[Chewy]

I was really bored so I decided to upload a pic of a baby we just sold. Hes so cute. :lol:

 

[heather]

you must have doctored this, right? Cute!

 

[PixiesExoticHedgies]

You don't know the exact birthdate of the mother hedgehog (according to your website)??
:? Maybe you should read the postings about Breeder Requirements & Ethics of Breeding?

That is a BEAUTIFUL picture. What program did you use to make the alterations?

 

[Nancy]

Pixie brings up an interesting point. I notice Adrian was born in Feb of this year. This means she should just have delivered her first litter, yet she has already had and weaned a litter and has been bred for her second litter. Girls need to be 6 months old before being bred for the first time. Adrian would not have turned 6 months until mid August. Poor girl. This is not at all healthy for her.

 

[lilhoglet]

I think her first litter was accidental, if I remember correctly. This litter was planned because he found the experience positive.

I don't know much else about the situation to form an opinion.

 

[Chewy]

Nancy and Pixie I appreciate your concern. I was just reading up on all the Code of ethics, bylaws and such at the HBA site so now I'm contemplating on buying two new hedgies from HBA breeders. The breeder that sold us Adrian only told us the week she was born but never gave an exact date. He wasn't very informing either. Nancy, Adrian's first litter was an accident. She discovered a way to escape form her cage and I found her in Rocky's cage the next morning. Thats why I was so concerned last June when we had a suprise litter, I knew she was 2 months too young . Nancy, remember I told you that I was informed that hedgehogs can breed again 2-3 months after a litter. I found where I got that info, HBA breeder Donna Mims (I think thats her name). It even says on her website that her females are not rebred for 2-3 months after their females give birth. I would never intentially over breed or breed Adrian before she was of appropriate age.

I distorted the pic on photobucket by the way.

-Nathan

 

[Gnarly]

I looked at her website, and wasn't able to find that information (edit; I just found it, it was actually on the front page, I'm totally blind, haha). Thought I did other information that was a little off, such s incorrect temperature requirements, and she advocates the use of aquariums.

When you are looking for a pair of hedgehogs to breed, be forthcoming with the breeder you re buying from. Fully disclose your intentions of breeding, as many breeder will not sell animals to be used for breeding. Many breeders even have a clause in their contract that stipulates if any animal is used for breeding, it will be confiscated.

 

[Nancy]

I apologize Chewy. I'd totally forgotten her first was an oops litter. I do think the breeder you got her from should have had a better idea of her birth date than a week. Usually we know the day they are born with only a question of before midnight or after. :lol:

Thanks for pointing out the breeders website. I will bring it to the HBA's attention.

 

[Chewy]

Thanks for apology Nancy! Thats what I thought as well, but at the moment I didn't really care I was too excited about getting her. :lol:
-Nathan

 

[PixiesExoticHedgies]

When you are looking for a pair of hedgehogs to breed, be forthcoming with the breeder you re buying from. Fully disclose your intentions of breeding, as many breeder will not sell animals to be used for breeding. Many breeders even have a clause in their contract that stipulates if any animal is used for breeding, it will be confiscated.

It's not so much that breeders won't sell hedgies to be used for breeding, as it is that breeders have different quality hedgehogs, available for different purposes. I have some hedgies that I consider their babies to be PET quality only, and others that I know will throw some excellent breeding quality babies. The parent's pedigree and background lineage is what's used to determine pet quality or breeding quality.

I'm not saying that my pet quality hedgies are bad hedgies. It's simply that their lineages may not be a long and clearly known, which is necessary knowledge to have when you consider breeding two hedgehogs together.

I will not sell a hedgie for breeding purposes, unless it has at least 4 or 5 generations of clean lines. Anything less, and I consider it to be pet quality. Each breeder will have their own opinions of what they consider breeder or pet quality. But I have pretty high standards for my herd. My goal is to eventually have hedgies with FULL pedigrees and no signs of WHS for at least 6 generations back. It takes lots of time and patience to acquire such a herd. And YES, whenever I sell PET quality babies, my stipulation is that it cannot be used for breeding purposes.

As Gnarly said, that is why you need to be up front and honest with the breeder you are purchasing from. It's likely that you'll end up with someone to mentor you, and answer the thousands of questions you may have with your first few litters. The breeder should also be able to recommend their better quality hedgies for your own breeding herd.

KUDOS to you for going back and reading the Breeder requirements and ethics. Hign sight is 20/20 and you can't change what happened in the past (with your accidental breeding), but with the knowledge you'll acquire here on HHC, it will make you a better breeder in the future.

Good luck!
Pixie

 

[Chewy]

Thanks Pixie! I appreciate that! How should I go about finding a mentor?

 

[Gnarly]

If there is a breeder in your area that you know as reputable, you might want t try contacting them.
Or if there is a breeder you know of that would be willing to be mentor you, you could ask them.

If neither of those options are available to you, you can go to the HBA's website, and request a mentor.