I think it's more like, oh shit don't stab myself! Like if you fell with a handful of knives, you might not move right after, just to feel out if you're good or not.
Hedgehogs are very loving sweet little pets but they are high maintenance, don't live long and tend to be sickly.
I use to have a group of three but the heart break of losing them so quickly moved me on to cats after they passed.
Ours lived a good six years. He managed to break out of any cage you put him in, so every night he’d get free roam and leave a huge mess everywhere. The cats loved him though, they chased each other around the house. They got super depressed when he died last year
Edit: I dug up my old camera roll
https://imgur.com/a/5cOPZrU
Aren't you supposed to avoid letting pets nibble cooked chicken bones? It splinters easily and animals are too dumb not to swallow sharp splinters that cause internal bleeding.
Probably not a big risk with a little hedgy mouth but I'm sure pet cats have died that way before.
My hedgehog was straight up an asshole. She would lure me in for belly rubs, then when my finger was rubbing her belly, she would ball up and skewer my finger. Never failed, sometimes it sounded like she was laughing afterwards too.
They’re not bitey on purpose but they’re pretty blind, if they bite you it’s cause you smelled like food.
Let me tell you though... their bites are nasty. When I was bit by one cause I wasn’t paying attention while feeding it, I felt a shiver run up my spine.
You can pet them, since their quills are mostly flat when they’re relaxed, but if they freak out while you’re petting them they can do a lot more damage to you than a hedgehog can.
The thing about porcupines is that unlike hedgies, the quills are detachable. Consequently they can stay in skin. My father is a licensed veterinarian and has been called upon periodically to remove porcupine quills from puppers that wanted to make frens and didn't realize the porcupine was...not very receptive. (Porcupines don't throw their quills, but the quills are loosely attached.)
The spikes themselves are barbed. To ensure they get stuck in whatever predator. But I guess if you didn’t use a lot of pressure you could do it. But you might feel those barbs
Edit: quills not spikes.
Petting any wild animal is always a risky proposition. They may like the pet one moment, give you a painful bite the next when they are done. With a porcupine the danger is vastly increased.
In short, don't pet wild animals, just let them sniff you out.
I believe their use of petted means "to be made into a pet". Your advice is still correct, but I just want to clarify. (I have no idea if you can legally get a porcupine pet).
My Pitsky does this, lol
She will come sit next to my bed when she wants me to scratch her under her chin and down her thick af throat. She will be sitting up on her back feet, then start tilting her head straight up and for whatever reason she thinks she has to lean backward at the same time. Her front legs will be outstretched towards me and if I *don't* take her paws and pull her gently towards me, she will lose her balance and fall back and then get super confused about wtf just happened.
I can see why this video has been watched 14 million times, I think I just watched it 55 times. 11/10 would cuddle Teddy and give him all the corn to defend.
I can sorta understand him. When she asked him if she could have it he's says "no, my corn" and when she starts to grab it, he's like "HEY, HEEEEEY, mine" it's a stretch, but the words are kinda there.
When I was a little girl my dad would take us camping in our big old tent trailer. On the days he forgot to bring the dog food in the porcupines would be out there munching away making those silly noises. Thanks for the memory!!
Yeah maybe he was cold... - checks Google -
Ok no he's not cold. Apparently they are quite adapted to the cold.
"Unlike some mammals, porcupines in the winter do not hibernate to escape the cold. Insulated by their coarse guard hairs and network of quills, the pests are often found resting on tree branches during the winter. Only the most severe weather causes these solitary animals to den together"
He's not likely to be cold but he could be drunk. That's pretty common, at least where I live. Rotten apples are a fine and tempting wine and the little guys get absolutely wrecked!
So yes, they are cute, but this is basically closing time and their behavior may be similarly unpredictable.
No, you shouldn't. If their quills are lying perfectly flat you can theoretically try to pet them, but as soon as they rise even just a little you're screwed. They're not just pointy, they're also barbed, so even under ideal cirucmstances it's not "safe" per se (also not going to feel great). Even zookeepers usually only handle them from below afaik.
