<p>My daughter’s hedgehog may have wobbly hedgehog syndrome. It is not at all funny as it is like human MS and is fatal. So it is really sad. But I can’t say the words ‘Wobbly hedgehog syndrome’ without laughing.</p>
<p>OH, I’m so sorry, SCM. Both about the hedgehog, and about the fact that I, sadly, laughed when I read this. You are going to have to work really hard to keep a straight face around your D!</p>
<p>Your daughter has a hedgehog? An actual hedgehog? </p>
<p>This is a pet?</p>
<p>[What</a> is NOT WHS](<a href=“http://hedgehogvalley.com/notWHS.html]What”>What is NOT Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome)</p>
<p>You have my sympathies, and I can totally understand the laughter, albeit it’s not a laughing matter. Any pet in distress is not funny.</p>
<p>Maybe you could use the acronym instead and force “wobbly hedgehog syndrome” out of your mind. It IS a really funny combination of words, but if one of my pets had a fatal disease and I found out one of my loved ones was laughing about some aspect of the disease, even just the name, I would feel really, really hurt. It kind of tears me up just thinking about it. I’m such a softie!</p>
<p>When I have talked to her about it I don’t use the term at all though I did laugh when she first said it. That’s why I feel so bad - I had no idea it was so serious till I read up on it. 
. I truly am not laughing at the poor creature or it’s illness - it was just the name that caught me off guard. </p>
<p>violoadad - thanks for that link. I have sent it to her.</p>
<p>Isn’t a hedgehog a British animal? (Not that they have nationalities like we do, but – you know.) And “wobbly” sounds like a term the Brits would use. Maybe it should be viewed like other Briticisms, like – “figgy pudding” and “spotted dick.” It just sounds odd to our ears.</p>
<p>Actually wobbly is a term we use (I’m British) - do you not use it here? I know we use it differently - like someone pitching a fit is ‘throwing a wobbly’, but it is a word here right? (I get confused). Even I ■■■■■■■ at spotted dick.</p>
<p>Hedgehogs are definitely seen in the wild in Britain. never heard of them as pets until recently when my daughter fell in love with them.</p>
<p>Yes, we use the word “wobbly,” but usually to refer to a table or chair – “Be careful; that leg is wobbly.” We don’t use it to describe people or animals.</p>
<p>We had a miniature African hedgehog as a pet when my son was much younger. She was very cute and could fit on your hand; her name was Hedgie. She lived to be about 5 or 6 years old. Occasionally, we’d let her out of her container (where she spent most of her time either running on her wheel, or sleeping in her little hut with a piece of cloth for company) and let her run around on the floor for a while. Fortunately, my ex’s cat seemed to find her intimidating, and left her alone.</p>
<p>you could call it a weeble. weebles wobble but they don’t fall down.</p>
<p>my dog is blind and walks into things, and yes sometimes I have to not laugh, its a tender laugh</p>
<p>or call it a treble</p>
<p>I can’t read about hedgehogs without thinking about Jan Brett books … she hid hedgehogs in the side pictures. My kids’ kindergarten teacher … a sainted woman, in my book … was a huge Jan Brett fan. We all love hedgehogs now, thanks to Mrs. T! Sorry your hedgehog is wobbly. Hope it un-wobbles (?) soon!</p>