Do you live in Pennsylvania and want a pet hedgehog? Well now is your chance to have your very own!

We are a group of students at Temple University working to legalize hedgehogs as pets in the state of Pennsylvania. We are petitioning for the House Bill 575 to be passed by the senate and we need your help!

Please sign the petition below to get on board in legalizing hedgehogs as pets!

http://www.change.org/petitions/help-legalize-hedgehogs-in-the-state-of-pennsylvania

Below is some more information which can also be found in the link above:

African pygmy hedgehogs are legal in all but five states; Pennsylvania is in the minority. Most of the other states in which the animals are illegal, such as Arizona and Hawaii, possess warm climates within which African pygmy hedgehogs, if released into the wild, might very well thrive, disrupting native wildlife populations. PGC uses that argument; according to PGC, it’s generally illegal to own hedgehogs here because allowing non-indigenous or non-domestic animals into the state potentially endangers Pennsylvania wildlife by competing with it for habitat and maybe even gobbling it up.”

Hedgehogs cannot survive cool climates below 70 degrees and the cold winters of Pennsylvania would pose a problem if a hedgehog did in fact get out. Therefore there is no real threat of hedgehogs becoming an invasive species in the state of Pennsylvania.

State Representatitve Jeff Pyle says “The species poses no risk to Homo sapiens.” and fully supports the legalization of hedgehog ownership in Pennsylvania.

“Pyle is jumping on board with House Bill 575, from state Rep. Gary Haluska, D-Cambria. The bill is a rewrite of the state’s exotic wildlife possession law. It aims to eliminate the permitting process for exotic animals, outlawing future ownership for creatures such as lions and tigers. The move though, would legalize hedgehogs and other so-called pocket pets.”

These hedgehogs make lovely pets and can be very educational for children by teaching them the responsibility of caring for another life. Please legalize hedgehogs in the state of Pennsylvania, as they pose no threat to our ecosystem and only benefit the lives of children and adults who adore these beautiful creatures.