[heather]

I'm thinking about picking up a 4 mo old (born 5/6) chocolate snowflake boy from a breeder nearby. She says he's friendly and frequently handled. Do you guys think that 4 mos is too old to bond w/a new owner?

I don't wanna jump into getting him just b/c he's available- I did that with one of my birds and although I love her to pieces I do wish that I woulda waited for a baby (don't tell her that though )

 

[Kalandra]

4 months is still a baby in my book. Most hedgehog's I have gotten have been over 1 year and all have bonded to me just fine. Some have taken longer because their prior homes were less than desirable for bonding, but nevertheless they have bonded.

 

[heather]

ps this is a pic of him

 

[lmsoft]

Aww, he's adorable!

I'm no export, but I've heard of rescue hedgehogs and such, and retired breeder hedgies, who have gone to new homes a few years into their life and bonded just fine!

I know my baby's about 5 months old, and we're still not fully bonded, so I can't imagine it will make much difference.

 

[lilhoglet]

Adorable

I don't see his age being a factor in whether or not he'll bond with you. I've heard of people who have rescued hedgehogs that are a few years old who love them and snuggle with them and I've also heard of people who bought 7 week old babies who after quilling want nothing to do with them. I think it's really dependent on that particular hedgehog's personality.

Is it possible for you to go see the hedgehog in person before making a decision?

At any rate I hope he's a match for you

 

[cynthb]

Like others have said, it depends entirely on the hedgie. All of ours except for one have been older rescues, and they all bonded with us just fine except for the little guy we got as a baby, go figure. He always hated being picked up but we loved him anyways

Edit: Let's see, Tumbles (my avatar) was 3 when we got her, Ruby was 1 1/2, Fizzles was 10 weeks, Penny was 3, and Chevy was about a year.

 

[AllQuills]

He's really cute! I don't think 4 months old is too old. My hedgie was 12 weeks. Usually hedgehogs are considered adults at around 6 months.