Hello from Northwest Indiana!

[amylynnbales]

Hi Everyone! I've been reading this forum for about 2 months now and have decided to finally make an account. I am currently looking for a hedgie of my own, but as soon as I find one, I will be introducing them too! I'm having trouble finding one under 100 miles of my home for sale, but I know the day will come. I'm kind of hoping to adopt a hedgie to start off, hopefully with supplies included to start me off, but buying from a breeder would work too. If anyone has any ideas on how I can find one, that's be amazing I hope to become a regular on this site, seeing as it's super helpful and seems like a happy environment. I just love seeing all the cute pictures. Well, that is all, just wanted to say hello

[moxieberry]

Welcome! For a first time owner I highly suggest getting a hedgehog from a breeder, even if it means you have to travel a ways to pick it up. A rehome hedgehog is a wild card, it all depends on how much they were handled an how well they were cared for by their last owner. You don't know what you'll end up with. unsocialized hedgehogs can take a long time to come around and are better for experienced owners. Often rehomes will have vet needs right away as well. Do yourself a favor and find a breeder, even if it's in another state - you'll get a well socialized baby that comes with health guarantees and post-sale support. I don't know of any Indiana breeders, but there are plenty in the Midwest, like Ohio and Michigan.

[amylynnbales]

I have contacted Eco Exotics (ecoexotics.webs.com) but I'm not sure about the reliability of them or if they're a good deal. 9 week old litter for $150 each, with a bit of food include. Is that a good deal?

[moxieberry]

Personally, that's not a breeder I would buy from. At least not without asking a lot of questions. The photos of babies as spikey balls isn't reassuring either. Do they have some sort of questionnaire or ask you questions when you contact them? Ask if you can see their breeding set up and meet the hedgehogs before committing. I'd also ask the handling/socializing process and if they can point you to good sites/sources for research. The quality of those sources says a lot. For me the website is very lacking, and the less information they have out in the open, the more skeptical I am.

[amylynnbales]

I had talked to the man over the phone and he just told me the basics, the colors they had available and when the litter was born. I tried emailing them a question and the reply told me to call them, which I already had.

They are about 66 miles from my house, but one strange thing was the man said they "delivered". Seemed a bit.. different. He said he always comes up this way and could drop one off at a meeting place. That's a nice convenience, but it made me kind of question them a bit. I've never heard of Delivery Hedgies, haha

I'd like to know what food they feed them and how long they handle them, as well as how long they've been breeding. They have a guarantee about WHS, but i still don't know.. the breeder would have to be about 40 miles or less from my house honestly since I would need a ride there and back, and parents won't want to drive too far. Unless they were like close to family or something where I could get them that way.

Thanks for the help though, I really appreciate it!

[Sar-uh]

Hedgie Haven is located in Logansport. Where in Indiana do you live? I'm in Indy

I met with my breeder to pick up Petunia. She lives in Kentucky, so we met in Evansville to cut down on the travel time. It worked out great.

[moxieberry]

Like Sar-uh said, you can probably arrange to meet halfway with a good breeder. It usually costs extra. You can also try explaining to your parents that going some extra distance to get a baby from a good breeder is worthwhile in a few ways, including financially.

If the breeder you're looking at right now is not willing to let you go to their location/facility, to see how they have things set up, meet their hedgehogs, and meet them personally before making up your mind - then in my opinion, they should be avoided. Good breeders are transparent - they have nothing to hide. It's all out in the open, such as on their website, and anything that's not they'll answer questions about - even if it's a long long list of questions, because they know and understand that it's part of the process of making a responsible decision about where you're getting your new pet from. Choosing a breeder and finding the hedgehog that's right for you isn't something to rush, and you shouldn't go with a breeder that you're not completely, absolutely, 100% comfortable with just because it's more convenient, a shorter drive, a shorter waiting list, or anything like that.

[amylynnbales]

I live in Lowell, Indiana, and I wouldn't mind going farther for a breeder, but my parents are barley letting me get a hedgehog as it is, and they aren't going to drive me more than maybe 40 miles at the most. I won't have my full license until about this time next year. So it's a bit of a predicament. Yet there are ads on Craigslist for 8 month or 1 year old hedgehogs that come with cage and everything for only about $150, and my parents are encouraging that. I know that a baby would be better to start off with, but I'd like to someday have more than one, and if they can see I can handle an adopted one, they might be more likely to let me get it from a breeder for a little bit more money next time.

They think I'm just going to get it, play with it, and get bored with it. I need to show them that I'm not. I'm almost considering just waiting until summer, so I'll be out of school and sports and able to socialize one even more and have more time with it. I would still be able to do that now, but it's another thing they're worried about. They think it's going to become their responsibility.

[moxieberry]

If getting one from a good breeder, which is going to be the best match for you, means waiting until the summer, or until you get your license to drive there on your own - honestly that would be best. Like I said before, craigslist hedgehogs are a wild card. Even if they have good temperaments, you don't know what their health history has been like, and 90% of the time all or most of the supplies that come with them you'd have to replace anyway. Unsafe wheels, low quality food, too small cages, substrate bedding (not recommended), inadequate or nonexistent heating setups, and so on. So while a hedgehog + supplies from craigslist might seem like a deal, it's really not, and in a lot of cases because of their previous situation, not being handled much, having health issues, etc, rehomes aren't a good choice for a first time hedgehog owner.