Dogs and cats dominate social media all over the world. But there are other animals worthy of being Instagram stars, like Ricky the hedgehog from Ukraine. Get to know this adorable supermodel!

13. Cuteness Overload

Rick is a seven-month old African pygmy hedgehog from Ukraine. According to his parents, they immediately fell in love with him after meeting him at a breeder’s house. With a face like this, who could resist?

12. A Pygmy Hedgehog

Although breeders refer to them as African Pygmy Hedgehog, this is a descriptive term not an actual species name. These adorable small hedgehogs come in many different colors, but all have the distinctive prickly spines, whereas their bellies are coated in soft fur. If they feel threatened, they roll into a tight ball with only the spines showing.

11. Hedgehogs Make Great Pets

Hedgehogs are not like cats and dogs. They are nocturnal and solitary animals who have unique habits. Their eyes are highly sensitive to light, so it is important to respect their nocturnal needs. Most hedgehogs are very active all night long, running and jumping.

10. Rick the Sonic Hedgehog

Ricky is named after Rick the Sonic Hedgehog. Rick is a fun anime hedgehog with fans all over the world. We can see the teeniest, tiniest resemblance between the real hedgehog and the animated one.

9. Bubble Bath

Ricky eats light kibble like cats but he enjoys bubble baths. In this cute photograph, he is preparing for a bath alongside his favorite yellow rubber ducky! Look how tiny Ricky’s paws are!

8. Playing Guitar

Ricky’s owner plays stringed instruments, including the ukulele. Here, Ricky is posing with the ukulele, preparing to sing everyone a song.

7. Sharp Spines

Hedgehogs have sharp spines just like porcupines. However, unlike porcupines, hedgehogs cannot shoot the quills at predators in self-defense. They can, however, poke predators in the mouth with their quills. Hedgehogs have escaped many dangerous situations with this maneuver.

6. Roll With It

Hedgehogs turn themselves into a roll in self-defense. When they do this, their muscles are so tight it is nearly impossible to unroll them. Here, Ricky has just unrolled after a tough day of sleeping. It happened to be Monday, can you tell?

5. Happiness!

Ricky has taken the internet by storm in part because of his happy little face. In most of his pictures, he breaks into a wide smile, almost like he knows he’s about to be photographed. Make sure you get his good side!

4. Ricky Sunshine

But seriously, could you have a bad day when this little nugget is looking at you this way? I don’t think it’s possible. Adding the sunshine over his head just emphasizes that he has a chill personality.

3. Book Lover

There are many fun photographs on Ricky’s Instagram page. Our favorites involve books. Some pictures show Ricky romping on books. This one is showing the smiling, sly hedgehog enjoying the open pages.

2. Dinosaurs

Hedgehogs are animals that look like they belong to a prehistoric era. That’s what makes this photograph of Ricky among the dinosaurs so fun and compelling. Hedgehogs may be small, but they’ve changed very little over the centuries.

1. Tongue Out Tuesday

Here is a cute photograph: Ricky showing some tongue. We aren’t sure if he is planning to lick that salty crystal or snuggle up to the statue of the Buddha. Either way, it looks like Ricky loves to meditate.