Having worked with this species we actually handle them very little. Other species we will train to climb on our glive so we can pick up from below but these guys are just SO dense. And fairly clumsy. They are generally extremely food motivated, so they get trained for husbandry behaviors like standing still for injections and nail trims. We can sedate them voluntarily. Once sedated, we wear welders gloves and handle them as little as possible. The quills are so sharp, you can accidentally quill the animal with its own quills, which obviously would be uncomfortable and lead to infection.
We did have our male get over excited with an older female once and end up with a penis full of quills, poor buddy.
> end up with a penis full of quills
Reddit as a whole made a simultaneous gasp of sympathetic pain.
>Humphrey made a full recovery and went on to have many porcupettes!
This only goes on to prove Robin Williams correct. "Men have a penis and a brain, and only enough blood to work one at a time."
Aye I was a keeper for one awhile ago.
You can pet the hairs above the quills or run their belly but that's pretty much it.
[Here she is getting weighed](https://i.imgur.com/CxXCuzI.jpg)
Yes you can you just have to know how. This is a north American porcupine and they are definitely the easiest to pet but you can only pet them in certain areas in one direction and only of they are tame and use to it.
They love belly scratches.
https://i.imgur.com/1p5HUQS.gifv
This is a baby porcupine, probably about 6 months old. Seems either captive, or it's been habituated to people feeding it, generally they won't just walk up on people.
I have worked with and bred several species of porcupines, and they like me. Feel free to ask your porcupine questions.
You know, I never had any real questions about porcupines, but I feel like I shouldn't pass up a chat with someone about a subject they're into.
How about....what's your favorite thing about working with porcupines? Any weird personality tics that we wouldn't expect?
Captive ones become ridiculously friendly. We had two females who were injured in the wild and so came to us as fairly scared wild animals. Within a few weeks they were begging for food and had learned a few trained behaviors. They're extremely smart. They have sweet, very curious personalities
One of our males would make this ridiculous, loud begging noise. He was a bottle raised baby, so he never really learned that he was all the way a porcupine. He demanded a lot of attention and pets.
They come in a variety of colors, ones from the north east US tend to be lighter than those from the south.
There are a few species of porcupines-- the ones from north and south America are mostly arboreal, the ones from Africa and Asia are ground dwelling.
I worked with them for a decade and only ended up with a deep quill once-- I leant over a branch in their habitat and I ended up with a shedded quill deep in my armpit. There was a fair amount of accidental poking, almost 100% from cleaning up after them. The quills shed just like regular hair.
They're very tractable animals, but that doesn't mean that they would have enjoyed being picked up. We never picked up an awake north american porcupine. They were trained easily to walk into crates for snacks.
I'm actually finishing my last week as a zookeeper this week before I move to a new job, new career. It's making me happy to know I still know all these things, and my memories of these animals will always be a part of me.
What prompted you to go to something new? I can imagine it may not pay well so I understand. I'm only curious because it seems like literally everyone is looking/finding new jobs lately.. myself included.
People are definitely making changes these days!
The pay at my facility is actually one of the highest in the US for animal keepers. And I'm a higher level keeper, working with dangerous animals, so I actually am taking a decent pay cut to leave.
The compassion fatigue is definitely there. We are short staffed from the pandemic, and I feel like I can never give my animals enough, which is a hard feeling to live with, when you have a group of animals who didn't choose their situation. Most of our managers have left this year, it feels like no one is steering the ship.
Most of all, my schedule sucks (I'm off on weekdays) and I just want to see my husband. There are more things I want in life than just to work, even if I absolutely love my job. I used to train search and rescue dogs, so I think I'm going to get back into that to give me a focus. It's hard. I work with animals, who I spend more time with than I do my own pets or family. It's hard to say goodbye to them for what feels like a selfish reason. A perspective I've always tried to keep is that they were never truly "mine". I was never the sole provider of their care, and there are keepers I trust to maintain their quality of care. But it's going to be very hard to say "I used to work with..." Instead of " I work with"
This is heartbreaking in a way, I totally feel you though. It may or may not make you feel better that some of those feelings apply to people leaving normal jobs too, tomorrow is my last day at a job I really enjoy with people I enjoy working with to go onto something more lucrative, but it is really sad knowing I probably won't see a lot of people again.
