Girmus And Her Hedgehog Goes Viral

A few years ago, lonely Talitha Girmus received a photo message of a cute hedgehog from her boyfriend. The 27-year old resident of Wiesbaden was at the time missing her boyfriend, so the picture was to cheer her up.

She got excited seeing the cuteness of the hedgehog and decided to reply to the message with another hedgehog. The love birds saw it as fun, and exchanging hedgehog photos became a way of cheering themselves up. Girmus since developed a great interest in hedgehogs and decided to get one for herself. She named it, Pokee.

Hedgehogs Are Not For Everyone

Though great to be with, Girmus admits that not everyone can keep a hedgehog. In fact, it is even illegal to own a hedgehog in many states, including Washington D.C., New York City, California, and Hawaii.

Speaking to GMA, Girmus said the rodent is expensive to keep since they need specific care. Aside from that, they take a much longer time to be accommodative. However, she took up the challenge, and she is bonding very well with Pokee now. Due to their poor vision, hedgehogs get used to people through their smell and voice.

Going Viral on the internet

Girmus later created an Instagram hedgehog account to share her experience with the world. The account has since become very popular, with more than 1.6 million followers. She managed the account full-time by creating content, making stickers and merchandise, and answering emails. She also took Pokee on several outside adventures to have fun. His happy facial expressions during such outings spoke volumes. The sad thing is that Pokee died of a bacterial infection in March this year, leaving Girmus devastated.