My Pet

My pet is a hedgehog and its name is Melo. I got it two years ago. I ordered it from a breeder in Sevilla (Spain), and he sent it to me in a special transport.
There are just two things I don't like about hedgehogs: The first one is that they are nocturnal, so I almost never see him, because he always leaves his wooden house when I'm almost in the bed. The other thing I don't like in the hedgehogs is that they are very clean, so his house is always clean, but at nights they need to run, and they use the wheel for relieving themselves... ¬¬ He always has a dirty foods and I have to bathe them.

However, it is a nice animal, and also people think they can still drop it because of its prickle, but that is not true. They are even soft, but just when they aren't angry or scared.

Question: Speaking about the animals, do we have to say "it" or "his"? If is "it", is the same in plural (it) or "they"?

[Good work.  You can say either he/she or it as far as an animal concerned.  Usually if we know the sex of the animal, we use he or she.]