weight: 1 lb., 1 oz. (when we got her, she was about 7 oz.)
Birthday: September 21, 2011 (thank you, Earth Wind & Fire)
Gotcha day: November 14, 2011, just outside State Fair Park (from a breeder whose husband wanted to go to the train show)
Home: A two-level cage with a ramp that Ian made; her food is at the top and she is really good at using the ramp, unless it is blocked, at which point, she flops down to the first floor
Modus: Being afraid of everything
Life goal: Being brave
Feels like: When she's calm, her quills lie flat on her back and feel like rice; when she's upset, her quills stand straight up and are quite sharp -- and her tummy is very soft, if she lets you touch it
Eats: Dry and wet kitten food, mealworms, green beans, corn, carrots and shortbread cookies
Likes: Digging, climbing, burrowing, snuggling, playing outside (under strict supervision), sleeping in her special blanket, huffing at frightening sights and sounds, exploring the world with a toilet paper tube on her head, playing catch with Ian (she is the ball), cigarette butts, meeting new people
Dislikes: Apples, being tickled, getting her picture taken (especially for holidays), sitting still, her ball, leashes, meeting new people

I've obviously been sitting on this post since November, for absolutely no good reason at all. But even though it's very, very old by Web standards, it still deserves to be read.

Want to know anything else about our little hog?