My friend decided he wanted to get two hedgehogs and breed them. (against my suggestions against it) Since then he has gave his male to a friend. He has his female and her 2 babies who are about 3 weeks old. He brought them to my house since he is going to be on Vacation for 2 weeks and needed someone to watch them. Since I used to breed them and still have one of my own, he figured Id be the best sitter. (and I am happy to do it cus I miss having little hoglets around) When he got here he showed me her (she's very friendly) and the babies. He was holding one for awhile. I held the other for a little while. When we put them back in she decided to carry the one he was holding around everywhere with her. She wasnt attacking him but she even ran in the wheel with the little hoglet in her mouth. The little hoglet did self-anoint while he was holding him. I just want to make sure her hoglet isnt in danger. After we left them alone for a little while she seems to have left him alone. I'm afraid to leave them for any amount of time without supervision in case something happens. Any idea as to why she's doing it and if the hoglet is safe? I've never seen a mother do it before.
Mother Carrying Her Baby???
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To my understanding the mother should not have her wheel back yet because of the chance of accidents or the mother spending too much time on her wheel and not enough with her young.
Mom is stressed out. Leave her alone and quiet with the babies. If you used to breed hedgehogs you should know that moms are not supposed to have a wheel while they have babies. Get the wheel out of there.
What is wrong with your friend that he would time having babies when he was going to be going on vacation? I feel very very sorry for this poor girl and her babies.
What is wrong with your friend that he would time having babies when he was going to be going on vacation? I feel very very sorry for this poor girl and her babies.
Thank you. I assumed she was stressed. But i thought it safer to ask. As to the wheel, I didnt have wheels with my hedgies when I was breeding.... they had 'playtime' out of the cage so I never knew anything about not having a wheel. And I dont know why my friend breed them, but I assure you his hedgie and her babies are in good hands. You have nothing to feel sorry for her about. Thanks for being unpleasant with your post Nancy. Makes me feel like going elsewhere from now on.
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so, are these babies and mom going to be with you untill weaning age? If not then they will be stressed out all over again by a move back to their original house. I highly reccomend keeping them with you until they are of weaning age, they have already suffered one major setback, no need to put them through anymore.
While appreciate the responses.... the tone from responders is very cold. I am just the concerned pet sitter and from the experience I've had with baby hoglets they are very capable of going through stuff like this and being fine... thanks for your concern but when my friend comes back they will probably be returning home with him. And they will be fine.
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I do not want to tell anyone what to do as I am a new hedgie owner myself, but at the same time I researched for months before I got my hedgie so I can regurgitate a lot of information that I have read here that was provided by some of the best hedgie owners and breeders around.
I feel that breeding animals such as hedgies should always be a planned experience as it is very well known to the hedgehog community that it is unsafe to house male and female hedgies together (although the housing of females together is a debated topic) because accidents do happen. When I was first researching hedgies I wanted two but wanted to house them together and after researching it was clear that such a practice is a strict no-no (so now I only have one and love him to bits). I understand that you do not know why your friend choose to breed them now but from what I have read here the members of HHC take the well being of hedgies, especially babies, extremely seriously which would indicate why you feel that the responses which you have received have a cold tone to them.
IF your firend is a breeder he should know when to expect the babies and plan as to how long he needs to provide stress-free care for them as well as how to care for them i.e. removing the mothers wheel while she is pregnant until the babies are no longer under her care. Nancy's comment was not rude, she was just expressing her feelings that she feels bad for a mother hedgie who's pregnancy was not as well thought out as it should be and unfortunately she has to be moved around, which causes stress, during her pregnancy and after-birth. It sounds like your friend should think well in advance when coupling males and female together to breed them. I am not saying he should halt his whole life to take care of them but rather plan for pregnancy around his life i.e. not breeding in the summer when so many people often take vacations in the summer for weeks on end and there is a possibility that he might not be with them for the entire pregnancy and birthing process. Perhaps, as a former breeder, you can tell him about these types of things when he returns and he will take your information seriously.
I am sure now that you have the babies and the mother you will do your best to keep them safe and healthy by first removing the wheel and then leaving the mother and babies alone for the most part in a quiet environment and hopefully keep them until they are done weaning for their own well being.
Good luck.
I feel that breeding animals such as hedgies should always be a planned experience as it is very well known to the hedgehog community that it is unsafe to house male and female hedgies together (although the housing of females together is a debated topic) because accidents do happen. When I was first researching hedgies I wanted two but wanted to house them together and after researching it was clear that such a practice is a strict no-no (so now I only have one and love him to bits). I understand that you do not know why your friend choose to breed them now but from what I have read here the members of HHC take the well being of hedgies, especially babies, extremely seriously which would indicate why you feel that the responses which you have received have a cold tone to them.
IF your firend is a breeder he should know when to expect the babies and plan as to how long he needs to provide stress-free care for them as well as how to care for them i.e. removing the mothers wheel while she is pregnant until the babies are no longer under her care. Nancy's comment was not rude, she was just expressing her feelings that she feels bad for a mother hedgie who's pregnancy was not as well thought out as it should be and unfortunately she has to be moved around, which causes stress, during her pregnancy and after-birth. It sounds like your friend should think well in advance when coupling males and female together to breed them. I am not saying he should halt his whole life to take care of them but rather plan for pregnancy around his life i.e. not breeding in the summer when so many people often take vacations in the summer for weeks on end and there is a possibility that he might not be with them for the entire pregnancy and birthing process. Perhaps, as a former breeder, you can tell him about these types of things when he returns and he will take your information seriously.
I am sure now that you have the babies and the mother you will do your best to keep them safe and healthy by first removing the wheel and then leaving the mother and babies alone for the most part in a quiet environment and hopefully keep them until they are done weaning for their own well being.
Good luck.
The responses are from people who are very concerned with the very poor treatment of this momma and her babies. Reputable breeders know that a momma and her babies shouldn't be moved, bothered, relocated or interferred with unless it's a dire emergency. They know that wheels should be removed and that mommas put under this kind of stress can kill the entire litter up to 4 or 5 weeks of age.jgoellner said:
The owner seems very cavalier about caring for them, what with taking a vacation and rehoming them, when it would have been in their best interest to be left alone in the home and have someone come in and care for them.
People are giving you good advice and expressing concern for a very worrisome situation. To again rehome these babies risks their very lives. Your friend should leave them with you until they are weaned. There is a huge chance that they won't be "fine".
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