40 Pics Of Adorable Herbee The Hedgehog That 1.5 Million Instagram Followers Adore

Germany-based Talitha Girnus always knew she wanted a pet of her own since she was a child. "One day, a friend sent me a GIF of a hedgehog that was getting belly rubs and slowly stretched out its little arms and legs. At that very moment, I knew that I wanted a hedgehog as a pet. But I didn't know that you can keep hedgehogs as pets, because European wild hedgehogs are protected by nature and can't be kept as pets. So, I started researching on the same day and found a breeder for African Pygmy hedgehogs very close to me. I opened the page and Pokee’s little face popped up. The description said, "especially trusting" and at that moment, I knew exactly that I would do everything to keep this little hedgehog," Talitha took to Instagram to share a story of how her heartfelt friendship with Mr. Pokee started.

With 1.5 million followers, Pokee was a true petfluencer among the Instagram hedgehogs setting the standards of what joy and 'living to the fullest' should look like. Unfortunately, lovely Mr. Pokee passed away in March due to bacteria after his dental surgery at almost 4 years old. We all have probably experienced the heartbreaking loss of a furry (or spiky) family member and the feeling of never being capable of loving as much again. Talitha honored his memory with a tattoo on her wrist and symbolically, Mr. Pokee still lives in most of the photos. She also decided to keep the account name as it gained a special meaning of spreading joy around through sharing the adventures of 'Pokee familee'.

However, about half a year ago, Mr. Pokee's legacy was passed on to another adorable spiky fella, Herbee. Seems like it was a part of Pokee's otherworldly masterplan to send this little friend to Talitha's life at just the perfect time. Herbee was adopted from a girl, who couldn't keep him due to an extreme allergic reaction. And it was meant to be - Talitha became a hog mom for a second time! Although they are not related, Herbee seems to have Mr. Pokee's modeling talents with his sweet poses and funny expressions, especially when put into quirky scenarios.

Talitha said: "When I created Pokee's page, I simply wanted to share the cute, happy moments that Pokee brought me. Little did I know that this little bundle of joy and sharing our story would create such a powerful message about life and bring smiles to so many people around the world. And this message needs to be carried on... through Herbee!"

This Instagram account has occasional cameos from other animals, like dogs or other hedgehogs and the level of cuteness in their photos together with Herbee should not be allowed. Recently, a beautiful Bengal cat named Audree became a member of this joyful family. The cat and tiny hedgehog duo might be the world's cutest adventurers and partners in crime taking over the internet!

"Between all the serious things happening in the world every day, Pokee and now Herbee and Audree are here to give you a reason to be happy and smile. Whenever you return to our page, we want to remind you to never lose faith and always follow your heart" - Talitha stated on her website.