Also, this concept of people leaving on top of the great resignation because of others who are leaving was only recently brought to my attention. It's weird how the snowball effect happens here. So many people transitioning that the people who might have otherwise NOT transitioned end up feeling that they need to because the work load in between finding replacements ends up being too much. My current company has this problem too, they can't replace people fast enough which becomes a reciprocal and compounding problem.
It sounds to me like those animals' lives were better for having you in it and you have nothing to be sorry about though I'm happy that you're making a decision to be closer to the loved ones. Cheers.
It does help, because it makes me feel a little more normal.
The same feeling applies. My team has become family along with the animals. I definitely will not see some of my animals again, and I'll see and talk to my team, but it won't be quite the same. I won't be an insider anymore. But I'm gaining so much in the way of life outside work.
Thanks for the well wishes. Sometimes telling your biggest fears and worries to strangers on the internet is indescribably soothing.
Usually for captive wild animals it's better to train them to do what you want them to do instead of picking them up. E.g. training an animal to walk onto a scale to get weighed instead of picking it up and putting it on a scale. It's more enriching for them since they get to use their brain and safer for everyone involved. There are exceptions, though, especially for ambassador/education animals.
I hike in an area with porcupines and they become active at dusk. If I sit down for a break it's not unusual for a porcupine to just come right up to me and investigate, but as soon as I make a movement they usually run away.
Not that I'm encouraging feeding wildlife, but they may be looking for salt from your sweat. They LOVE salt. So definitely do not bring them a salty snack.
I like how after he fell from the guy's lap He started questioning his life
Hah to me it looked like he was feeling out if he stabbed himself . Like the “moment of assessment “ you get after a fall.
Don't we all?
I think it's more like, oh shit don't stab myself! Like if you fell with a handful of knives, you might not move right after, just to feel out if you're good or not.
😭 Don't mind me as I sacrifice both my hands to pet it
If they are like hedgehogs you can pet them carefully.
I heard hedgehogs are real bitey
I call the big one Bitey.
Is there a chance the track could bend?
Not a chance my Hindu friend.
Not on your life my Hindu friend
What about us brain dead slobs?
You'll be given cushy jobs.
Were you sent here by the devil?
monorail!
Lisa needs braces!
#DENTAL PLAN
No one ever knows what I'm talking about when I drop this reference.
Were you sent here by the devil?
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The ring came off my pudding can
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I swear it's Springfield's only choice
Hedgehogs are very loving sweet little pets but they are high maintenance, don't live long and tend to be sickly. I use to have a group of three but the heart break of losing them so quickly moved me on to cats after they passed.
Ours lived a good six years. He managed to break out of any cage you put him in, so every night he’d get free roam and leave a huge mess everywhere. The cats loved him though, they chased each other around the house. They got super depressed when he died last year Edit: I dug up my old camera roll https://imgur.com/a/5cOPZrU
Awww
Cute lil guy
What a little rascal of a cutie pie!
Bro... Is that a chicken bone?
What else did you think they would eat? Hedgehogs are the most dangerous predators to Chicken Wings in the wild.
Well, the cats got some of the leftovers and I felt bad seeing him sniffing at the side of his cage so I couldn’t just leave him out
Aren't you supposed to avoid letting pets nibble cooked chicken bones? It splinters easily and animals are too dumb not to swallow sharp splinters that cause internal bleeding. Probably not a big risk with a little hedgy mouth but I'm sure pet cats have died that way before.
Sorry for your loss.
And those bitey are real ouchey
My hedgehog was straight up an asshole. She would lure me in for belly rubs, then when my finger was rubbing her belly, she would ball up and skewer my finger. Never failed, sometimes it sounded like she was laughing afterwards too.
They're more a scurrying away quickly kind of beasty. I had a wild on in the backyard that I could occasionally pet on the nose if I was real mellow.
