Hedgehogs Go to Hogwarts with This Unique Breeding Program
Let’s be honest: Most Harry Potter fans like to name at least one pet after their favorite character. It’s part of bringing the magic into our lives and sharing it with our furry friends. Cheyenne Ellis, a hedgehog breeder from Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the United States, loves Harry Potter as much as we do. She started her own hedgehog breeding program named after Hogwarts, and it’s one of the cutest things we’ve ever seen.
Ellis and her husband, Zachariah, are both animal lovers and own 11 hedgehogs, all of which are named after characters from the wizarding world. When you take a peek at Ellis’s Instagram page, you’ll find tons of hedgehog pictures to brighten your day. Some of them are even dressed in wizarding attire (like the Sorting Hat), while others are shown enjoying bubble baths. All the hedgehogs are Sorted into their own Hogwarts Houses. We wouldn’t mind attending Hogwarts for hedgehogs, to be honest.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Launching a hedgehog breeding program has always been Ellis’s dream, and she set out to make that dream come true during the pandemic with SOCO Hogwarts. According to Ellis, her breeding program positions her as “a leader in hedgehog genetics.” This might be a bold statement, but Ellis seems to live up to it. She did her research in the field and found that hedgehogs are often bred irresponsibly, which leads to awful diseases such as wobbly hedgehog syndrome. These diseases are usually fatal. Ellis’s goal is to put a stop to this by improving the hedgehogs’ genetics. According to her website, her mission is “to improve hedgehog genetics by doing select breeding to unique outcrosses.”
Ellis also aims to make people more aware of the issues that commonly arise when it comes to adopting hedgehogs. One of the biggest problems seems to be that owners often don’t know how to properly care for these creatures. Hedgehogs need tons of attention. According to Ellis, they heavily rely on interaction with their humans. Giving them the attention they need (and most certainly deserve) will lead to an incredible bond. Her husband, for instance, takes his hedgehog everywhere he goes – even the grocery store.
View this post on Instagram
Ellis also can’t emphasize enough what great pets they make. They love bubble baths and sleeping under blankets, and they each have their own unique personality (and Hogwarts House, in this case). If you’re interested in learning more about these amazing creatures or are interested in adopting one, you can check out SOCO Hogwarts’s website.
