ANNA MATHIAS (9)
MEET LIONEL AND LILO’S
OWNER, ANNA!
Hedgehogs have always been Anna’s dream pet!
“I had an obsession with them in high school,”
she explains. “I never had one back then, or
met one for that matter, but I just knew I would
love them.” When she was in college, Anna
heard that Lionel’s original owner was trying to
find him a new home. Lionel came to live with
Anna, and she quickly learned that her instinct
was right: She was meant to be a hedgehog
mom. A few years later, she brought home Lilo,
too.“They’reridiculouslycute,”Annasmiles.
However,shewantsfuture-hedgehogownersto
knowthatraisingthesecritterstakespatience.
“Theycanbeskittishwhenyoufirstgetthem.
Butthemoreyouhandlethem,themore they’ll
getusedtoyouandyourbondwillgrow.”NAMES:LionelandLilo
HOME:Charleston,SouthCarolina
BREED:AfricanPygmyHedgehogsLIONEL’SBIRTHDAY:Iturned (^4) onJanuary13.
LILO’SBIRTHDAY:I’llbe 3 onSeptember10.
LIONEL’S PERSONALITY: I’m a bit of a shy guy, and I take
some time to warm up to new people. (Annaalways
sweetthough!) saysI’m
LILO’S PERSONALITY: Anna would tell youthat
outgoingandaballof I’mreally
energy!
TRICK TO TELLING US APART: Lilo isalittlebitbigger
weighingaround (^17) ounces,butwelookverysimilar!
LIVING ARRANGEMENTS:We live in separate cages.
They are spot cleaned once a day and then deep
onceaweeksothey’re cleaned
alwaysniceforus.
SLEEP SCHEDULE: We’re the definition ofnight
Wesleepformostof owls!
theday.
FAVORITE FOODS:We eat premium cat food and meal
worms as treats. We also love snacking on fruits and veggies.
GROOMING ROUTINE:We get baths pretty much every
week. We use a bubble bath shampoo that’s specially-made
for hedgehogs so it’s not too harsh. Bathtimeisso
wegettoswimaround funbecause
inthebubbles!
HOBBIES: We absolutely loooove being in front of the
camera, but that’s only for a few seconds each day
spending the rest of our time exploring Charleston. We like
on adventureswithAnna. andgoing
DREAM VACATION: We really want to go onaroad
throughtheU.S.oneday trip
.It’dbecooltoheadoutwest!
FAVORITE TOY: Do our wheels count? We’realways
them—werunforhours on
onthematnight.
SURPRISE FACT:Our eyesight is pretty bad,so
smellalottogetaround. werelyon
FUNNIEST HIDING SPOTS: There are so many — a
coffee mug, a unicorn pool floatie, a tinywooden
pineapple...thelist chair,aplush
couldgoonforever!
FAVE ANIMAL ON SOCIAL MEDIA: We’d definitely say
Doug the Pug. His videos are the best!
Follow us both at
@lionelthehog