# WHS?



## AshBrah (Dec 21, 2011)

How common is WHS?

I've found a small scale breeder who I have a hedghog reserved from (he's coming home feb 1st!)
But she does not have a WHS lifetime guarentee or any other health guarentees.
All sales are final.
She only has one male and one female.. could it be that she is such a small scale breeder that she can't afford to be refunding and guarenteeing hedgehogs?
Does this sound like a shady deal?
The hedgehog is also 125 dollars, he looks like he'll be algerian champagne.
His parents are an algerian gray and a algerian champagne.


----------



## ShutUpAndSmile (Mar 7, 2011)

Personally I would not buy from a breeder that doesn't have a lifetime guarantee against WHS. Any respectable breeder would. 
Sounds kinda shady to me.


----------



## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

Personally? I'd pay them a visit and just get a feel of thebreeder as well as how her hedgies are kept. All breeders got to start somewhere. Does the breeder know the pedigrees?

My boy was slight impulse buy because I did the research, sent the girl who had babies an email and she told me they were all spoken for. But the she sent an email days later and said one buyer fell through. She only had 1 breeding pair as well and had a mentor. She did not have health guarantees and I didn't even think to ask about that and whs guarentees. But I totally lucked out. My boy has been very healthy and very well behaved. We stayed at her place for well over an hour just talking about care and such. Her place was immaculate, even with multiple dogs, cats and hedgies in an apartment, couldn't smell any of them. 

Of course, things could have gone very different. As long as the care is all there, there may not be a problem, even without guarentees. You may have to judge the breeders character yourself.


----------



## chelsea.kang (Dec 2, 2011)

My breeder also was a small scale breeder that did not offer a guarantee for WHS. However she was able to provide pedigrees on the parents of my hedgie. Her place was well kept and she made sure I had everything I needed prior to picking Marvin up. Thus far she's kept in touch and has been open to any questions or concerns I have. You really do have to make the call yourself. Yes established breeders are safer but realize they're committing to refunding or replacing your hedgie if it dies of WHS. A guarantee means according to bloodlines they are not likely to get WHS, it doesn't mean they for sure won't. Best of luck and keep in mind every hedgie needs a good home and you'll love them regardless of whether you got them from a breeder that's well known or one that's just beginning to breed.


----------



## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

There are a few things to consider when trying to decide if a lifetime WHS warranty is important. 

- most breeders that offer the lifetime warranty require a necropsy to prove it was WHS. Usually it is up to the owner to pay for the necropsy so, if you are going to have to pay for a necropsy that could cost upwards of $200+ to replace a $125 hedgehog, it's not worth it.

- These warranties don't mean the hedgehog won't get WHS, just that the risk might be less because the hedgehog lineage has been screened.

- When a case of WHS does come out, it usually impacts a HUGE number of hedgehogs and breeders. Some reputable breeders do retire both sides of the line but there are many who continue to breed the line but with different mates. Some also claim that if the WHS hog was 5 generations back it's safe to breed that line. That is total BS as it can be carried down the line to infinity. That is why we are seeing it pop up in what was thought to be clear lines. 

I personally would not rule out a breeder just because they don't offer a lifetimes WHS warranty. While in many cases the warranty does mean the breeder has confidence in the babies she is selling, often it is just there for show. 

There is nothing wrong with a new breeder. New breeders can be great. Go with a new breeder who admits they are a new breeder. It is much better when someone readily admits they are just learning, than one who thinks they know it all. Everyone has to learn and nobody is an instant expert. That comes with time and experiences. 

Basically, go with someone you feel comfortable with. Do your own research and see if what the breeder is saying is consistent with what you are reading. If you find discrepancies, ask why the breeder does it that way, or uses that item. Sometimes the answer says a lot about the person and their practices.


----------



## AshBrah (Dec 21, 2011)

Thanks guys, for all the information.
I spoke to the breeder about my concerns, offers pedigrees and also said that her 2 hedgies came from not only different parts of the country, but she has never has a case of WHS her entire breeing career, and has always used the same 2 hedgies (she's been doing this for 3-4 years now)
So I think it should be safe, she seems to be trustable but I've decided that I will be driving frm where I live (in minnesota) down to southern south dakota to see this baby before I buy it.


----------



## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

She's been breeding the same two hedgies for 3-4 years? that would make the female at least 3.5 years old....most females are retired by then. I would double check on this.


----------



## AshBrah (Dec 21, 2011)

I'm not sure if she's had the same male, but she has a retired female, which is now her pet only,
And a newish hedgehog, she's just a year old. Not sure how many months into this year, though.


----------

