First, they are awfully cute.
Second, if you hear them talk in their gentle kind of way, it will just melt you heart.
And finally, they are generally easy going animals.
Why wouldn't you want to pet one?
That's easy -- those nasty quills.
Porcupines don't shoot quills out at attackers but when someone gets too close to a porcupine in defensive mode those quills come off. And they easily get infected. It isn't something you want to mess with.
Why should we even care about porcupines?
It's one of my Jane-tangents today that I think you will find useful.
Loving people can sometimes be like trying to pet a scared porcupine. If we get too close to a scared porcupine we're going to get a bunch of quills embedded in our skin. Petting a porcupine is possible but it must be done in a cautious manner.
Acccording to Scoop on Pets, there are a few steps we need to take to get close to a porcupine.
1. Do not scare or startle the porcupine. If the porcupine is scared its quills go up.
2. Don't move fast around a porcupine.
3. Hold out your hand to it and let it approach you.
4. Spend lots of time with it to build a relationship with the porcupine.
5. Always use heavy leather gloves when petting it.
6. Remember that porcupines are very protective of their selves.
7. Watch for the warning sign that the porcupine is afraid -- the quills go up.
These tips can be used with the prickly people in our lives. Following is my interpretation for our prickly loved ones:
1. Remember that the person's immediate reaction to something unknown or surprising is going to be a self-protection posture. Do not startle or surprise a prickly person.
2. Approach slowly.
3. Approach with kindness and respect for personal space.
4. Take warning clues -- if the person is in self-defense mode back off. Give him his space.
5. Spend lots of time with the person to build a relationship.
6. And never react to those verbal barbs he might fling out. Just let them bounce off you. Love instead.
" Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." Ephesians 4:32
And for your viewing pleasure, check out the Teddy Bear video below, one of the cutest porcupines ever!