Arlington Pet of the Week: Hathor

It’s no coincidence this playful hedgehog shares a name with the Egyptian goddess of joy and love. Meet our Arlington Pet of the Week, Hathor, a playful African Pygmy Hedgehog living in Crystal City.

Here’s what Hathor’s owner had to say about her:

When you first pick Hathor up, she will curl up into a ball in the palm of your hand. After a few seconds, when she senses that you’re not there to harm her, she will uncurl and begin flailing her arms around — her sign that she wants to play with you!

Hathor’s enclosure is filled with pieces of fleece, which she loves to burrow under and move around. She has a wheel that was custom-made for her, which she sometimes uses for exercise. But she seems much more interested in seeing what will happen if she jumps off the side or uses it as a swing to rock back and forth.

Even though she is fully grown, Hathor still thinks she can crawl into toilet paper tubes. If you leave one close to her, she will inevitably get it stuck on her head and walk around that way until somebody takes it off.

Hathor loves snuggling with her owner or with visitors. One of her favorite tricks is to crawl up the sleeve of somebody’s jacket, emerging a few minutes later on the other side. She also loves crawling onto people’s shoulders, licking their hair, and sniffing the inside of their ear, which really tickles!

The Arlington Pet of the Week is sponsored by Dogma Bakery, which has locations at The Village at Shirlington (2772 S. Arlington Mill Drive) and the Lee Harrison Shopping Center (2445 N. Harrison Street).

Want your pet to be considered to be the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email [email protected]. Each week’s winner receives a $25 Dogma gift card.