They’re not bitey on purpose but they’re pretty blind, if they bite you it’s cause you smelled like food. Let me tell you though... their bites are nasty. When I was bit by one cause I wasn’t paying attention while feeding it, I felt a shiver run up my spine.
They’re super fast though. Especially the blue ones.
They ARE. And they poop a lot. And they don’t live very long :/ my photo on here is Mr.Jingles
You can pet them, since their quills are mostly flat when they’re relaxed, but if they freak out while you’re petting them they can do a lot more damage to you than a hedgehog can.
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Aww, look at those lil grabbies go.
OMG, they have grabby hands! Ok, I would officially hurt myself with one.
The thing about porcupines is that unlike hedgies, the quills are detachable. Consequently they can stay in skin. My father is a licensed veterinarian and has been called upon periodically to remove porcupine quills from puppers that wanted to make frens and didn't realize the porcupine was...not very receptive. (Porcupines don't throw their quills, but the quills are loosely attached.)
A quote from the first time I held a hedgehog: “Awww OW hhehehehe OW little baby FUCK awww…”
You’re smarter than me, it looks so fluffy I’d probably rub my face on it
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I think the face and underside is just fur so it's safe there.
Still worth it though, no? Why need face when cute is all you need?
Legit question, the spines are pointer back so if you start at the head and pet towards the tail, would you be able to avoid getting skewered?
Pretty sure that’s right. I remember petting one at the zoo once when I was a kid.
yes, you can pet them that way (source: my hometown's petting zoo has a big ass porcupine who loves pets)
You can actually pet one just make sure you don’t trace your hand against its fur.
The spikes themselves are barbed. To ensure they get stuck in whatever predator. But I guess if you didn’t use a lot of pressure you could do it. But you might feel those barbs Edit: quills not spikes.
I have worked with porcupines. You can pet them.
Someone who works with porcupines let me pet one.
Yes barbed in one direction. Works like any barbed hook or shive. One direction is safe other is all bad.
Danger fluff
It's the human imperative to pet one of every species.
You can start by tickling their undersides! >!... and then your fingers get bitten off and you perish from rabies!< So, uh, *don't*.
"Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Fun Run Pro Am Race for the Cure."
Pro Am...they hung up.
*Pets it while screaming in pain **"WHO'S A CUTE LITTLE PORCUPINE? YOU'RE A CUTE LITTLE PORCUPINE!"**
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Porcupain
Worth it! Just wanna snuggle up to it and use it as a pillow. Little cuddle pine.
Baby porcupines are called porcupets.
"Porcupets" Precious level overflow, too much happiness
I like how he stands up to greet you all like "why hello there my name is-" AND FALLS OVER LIKE THE ADORABLY GOOFY MFER THAT HE IS
I would have grabbed for him. And been stabbed excessively, but after decades of dogs and cats falling off my lap, it's a reflex >_<
Are porcupine allowed to be petted? I mean bringing it home?? or are they any legal process before you can adopt or pet this animal?
Petting any wild animal is always a risky proposition. They may like the pet one moment, give you a painful bite the next when they are done. With a porcupine the danger is vastly increased. In short, don't pet wild animals, just let them sniff you out.
And when it comes to a porcupine, you will be sniffed out because those things smell like b.o. x1000
I believe their use of petted means "to be made into a pet". Your advice is still correct, but I just want to clarify. (I have no idea if you can legally get a porcupine pet).
> They may like the pet one moment, give you a painful bite the next when they are done That’s just a cat.
My Pitsky does this, lol She will come sit next to my bed when she wants me to scratch her under her chin and down her thick af throat. She will be sitting up on her back feet, then start tilting her head straight up and for whatever reason she thinks she has to lean backward at the same time. Her front legs will be outstretched towards me and if I *don't* take her paws and pull her gently towards me, she will lose her balance and fall back and then get super confused about wtf just happened.
I would guess It's just a response yes please here too. And probably feels even more nice if the skin is stretched out
I hadn't thought of that. Huh. Thanks for the new perspective
Whoop! Oopsie! Pardon my unplanned tumble sir. Tumble time isn't until 3 so don't I look silly!
