Living with mental health issues is exceptionally daunting since it can easily complicate an individual’s life. However, there are multiple ways people with mental health issues can improve their quality of life. One way is by having an emotional support animal. We all know that hedgehogs are cute, cuddly, and affectionate and are loved by many people. But can a hedgehog be an emotional support animal too? Or can the position only be filled by cats and dogs?
What Is An Emotional Support Animal?
An emotional support animal is a certified animal that provides relief to a psychiatrically disabled person. While a variety of pets can serve as emotional support animals, cats and dogs are the most commonly chosen options.
Why Do People Need Emotional Support Animals?
People with mental illnesses fare better when they are comforted and emotionally assisted. Emotional support animals are perfect for comforting psychiatrically disabled people since they can soothe their owners and help with their needs. For instance, having an emotional support animal as a companion can be especially helpful in reducing anxiety and feelings of isolation since they’ll stay with you throughout the day. This is why various types of animals can be registered as emotional support animals, as their mere presence can offer comfort and solace to individuals, even if they cannot communicate with human beings directly.
Can A Hedgehog Be An Emotional Support Animal?
Hedgehogs can be certified as emotional animals. They are responsive and affectionate towards their owners and are relatively easy to care for. They are also pretty snuggly, despite their spiky body, and can love and support their owners for years.
Are Hedgehogs Good Emotional Support Animals?
Hedgehogs are intelligent and smart animals that are lovable and friendly. They can tell if their owners are close by due to their strong sense of smell and can also respond to their owner’s voice. Furthermore, they possess the ability to sense human emotions and can effortlessly discern if someone is feeling joyful or distressed. This emotional understanding makes hedgehogs well-suited as emotional support animals, as they can provide comfort, readily adapt to an individual’s emotional needs, and consistently support their bonded owner.
Do Hedgehogs Need To Be Certified As Emotional Support Animals?
All emotional support animals, including hedgehogs, must be legally certified before they can be officially regarded as one. Simply getting a hedgehog and claiming it as your emotional support animal is insufficient. Also, only individuals that actually require an emotional support animal will be allowed to register one. People who experience mental disabilities such as attention deficit disorder (ADD), anxiety, and chronic stress may be allowed to register an emotional support animal.
A mental health professional such as a psychiatrist, doctor, or social worker can certify a hedgehog as an emotional support animal. The mental health specialist must assess the individual’s mental health issue and the extent to which the hedgehog can alleviate their symptoms, even if only partially.
How To Register A Hedgehog As An Emotional Support Animal
Registering emotional support animals usually takes a bit of time and money. So it’s essential to assess whether having an emotional support animal will actually benefit you before going through the process of registering your hedgehog. This will prevent you from investing your time, money, and effort in a registration process that may not ultimately benefit you.
If you decide you need one, the first thing you should do is reach out to a licensed mental health professional for an assessment. Once the specialist is done, they’ll send you a letter confirming whether you need an emotional support animal.
The letter is the official document that certifies that your hedgehog is an emotional support animal. So it’s crucial that the letter is written on the mental health professional’s official letterheaded paper and contains:
- The mental health professional’s license number.
- The mental health professional’s signature.
- The official date.
- Your details.
- An explanation stipulating why you need an emotional support animal.
Remember to always take this letter with you whenever you’re going anywhere with your hedgehog since it’s the official certification proving that your hedgehog is an emotional support animal and not just an average pet.
Laws For Emotional Support Hedgehogs
Emotional support hedgehogs and their owners have certain legal rights that people with regular pets do not have. These are some of them.
- Emotional support hedgehogs can enter places where other pets are not allowed.
- Housing providers can’t impose breed and weight restrictions on an emotional support hedgehog.
- Housing providers cant charge additional fees in connection to emotional support hedgehogs.
- Owners can travel with their emotional support hedgehog by plane without paying an additional fee. Nevertheless, this will only work for airlines that maintain a program for accepting emotional support animals.
Conclusion
Hedgehogs may not be as popular as dogs and cats, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be emotional support animals too. Hedgehogs can make wonderful emotional support animals if you have a good relationship with them.
