They're cute and cuddly and they're giving dogs a run for their money.
Hedgehogs are gaining popularity as the new family pet.
Just ask crystal smith.
She got Harriet a few months ago and now wants another.

“My husband asked what do you want for Valentine's Day and I said a hedgehog and he told me I was crazy.”

But she's not.
The trend started in England.
And now these prickly pets are popular all over the planet.
For Smith it was a matter of convenience
.
We lived in the city at the time so I really couldn’t have a bunch of animals there.

Breeders here in town are overwhelmed by the craze.

“ They are going up these last two months we actually have a waiting list about twenty people,” said Sarah Roberts a breeder in Mansfield. “That's never happened in the year’s of breeding we've done.”

Part of the reason sales are so high is because they are so low maintenance.
They sleep all day.
“The busy work schedules... both parents work and there's not really a lot of parents staying home anymore to let the dog out during the day,” said Roberts.

Smith sees another advantage.

“Dogs require a lot of bills. A lot of people want pets for their kids but don’t have the money to spend 400 dollars a year on a vet.”
And if you're a little skittish, experts assure us they are friendly animals.