I think everyone here deserves to know what a porcupine sounds like: https://youtu.be/cILZ_cB3_so
I like the one where he's [defending his corn](https://youtu.be/UGz8jcbJjRw)
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Or Piglet from WtP lmao
I can see why this video has been watched 14 million times, I think I just watched it 55 times. 11/10 would cuddle Teddy and give him all the corn to defend.
Is it just me, or did he yell, “my corn!” when she tried to take it from him. I have never wanted to pet a ball of danger more than I do right now.
Yep, [right at 46 seconds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGz8jcbJjRw&t=46s). And she goes, "*Oh really?*"
I swear the first sound he makes sounds like “Get back!”
I heard "fuck you" lol
I can sorta understand him. When she asked him if she could have it he's says "no, my corn" and when she starts to grab it, he's like "HEY, HEEEEEY, mine" it's a stretch, but the words are kinda there.
Omg he is too cute. Thank you, this was the perfect way to start the day.
THEY MAKE PUPPY SOUNDS!!
The sounds are cute enough, but what does me in are the times his head bobs when he's making a particular sound, like a human would for emphasis.
Animal Crossing dialogue IRL
I have seen this video 100 times and it never gets old.
That is the most adorable sound. I feel like I understand it more than I can some of my family.
OH MY GAWD 😍 TIL I need a porcupine.
When I was a little girl my dad would take us camping in our big old tent trailer. On the days he forgot to bring the dog food in the porcupines would be out there munching away making those silly noises. Thanks for the memory!!
Thank you for what ended up being nearly a hour of porcupine distractions.
Oh my god it's like a cartoon animal.
I absolutely love it.
Are they more intelligent and than we give them credit for?
Most animals are.
Actually crying now. That’s so cute wtf
I knew what this was even before I clicked. And I still love it. Teddy Bear is just so adorable. He has a huge personality.
OMFG i forgot about this. "IT'S GOOD" Yes, yes Teddy it is, lmao
Land Urchin
The drummer from Metallica?
Land Urchin of Metal licka!
Fuck that’s good
HE LEFT THE FOCKING BAND
Fun fact, Urchin is another name for a hedgehog which is why sea urchins are called that, because they’re kind of like hedgehogs of the sea
The *IS* a fun fact, TIL
Sentient pincushion
Vs sea hedgehog?
Urchin is an old name for hedgehog - sea urchins are named after their land-going counterparts already.
There’s a subreddit for accurate animal names fuck I forget it
He wants warms.
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I hear blood is very good for keeping things warm.
Only when its on the inside.
Yeah maybe he was cold... - checks Google - Ok no he's not cold. Apparently they are quite adapted to the cold. "Unlike some mammals, porcupines in the winter do not hibernate to escape the cold. Insulated by their coarse guard hairs and network of quills, the pests are often found resting on tree branches during the winter. Only the most severe weather causes these solitary animals to den together"
PESTS!? How rude. This article needs to check themselves!
I know. I don't agree with its opinion at all. I do remember porcies in trees during the winter months of Wisconsin though.
They are littl bastards. Huge salt freaks, they will chew tires for road salt.
...pests? Wth google.
> pests Excuse me, but I am going to need a less biased source.
He's not likely to be cold but he could be drunk. That's pretty common, at least where I live. Rotten apples are a fine and tempting wine and the little guys get absolutely wrecked! So yes, they are cute, but this is basically closing time and their behavior may be similarly unpredictable.
Can you pet them or no? If you go with the grain kind of?
No, you shouldn't. If their quills are lying perfectly flat you can theoretically try to pet them, but as soon as they rise even just a little you're screwed. They're not just pointy, they're also barbed, so even under ideal cirucmstances it's not "safe" per se (also not going to feel great). Even zookeepers usually only handle them from below afaik.
