A pet owner based in New Jersey, US, has made an obstacle course for his two hedgehogs to complete.

Michael Cannizzaro, 38, living in Keyport filmed and commentated as his two hedgehogs Tuck and Coco took turns to race through the course.

He said: "I created the first course from stuff I had laying around the house to try to get Pepper more exercise and after I uploaded it online, it went semi-viral and people wanted more of them especially since there were no sports at the time at the start of the pandemic.

"I got Tuck in May 2020 and Pepper sadly passed in December 2020 so I got Coco in February 2021 and they both love doing the courses just like Pepper did."

Footage shows the little pets make their way around the course and finish with an adorable slide into a ball pit.

Cannizzaro added: "In this video you will witness two hedgehogs compete in a homemade obstacle course through my living room with their goal to get down the slide to the ball pit the fastest.

"They don’t crave treats or affection like other animals, their reward and ultimate motivation is to get down to ground level where I let them roam free around the apartment. That is their favourite thing to do and what drives them to navigate through the course at their own free will.

"A big tip for people looking to get hedgehogs is learning as much as you can about their care and requirements before getting one. They are exotic animals so they can’t survive in just any environment and their vet bills can get a little pricey as well but they are very fun, clever and adorable little creatures."

I am Michael Cannizzaro, 38, Keyport NJ USA! I filmed this video in April of 2021 in my apartment in NJ

I own a party business called Knockerball & More where our main attraction is Knockerball or bubble soccer. I originally got my hedgehog Pepper as a pet and a mascot for my business because the kids loved seeing her but when Covid hit, we had to close for over a year so Pepper was not getting out of the cage as much. I created the first course from stuff I had laying around the house to try to get Pepper more exercise and after I uploaded it online, it went semi-viral and people wanted more of them especially since there was no sports at the time at the start of the pandemic. I got Tuck May of 2020 and Pepper sadly passed in December 2020 so I got Coco in February 2021 and they both love doing the courses just like Pepper did so here we are

In this video you will witness two hedgehogs compete in a homemade obstacle course through my living room with their goal to get down the slide to the ball pit the fastest. They don’t crave treats or affection like other animals, their reward and ultimate motivation is to get down to ground level where I let them roam free around the apartment. That is their favourite thing to do and what drives them to navigate through the course at their owk free will.

A big tip for people looking to get hedgehogs is learn as much as you can about their care and requirements before getting one. They are exotic animals so they can’t survive in just any environment and their vet bills can get a little pricey as well but they are very fun, clever and adorable little creatures.

I have created about 8 courses in total and it has come to be recognized as American Hedgehog Warrior as a play on American Ninja Warrior!