AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — You can now legally have a hedgehog in the state of Maine without any special licenses or permits.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife have added hedgehogs to the unrestricted animal list.
There was a bill up for debate which would have eased the restrictions on owning the animals, which initially required two different permits. LD 35 was created after sixth graders from Mechanic Falls complained to Sen. Eric Brakey about the hoops they had to jump through to get hedgehogs as pets.
Now that the animals aren't restricted, people don't need special licenses to get them, so the committee decided there was no need to vote on the bill.
Sen. Brakey said in a statement, "I'm really glad this issue could be resolved for these students without the need for further legislation."
