INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Hedgehogs that are too young won’t be ready to live on their own. On the other hand, it might be harder to get an older hedgehog used to you and a new home. Like kittens or puppies, individual hedgehogs will have distinct personalities, some playful and active, some calm. Look for one that has the personality you’re looking for and pick it up.  Young hedgehogs won’t be as prickly, and you can easily pick them up. The hedgehog may quickly curl up into a ball when you pick it up. This is a natural defense mechanism. If this happens, be calm and patient while it relaxes and adjusts to being held in your hands. Healthy hedgehogs will normally uncurl themselves fairly quickly and investigate your hand. If the hedgehog clicks, hops, or jumps, put it back in its cage and let it settle down and become more relaxed. These signs indicate that the hedgehog is scared and/or stressed, and it may attack. Good breeders will have separated young hedgehogs by gender. If males and females are housed together, they may quickly mate. When female hedgehogs become pregnant too early, this can cause a number of health problems. Accidentally buying a pregnant female can also leave you with a litter of hedgehog babies before too long.

SUMMARY: Buy a hedgehog when it is 6-12 weeks old. Play with the hedgehog. Avoid choosing a female that has been housed with a male.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Open one 8-ounce (225 g) package of cream cheese and put it in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add 4 tablespoons (56 g) of softened butter. Use an electric mixer or a spoon to beat the butter and cream cheese until they're completely combined. It's important that both the butter and cream cheese are softened or you'll end up with lumpy cheesecake batter. Measure 1/2 cup (40 g) of crushed graham cracker crumbs and stir them into the cheesecake batter until they're incorporated. Get out 4 cups (500 g) of powdered sugar. Beat in one cup (125 g) of the powdered sugar on low speed until it's combined. Continue to stir in the rest of the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. If you add all of the powdered sugar at once, it will fly out of the bowl when you turn the mixer on. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator. Chill the batter for at least one hour or up to overnight. Chilling the batter will make it easier to roll into bites. Take out a baking sheet and set it next to your work surface. Lay a sheet of waxed paper on it and take the bowl of cheesecake batter out of the refrigerator. Take a cookie scoop and scoop the firm batter into rough balls. For completely smooth cheesecake bites, roll each ball between the palms of your hands to smooth out any edges. Set each bite on the waxed paper. You can use any size cookie scoop to get whatever size cheesecake bite you want. Put the sheet of cheesecake bites in the refrigerator to firm up for 10 to 20 minutes. Chilling them will prevent them from melting as you dip them in chocolate. Measure 10 ounces (283 g) of chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. Put it in the microwave and heat the chocolate chips for 15 seconds. Stir the chocolate chips and microwave them for another 15 seconds. Continue to stir and microwave the chocolate chips until they're melted. Set the bowl of melted chocolate on your work surface and take the chilled cheesecake bites out of the refrigerator. Place a cheesecake bite into the chocolate and use a fork to cover the bite with the chocolate. Lift the bite out of the bowl of chocolate and set it back onto the waxed paper. Cover each cheesecake bite in chocolate. Put the tray with the dipped cheesecake bites into the refrigerator so the chocolate can harden. You'll need to chill them for at least one hour before you serve them. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

SUMMARY: Beat the cream cheese with the butter. Stir in the graham cracker crumbs. Stir in one cup (125 g) of powdered sugar at a time. Chill the cheesecake batter for at least one hour. Remove the batter from the fridge and set up a rolling station. Scoop the batter into balls. Chill the cheesecake bites for 10 to 20 minutes. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. Dip each cheesecake bite in melted chocolate. Chill the chocolate covered cheesecake bites for one hour.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Your referees, should they agree to be your referees, are doing you a favor. Give them at least two weeks to prepare and, if necessary, write you a letter of recommendation. There is some disagreement about the best way to ask someone to be a reference. Asking someone in person or over the phone is more personal, but you run the risk of making someone uncomfortable. Asking someone in an email is less personal, but it gives the person a chance to consider the request. Use your best judgment.  Whether you ask for a reference in person, on the phone, or in an email, give the potential referee the option of saying “no.” Ask the potential referee, “Do you feel that you are able to give me a strong reference?” If a potential referee does in fact say “no,” be grateful. It’s far better to have someone who really wants give you a reference on your side.  Be polite. Let your potential referees know how much you appreciate their efforts. And let them know that you’re available to answer any questions they might have. Supply them with job ad itself. You should also come up with your own description of the position. Remember the lists you made when you were deciding who to ask? Now’s the time to use those lists again. Make an effort to draw connections between your potential referee’s qualifications and the position for which you’re applying. For example, you might say, "Since you are a successful business owner, I thought that Business University's School of Business would value your opinion of me." Be very upfront about what you want your referees to say about you. You might say something along the following lines: “Given our history, I think you’re the right person to talk about my abilities in these areas…”  You can offer them anything from a simple list to a full-blown draft of a letter of recommendation. The more specific and thorough you are, the more grateful your referees will be. Give your referees explicit permission to add or delete parts of your guide as they see fit. This will let your referees know that you trust their judgement. You can say, “This is just a guide. I hope that you will make whatever changes you think are necessary.” Remember: an updated resume is far more useful than an out-of-date one. Once you’ve submitted your application materials, be sure to send thank-you notes, and keep your referees in-the-loop about the progress of your job search. A quick email that begins, “I wanted to give an update about the job I applied for.” Whether or not you end up getting the position for which you applied, maintaining contact with your referees is a smart idea. You might need to call on them to provide references for other applications. And they might be able to alert you to job openings.

SUMMARY:
Ask early. Decide how you will ask. Tell your referees about the position. Explain why you’re asking them. Offer a guide. Give your referees a copy of your resume. Follow up.