A person living 10 minutes from my house can own a hedgehog as a pet, but I can't. I can't because Fairfax County of Virginia wants to maintain it's oh-so-amazing reputation. So many things that improve their reputation, best schools, safe from "wild, exotic, or 'vicious'" creatures. Hedgehogs are not vicious. They may have quills but they're not porcupines. They actually form a bond with their owner, reacting to their voice and scent, like a dog. These hedgehogs are bred and raised in captivity and have never know the wild, yet they're illegal. "Ferrets, non-poisonous snakes, rabbits and laboratory rats that have been bred in captivity and that have never known the wild are excluded from this definition" excluded from being called "wild, exotic, or vicious." A non-poisonous snake still bites, and even a bunny can accidentally bite your fingernail off. How is that worse from being poked by a hedgehog? Not even drawing blood