In a video posted to TikTok, a baby porcupine makes an unexpected snuggle buddy, getting pets while curled up on a man's lap. The cutie in the video—posted by Cobb's Exotic Animal Rescue, a Canadian nonprofit sanctuary in Calgary for exotic animals—is named Ratchet, and he's a prehensile porcupine.
This species is native to South America, though Ratchet was born in the U.S. and now resides in Canada. He has around 30,000 quills on his body, and they're barbed, making them harder to pull out if they get stuck in your skin. So if you find yourself lucky enough to snuggle up with a tame porcupine like Ratchet, don't forget the pets go one direction only.
At five months old, Rachet is a baby porcupine, also known as a porcupette. It gets even cuter: If you watch all the way through, you'll see Ratchet not only behaving the same way a dog or cat would by leaning into the pets, but you can also see him nibble on a carrot.
@roodady Ratchet love attention?and food. #cobbsadventurepark #fyp #rescue #cute #babyanimals #foryou #animalsoftiktok #porcupine
The internet is loving this adorable little pal. As a result of the dog-like behavior, TikTok users have cleverly offered comments such as "Pointy dog," "Needle Puppy," "Sharp Shepard," "Dogupine," and "acupuncture 'arf'er."
One TikTok user commented with an important and hard hitting question: "Is his nose squishy? Or is it firm?" Another TikTok user offers the answer: "In case you didn't know, [their noses] apparently feel like marshmallows."
Cobb's Exotic Animal Rescue even has other videos that show how exactly to pet a porcupine ("obviously, very carefully" according to the narrator).
@roodady How to pet a porcupine. #cobbsadventurepark #fyp #rescue #babyanimals #animalsoftiktok #porcupine #cute
However, as adorable as this is, we wouldn't recommend nose-booping or petting any North American porcupine you might find in the woods, as these guys are wild animals and would likely be on the defensive if you were to get close enough to go in for a cuddle.
If you want to see more of Ratchet, check out the Cobb's Exotic Animal Rescue TikTok account. There, you can also view the sugar gliders, sloths, African crested porcupines (much bigger and pokier than Ratchet), and so many more of the creatures lucky enough to be rescued by this loving animal center.
And, in case you were wondering, yes, the bigger porcupines get plenty of pets, too, and they're also incredibly cute.
READ MORE: Raccoons as Pets: A Cute Companion or Total Disaster?