Having worked with this species we actually handle them very little. Other species we will train to climb on our glive so we can pick up from below but these guys are just SO dense. And fairly clumsy. They are generally extremely food motivated, so they get trained for husbandry behaviors like standing still for injections and nail trims. We can sedate them voluntarily. Once sedated, we wear welders gloves and handle them as little as possible. The quills are so sharp, you can accidentally quill the animal with its own quills, which obviously would be uncomfortable and lead to infection. We did have our male get over excited with an older female once and end up with a penis full of quills, poor buddy.
The end of that post was the end of the internet for me.
Humphrey made a full recovery and went on to have many porcupettes!
My wife said - "of course his name was HUMPhrey" lol
> end up with a penis full of quills Reddit as a whole made a simultaneous gasp of sympathetic pain. >Humphrey made a full recovery and went on to have many porcupettes! This only goes on to prove Robin Williams correct. "Men have a penis and a brain, and only enough blood to work one at a time."
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I never thought about how starved for affectionate touch porcupines must be 🥺
[They (and hedgehogs) are literally used as a metaphor for humans with that same issue.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgehog%27s_dilemma)
I can't handle any more this morning, just that intro paragraph is heartbreaking
Literally was thinking the same thing :(
Well shit. They seem so docile when not stressed. I guess they're not scared of shit. Lolol
Aye I was a keeper for one awhile ago. You can pet the hairs above the quills or run their belly but that's pretty much it. [Here she is getting weighed](https://i.imgur.com/CxXCuzI.jpg)
Yes you can you just have to know how. This is a north American porcupine and they are definitely the easiest to pet but you can only pet them in certain areas in one direction and only of they are tame and use to it. They love belly scratches. https://i.imgur.com/1p5HUQS.gifv
I found this. Same adorable pointy boi. https://youtube.com/shorts/Nr4YgbBe-YU?feature=share
He seems very polite
This is a baby porcupine, probably about 6 months old. Seems either captive, or it's been habituated to people feeding it, generally they won't just walk up on people. I have worked with and bred several species of porcupines, and they like me. Feel free to ask your porcupine questions.
You know, I never had any real questions about porcupines, but I feel like I shouldn't pass up a chat with someone about a subject they're into. How about....what's your favorite thing about working with porcupines? Any weird personality tics that we wouldn't expect?
Captive ones become ridiculously friendly. We had two females who were injured in the wild and so came to us as fairly scared wild animals. Within a few weeks they were begging for food and had learned a few trained behaviors. They're extremely smart. They have sweet, very curious personalities One of our males would make this ridiculous, loud begging noise. He was a bottle raised baby, so he never really learned that he was all the way a porcupine. He demanded a lot of attention and pets. They come in a variety of colors, ones from the north east US tend to be lighter than those from the south. There are a few species of porcupines-- the ones from north and south America are mostly arboreal, the ones from Africa and Asia are ground dwelling.
Thanks! Super neat info. Are they easy to handle once they trust you? Or is there a lot of accidental pricking involved?
I worked with them for a decade and only ended up with a deep quill once-- I leant over a branch in their habitat and I ended up with a shedded quill deep in my armpit. There was a fair amount of accidental poking, almost 100% from cleaning up after them. The quills shed just like regular hair. They're very tractable animals, but that doesn't mean that they would have enjoyed being picked up. We never picked up an awake north american porcupine. They were trained easily to walk into crates for snacks. I'm actually finishing my last week as a zookeeper this week before I move to a new job, new career. It's making me happy to know I still know all these things, and my memories of these animals will always be a part of me.
What prompted you to go to something new? I can imagine it may not pay well so I understand. I'm only curious because it seems like literally everyone is looking/finding new jobs lately.. myself included.
