18 - 24 months is the average time that they develop it but they can get it at any age and lately there seem to be more cases of it not showing up until they are older.
My only experience with WHS was with Cinder and although her very first symptoms showed up at 18 months, these were such subtle symptoms that would have easily gone unnoticed had she not had another issue. She was 2 years, 3 months old when the wobbliness started and it was becoming noticeable that she probably had WHS.
HBA breeders require a lifetime WHS warranty so obviously she is not HBA. As for WHS warranties, sometimes they don't mean much, especially for those of us in Canada. If the breeder requires a necropsy report unless things have changed recently, there is no lab in Canada that is willing to check for WHS lesions. This means the brain and spinal column has to be sent to Colorado to be checked. Because of the border sending the hedgehog cannot be done as it won't get there fast enough. This means you have to have your vet remove the brain and spinal column and fix in formalin to be sent to CO. Depending on the vet, this can cost anywhere from $100 -$300 and then you have to pay shipping and for the necropsy when it arrives at CSU. I'd planned to do it for Cinder but with the exchange rate at the time it would have been between $350 & $400. In the end the cost wasn't worth it since she didn't have any descendants anyways. If the breeder requires a necropsy stating WHS before she will replace, chances are you can buy another baby cheaper than having the necropsy done. Some breeders will pay for the necropsy themselves or split the cost because it is to their benefit to find out if the hedgehog really did have WHS. The only way WHS can be confirmed is through necropsy/histopathology after death.
You can pm me the breeders name and I'll tell you if I've heard anything about them.
