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Pet Hedgehog

Only purchase an Pet Hedgehog directly from a reputable breeder. (Websites such as Preloved can put you in contact with breeders in the UK.) Pet stores usually don’t have the time to give all their animals the time and attention they need. Breeders should make sure each of their hoglets go to a loving home, they will probably ask you quite a few questions to make sure you’re right for their hedgehog! It’s better to go to see a few different breeders and take a look at the environment the hedgehogs are raised in. The breeder can give you information about the hedgehog’s health, parents and genetic background. The more often the hoglets has been handled, the more tamed it should be. If you meet potential pet hedgehogs that are “clicking”, curled into a ball or even nipping, it is probably frightened and not very sociable.

If it’s your first time owning a hedgehog, don’t think about breeding them yet. It takes a long time to learn about hedgehogs and breeding them can be very time consuming. Also, if you are buying more than one, don’t house them together, they don’t need (or want) friends. They will fight and seriously injure each other. Print this page out a few times and take it with you. See a few different breeders and note down their answers.

Things to check at a viewing

Weight

Find a normal weight hedgehog. An overweight hedgehog will have a double chin and this is not a healthy hedgehog. An underweight hedgehog will feel boney.

Eyes

They eyes should be open, clear and free of discharge.

Ears & Nose

Free of discharge.

Skin & Quills

Clean with no excessive quill loss.

Ears & Skin

Free from parasites, scabs, sores or crusts.

Anal & Genital Areas

Clean with no signs of discharge or diarrhoea.

Feet

Clean and free of sores. Nails shouldn’t be overgrown.

Male or female?

The male’s penile sheath looks like a raised belly button. The distance between the urinary tract and the anus is short in females. Both sexes are equally tame when they’re handled frequently, kindly and gently. Male hedgehogs are usually larger than females, females can have reproductive health problems, female hedgehogs that have been housed with males recently may already be pregnant!

Questions for the Breeder

1. How old is the hedgehog?

2. Is it male or female?

3. What have you been feeding it and what diet do you recommend?

4. What sort of accommodation is it used to?

5. What type of temperament/personality does it have?

6. Do you have a sale contract and health guarantee?

7. Can you give me a copy of the hedgehog’s medical record?

8. Can I contact you in future to answer any questions I might have?

9. If it turns out you can no longer keep your hedgehog, will the breeder take it back or help you to find a new home for it?

10. Can you recommend a veterinarian with hedgehog expertise?

The African Pygmy Hedgehog Club UK- Approved Breeders

All the Information Below this point is taken from www.africanpygmyhedgehogclub.co.uk

The African Pygmy Hedgehog Club UK is a club which is here to promote ethical ownership and breeding of African Pygmy Hedgehogs in the UK. The club is in full support of the Registry and Rescue and encourages the use of the registry for any hoglets and breeding hedgehogs as well as the Rescue for those Hedgehogs needing new homes. Sadly with African Pygmy Hedgehogs growing in popularity in the UK more and more people are buying without doing research and without knowing the correct care a African Pygmy hedgehog needs.

In order to become a club member you must agree to follow the code of ethics, the code is there for the protection and ethical breeding/ownership of your African Pygmy Hedgehog. Anyone caught breaking the code of ethics will be removed from the club.

Breeders code of ethics

To provide my hedgehogs with fresh food and water, every day of the year.
To provide shelter, warmth, freedom from pain and hunger for my hedgehogs at all times.
To provide others with advice, support and guidance when able.
To provide safe housing, safe food, safe drinking water and safe toys for my hedgehogs at all times.
To provide hoglets with safe, nutritious food and drinking water.
To provide safe housing such as vivarium or zoozone 2. Barred cages not allowed.
To not own more than 10 hedgehogs per person that live in the household (where the hedgehogs live).
To provide mother hedgehog with safe nesting material during pregnancy.
To never place a hedgehog or hoglet in any danger or risk.
To never sell a sick or injured hedgehog.
To never breed from a sick or injured hedgehog.
To register all my breeding hedgehogs and hoglets.
To never sell a hedgehog without a care guide and on-going support for the owner.
To never breed back-to-back litters from the same female.
To never breed from a female under 6 months old or over 11 months old for a first litter.
To abide by the registry “recommended” ethics at all times.