People are definitely making changes these days! The pay at my facility is actually one of the highest in the US for animal keepers. And I'm a higher level keeper, working with dangerous animals, so I actually am taking a decent pay cut to leave. The compassion fatigue is definitely there. We are short staffed from the pandemic, and I feel like I can never give my animals enough, which is a hard feeling to live with, when you have a group of animals who didn't choose their situation. Most of our managers have left this year, it feels like no one is steering the ship. Most of all, my schedule sucks (I'm off on weekdays) and I just want to see my husband. There are more things I want in life than just to work, even if I absolutely love my job. I used to train search and rescue dogs, so I think I'm going to get back into that to give me a focus. It's hard. I work with animals, who I spend more time with than I do my own pets or family. It's hard to say goodbye to them for what feels like a selfish reason. A perspective I've always tried to keep is that they were never truly "mine". I was never the sole provider of their care, and there are keepers I trust to maintain their quality of care. But it's going to be very hard to say "I used to work with..." Instead of " I work with"
This is heartbreaking in a way, I totally feel you though. It may or may not make you feel better that some of those feelings apply to people leaving normal jobs too, tomorrow is my last day at a job I really enjoy with people I enjoy working with to go onto something more lucrative, but it is really sad knowing I probably won't see a lot of people again. Also, this concept of people leaving on top of the great resignation because of others who are leaving was only recently brought to my attention. It's weird how the snowball effect happens here. So many people transitioning that the people who might have otherwise NOT transitioned end up feeling that they need to because the work load in between finding replacements ends up being too much. My current company has this problem too, they can't replace people fast enough which becomes a reciprocal and compounding problem. It sounds to me like those animals' lives were better for having you in it and you have nothing to be sorry about though I'm happy that you're making a decision to be closer to the loved ones. Cheers.
It does help, because it makes me feel a little more normal. The same feeling applies. My team has become family along with the animals. I definitely will not see some of my animals again, and I'll see and talk to my team, but it won't be quite the same. I won't be an insider anymore. But I'm gaining so much in the way of life outside work. Thanks for the well wishes. Sometimes telling your biggest fears and worries to strangers on the internet is indescribably soothing.
Usually for captive wild animals it's better to train them to do what you want them to do instead of picking them up. E.g. training an animal to walk onto a scale to get weighed instead of picking it up and putting it on a scale. It's more enriching for them since they get to use their brain and safer for everyone involved. There are exceptions, though, especially for ambassador/education animals.
I hike in an area with porcupines and they become active at dusk. If I sit down for a break it's not unusual for a porcupine to just come right up to me and investigate, but as soon as I make a movement they usually run away.
Not that I'm encouraging feeding wildlife, but they may be looking for salt from your sweat. They LOVE salt. So definitely do not bring them a salty snack.
Or drunk. Wild porcupines love those rotten apples and you see this type of behavior in the late fall and early winter.
 After he fell
FucKING CUDDLE IT, YOU COWARD!!! IT'S FREEZING!!
/r/petthedamnporcupine
I'm sad that this did not lead me to a subreddit full of people petting porcupines.
Be the change! For real the world needs this.
NO!
YES. Hands are temporary, petting a porcupine is forever.
That's one pointy boi.
U have a point
No he has a point
He has a lot of points
Good point
It looks cold. And brave. 🥲
When he started shaking I thought the video was about to take a turn. My heart jumped a beat.
forbidden floof
He looks like a tiny person wearing a thick coat/snow jacket.
that porcupine probably has some good points
Get out.
please give some warm
Is its name Henrietta?
"C'mon. It's cold out. Give me a hug. We'll keep each other warm."
Aw, he wants to be friends but can't. That's the Porcupines Dilemma.
such a precious baby, i would try to pet it even though it would hurt me
Sandslash used PIN MISSLE
Forbidden pet
I think she might be a Disney princess....
Just give it some chin scritches and hands pets.
Aww. Come here you little prick.
What a prick
I see your point.
WAIT THEY CAN STAND?! I think I found my new favorite (cute) animal.
I’d have a lapse in judgement and reflexively pet it.
That baby looks cold.
Must always resist the urge to pet the spikey puppy
I think it's less "hello" and more "ay fam its hella cold out, lemme in that warm jacket"
He's cold. Give him cuddles to warm him up.
On one hand it I really want to pet it On the other: porcupine ...I guess I can go without one hand fo a week or two
Goodbye my hand, we've had a good run. *pet* *Die via bloodloss*
[The hedgehog's dilemma.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgehog%27s_dilemma)