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Spud, the African pygmy hedgehog Photo by Justin Vaughan
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Ann Isenberg with alpacas Henry and Charles Photo by Jay Paul
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Meet Spud
Spud is Amanda Nepomuceno's African pygmy hedgehog who, in his spare time, likes to swim in the bathtub, burrow in layers of fleece and run on his wheel for exercise. Wild hedgehogs run 4 to 5 miles at night, so Nepomuceno keeps him in a separate bedroom where he can spin the night away without disturbing the household. After seeing a picture of a hoglet (a hedgehog baby) on Pinterest, the Holiday Barn dog trainer started researching the small nocturnal creatures and then decided to buy one.
When Spud was 8 weeks old, he weighed nearly 7 ounces. Now, at a year and a half old, he still weighs less than 1.5 pounds. Hedgehogs don't have good vision and instead use taste and smell as identifiers. "Spud recognizes my scent," says Nepomuceno. "He comes up and sniffs my neck and hair, and burrows." When one of Nepomuceno's dogs startles Spud, he tightens into a ball of quills for protection and makes a huffing noise to warn that he is annoyed. Spud is such a hit, Nepomuceno says, that he has inspired her clients at Holiday Barn to buy baby hedgehogs as well.
Richmonders are an eclectic and creative group of people — funky mural painters, talented tattoo artists, savvy and bright entrepreneurs. It's not surprising, then, that they get creative with their choice of pets, too. We spoke with five RVA residents about their peculiar pets, from a small, venomous sand spider to a pair of alpacas.
Billy and Nanny, Nigerian dwarf goats
Sibling Nigerian dwarf goats Billy and Nanny live in a small cabin with a front porch off River Road. Cocker Spaniel-size and weighing approximately 70 pounds, these miniature goats reside in Ben and Caroline Moomaw's backyard. They were the perfect starter farm animals for the couple. "When we first got them, we had absolutely no goat experience," Caroline says. "We just thought they'd be cute." The Moomaws feed them pellet-size goat chow once a day with a mix of straw and minerals to help with their digestion. For exercise, they let them romp in the field on their 4-acre property.
Nigerian dwarf goats are smarter than most livestock, and they can even be trained to come when called, Caroline says. "The breeder told us they are very much like dogs." Their disposition is "very sweet and cuddly," and they get along with children and other pets. Sometimes, though, the goats try to play by butting heads with the Moomaws' dogs, and end up scaring them away. Caroline also warns to watch out for your "fancy plants," because they'll try to eat them.
Spud, an African pygmy hedgehog
Spud is Amanda Nepomuceno's African pygmy hedgehog who, in his spare time, likes to swim in the bathtub, burrow in layers of fleece and run on his wheel for exercise. Wild hedgehogs run 4 to 5 miles at night, so Nepomuceno keeps him in a separate bedroom where he can spin the night away without disturbing the household. After seeing a picture of a hoglet (a hedgehog baby) on Pinterest, the Holiday Barn dog trainer started researching the small nocturnal creatures and then decided to buy one.
When Spud was 8 weeks old, he weighed nearly 7 ounces. Now, at a year and a half old, he still weighs less than 1.5 pounds. Hedgehogs don't have good vision and instead use taste and smell as identifiers. "Spud recognizes my scent," says Nepomuceno. "He comes up and sniffs my neck and hair, and burrows." When one of Nepomuceno's dogs startles Spud, he tightens into a ball of quills for protection and makes a huffing noise to warn that he is annoyed. Spud is such a hit, Nepomuceno says, that he has inspired her clients at Holiday Barn to buy baby hedgehogs as well.
Henry and Charles, alpacas
Two years ago, Ann Isenberg's Rockville neighbor, an alpaca breeder, gave her two alpacas. Henry and Charles (Hank and Chuck, for short) hang out in a pen on the backside of the Isenbergs' barn. "They kind of watch out for each other," she says. For instance, while one is sleeping, the other will stand guard and be a lookout. As far as their personalities are concerned, Hank and Chuck aren't the brightest livestock in the barn. "They are skittish and stupid, but you look at them and you've got to love them," she says. "They are crazy-looking."
Hank and Chuck are easy to care for, though. Isenberg feeds them hay and pellets that she buys from the feed-and-seed store. "They're easier than a dog," she says. During the day, they like to wander in the yard, and on hot summer days you'll find them cooling off by standing in sprinklers or a big bucket of water. Their heavy fur is sheared once a year, and Isenberg has it processed and turned into yarn and felt for her friends, who use it for knitting and crafts.
Ripley, the Eastern Indigo snake
Piebald ball python breeder Don Osborne runs his business, Plethora of Pythons, out of his home in Chesterfield County. Right now, he has more than 100 ball pythons that live in drawers in what he refers to as his "ball room." He uses about 40 of those pythons for breeding, and they all have biblical names, like Eve, Tamar and Mordecai. "I think snakes got a bad rap in the Bible," he says. "People forget about Moses turning his staff into a snake, and it ate the evil snakes." Osborne's favorite snake, the only one he refers to as his pet, is Ripley, an Eastern Indigo, which is on the threatened species list. Osborne had to apply for a federal permit to purchase Ripley. The breed, now only found in Florida, is the largest snake native to North America, measuring up to 8 feet long. Eastern Indigos are immune to other snake venom and are black with a red throat. "They are said to be the smartest snakes out there."
Sand Man, the sand spider
Husband and wife team Steve and Kinion Sober, of Arachnids RVA, are breeders of tarantulas, scorpions and more. They also have quite a few of their creepy-crawly, eight-legged friends at home with them. They have a Mexican Redknee, a few tarantulas, a tailless whip scorpion (which appears in the Harry Potter series), a black widow named Lavinia Fisher, a fake black widow and a sand spider. The sand spider, named Sand Man, is a 2- to 3-inch arachnid with a bumpy abdomen and a tendency to bury himself in the sand. "They cover themselves up, and whenever something comes along, they jump out of the sand and bite it," says Kinion. "They are pretty venomous — they can kill a rabbit." The Sobers don't handle Sand Man. "He is more for observation," she says. "He's really cute-looking."
