New Bedding For Rupert The Hedgehog

     There's an old farmer's saying about "You gotta make hay while the sun shines". It actually has two meanings. The first is you mow hay during the daylight when you can see where you're cutting and the second is you only cut hay when it's dry. Wet mown hay will mold, mildew and rot thus producing bales of worthless, possibly toxic mess instead of good hay.
     When the "duck police" visited they also told me that part of my front yard needed mowing. Instead of trying to talk sense to officer to tell her that was in fact a herb garden I took the easy route and just mowed the whole damn thing over. When I was still thinking I'd get the simple courtesy of a return visit I went above and beyond what was on the complaint and pulled the grass growing in between the cracks and along the edges of my driveway. This I just threw into a pile in the back yard.

     Now to the title of this post... I didn't like the shredded paper bedding that was in Rupert the hedgehog's enclosure when I brought him home so I ditched that. I wanted an absorbent material and I had plenty of rabbit pellets which are basically alfalfa that has been dried and compresses into well, pellets. Rupert wasn't real happy on that so I searched my brain for a solution we could agree upon.
Viola! While the hay I'd bought for the ducks and geese was and is still in their used to be home it was to put it mildly "crapped in and on by ducks and geese".  Plan B for hay was free and too easy. The grass I'd weeded up was now dry and ready for use.
     When I moved here from the trailerhood I dug up some of the catnip I had growing in a flowerbed and brought it with me and it has established itself quite well. While I no longer (presently?) have any felines I do enjoy the aroma of catnip myself. It has a slightly minty smell but more earthy than any other members of the mint family I think. Anyway, after washing and drying Rupert's cage I plucked a few sprigs of catnip and tossed them into the bottom before bedding him down with the home grown hay. He's still grumpy as all Hell but I try to give him some hands on time daily. It's rather akin to handling an inside out pincushion so I simply need to build up my calluses!