She cleans them up and keeps them healthy. She monitors their diets and tends to their wounds. She builds them up and gets them ready to compete. But we’re not talking about horses or cattle. And we’re not talking about fluffed up show dogs. These guys aren’t taught to perform tricks, and these guys aren’t treasured for their succulent meat. Yet their showings draw hundreds and their faces melt hearts. We’re talking about hedgehogs, and the people who coddle them.

Eighteen-year-old Kaela Mann of Oak Harbor said as long as she lives she’ll keep a couple of hedgehogs around, and as hedgehogs only live to be about 5, she’s prepared to meet quite a few. Currently Mann has two critters, Tilly and Diva.

“She’s named Diva for a reason,” Mann said of her pet, but added that Tilly is friendlier than most. Mann bought the hedgehogs from a breeder after her first hog, Ruby, died in July. She said originally she was just going to get one, but was told she couldn’t separate best friends.

Like most animal enthusiasts, Mann is a loyal caretaker. She puts up with mood swings while her animals go through agitating quilling stages to grow adult hair, and she feeds them with a small syringe when they’re sick. Right now she’s preparing her girls for a nationally recognized show this weekend in Anacortes.

Most island natives have heard of horse shows and 4-H competitions, and hedgehogs shows are similar. The winners are chosen based on attitude, health and color and are judged by a licensed breeder and member of the International Hedgehog Association. The show, which started eight years ago, draws about 500 people from around the state and dozens of animals participate.

Anacortes psychologist Carroll Meek founded the show. Her adoration for hogs developed when she spotted one outside her house. Since hedgehogs are not native to the area, Meek knew it had been abandoned by a careless owner, and she was eager to give it a new home. Though her novice hedgehog rearing earned her bandaged fingers, she quickly mastered the animal’s care needs, and in 2002 she started the competition.

“People get a chance to see something that they wouldn’t ordinarily get to see, and I think it’s important to understand animals,” Meek said of the show’s increasing popularity. “The first year was really hard because people thought I was a wacko, but now they put up ‘Welcome Hedgehog’ signs.”

This year, Mann is the only participant from Oak Harbor. Before a show, Mann said it’s important to get the hogs used to being handled, but the most challenging aspects of the event is keeping the hogs from fighting or falling off the judging tables.

“I try to clean them the night before, but they’re usually dirty by the next morning,” she said.

In 2009, Mann’s pet won a blue ribbon in the Albino group and took third in the overall adult group. She’s confident she’ll collect a few more ribbons this year based on Tilly’s sweet-natured personality.

Mann said that whether or not people are interested in shows, hedgehogs are great pets. She said they need little daily care and are hypoallergenic. While Mann feeds her pair hedgehog pellets, she said the animals have varied appetites and will scarf down anything from chicken to Cheetos, though it’s not recommended.

“Hedgehogs are the life of the party,” she said.

Hedgehog Happenings

• What: Hedgehog show.

• Where: The Depot Art Center, 611 R Ave., Anacortes.

• When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 9.

• Prices: Registration is $5 per hedgehog ($3 for children showing) and opens at 9 a.m.

• Admission: $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for school-age kids. A variety of vendors will also be on site.

The show is a fundraiser for the Anacortes Commmunity Theatre and the Depot Arts Center.