# Pinkies: Store or Self-Raised?



## Alex (Dec 7, 2012)

Hey guys, I've noticed a little bit of talk about feeding pinkies to your hedgies lately, and while I completely support this, I have a couple questions for you.

I noticed in one thread there was some arguing over whether they're 'safe' to feed your hedgie for a multitude of reasons, mostly because you don't know the quality of the parents when buying from stores. Here's my question, for those of you who feed your hedgies pinkies. Would you rather buy from a store or hand-raise the pinkies yourself ('raise' isn't the right word, but you know what I mean)? Would it be worth the time and effort spent raising and breeding mice for their pinkies, or would it be okay to buy pinkies from the store now and then and feed them to your hedgie? Does it depend on how often you will give pinkies to them, or is it absolutely worth the effort put into properly breeding and taking care of mice? Opinions?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I've never fed pinkies to a hedgehog before, and still not entirely sure whether I'll give it a try in the future. I might, but I'll have to wait and see once I get hedgehogs again. I would think that if you only have one or two hedgehogs, it definitely wouldn't be worth the effort of raising/breeding mice in order to have pinkies to feed. Mice are pretty messy and need their tanks cleaned often, and for just a couple hedgehogs, it just seems easier to buy them instead, for an occasional treat. I guess raising your own might end up worth if it you were planning to feed them often - but I'm also not sure how often they should be fed.

I guess my opinion is, unless you have a lot of hedgehogs or are planning to make pinkies a regular part of their diet, it'd be less stress/trouble/money to just buy them. If you're unsure about the source though, and the point of raising your own was to make sure the conditions were comfortable for the mice and healthy for both mice and hedgehog, you could check around the area for breeders that would allow you to see how they raise/euthanize mice, or find a trustworthy source online. I know LizardGirl raises mice for feeding purposes, so I'm sure she'll be along soon to post too.


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## RondackHiker (Jan 21, 2013)

A friend had three snakes she'd feed pinkies to, and she raised mice for awhile. She'd clean the caged twice a day and play with momma and poppa daily.

Momma and poppa were actually lab mice... So she knew the full genetic history! She rescued them at the end of an oxygen experiment, and so she knew they were healthy. I believe she actually had two females to avoid tiring them out... But she'd treat them well and sell the extras to other snake owners.

She said it was more work, but supporting three snakes, a rabbit, and two guinea pigs on a college budget meant she was willing to try an save money and have guaranteed quality.

I don't remember many details, but it seemed like she had a lot of babies all the time.


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## Alex (Dec 7, 2012)

Thank you guys so much for the info...I only have the one hedgie, which is why I was wondering if it'd be worth it. You're right though, Lily, in that I wanted to raise the mise in order to make sure the living conditions were better for them and so the babies would be better for my hedgie. But it sounds like an awful lot of work, and I'm not sure I'd have time to do so between school, work, Hannibell, and the mice. I think I'll just look for a breeder around here that I can trust.  Thank you.

Also looking forward to seeing what LizardGirl has to say...I know her book didn't have much on the topic of feeding pinkies, so I'm not quite sure yet..


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## eskye (Oct 5, 2012)

Hello,

I raise around a hundred herps right now, along with my hogs. With that comes my feeder colonies. With mice, the best option is to self raise. The second best is to find a good source. I state all the reasons behind pinkies in my thread on their nutritional value.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=20959&hilit=+pinkie


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## AlexONeil (Nov 14, 2012)

I think finding a breeder would also be your best option. I tend to not trust feeders (whether bugs, or even pinkies) from pet stores, because you really just don't know. I personally couldn't feed my hedgies pinkies, but that's my decision for my own reasons. But if it's something you're interested in, definitely look around for someone who _knows_ the quality of their babies. No need to risk your hedgie that way.


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## Christemo (Oct 5, 2011)

Make sure you watch out where you get them from. I've read that there's been an outbreak of poisoned rats killing perfectly healthy snakes. They've all come from the southeast. They're trying to figure out what breeder they've come from.


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## pickles17 (Feb 18, 2012)

If you only have one hedgehog, there will be too many pinkies all at once to feed your hedgehog, unless you plan on feeding them frequently after their born (or they will get too big). I'm not sure how good it is to feed a bunch of them.

Also you'll probably get attached to mom and dad and might have problems sacrificing their babies for food. Or at least I know I would.


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## Amlinals (Jul 26, 2012)

Another more convenient option for the benefits of the raw that you would get from the pinkies, (i assume thats the benefit you're after, and i assume you'd be feeding frozen pinkies anyway, not live, as that certainly isnt necessary) is to get perhaps some Nature's Variety Instinct frozen raw bites or medallions. You just keep it in your freezer and use it when you want. Its all ground, even has some veggies in it, and they even make kibble-sized pieces now (the Bites) They even sell trial sized bags, so you can try different flavours without too much of a big financial commitment (Astrid prefers only the duck and chicken flavours). It's also officially AAFCO balanced as a complete cat food, so you could use it as often as you like even if its offsetting their normal amount of cat food.


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## GailC (Aug 20, 2011)

Check with small local pet store, often they raise and freeze their own pinkies. You can then inquire about what the parents are fed and maybe see the conditions they are kept in. 
I have snakes and always prefer to raise my own feeders. I pre kill and freeze the extras, they last quite a long times if properly packaged.


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## Alex (Dec 7, 2012)

Thanks for the advice, everyone. That was definitely another concern of mine; that by breeding my own mice I'd have too many to just give to Hannibell. I really didn't want to raise my own, but it's just as everyone says, it's hard to trust feeders that come from the chain pet stores, you know? You never know what they put in them. I did end up getting her one of the single frozen pinkies from the pet store and she did enjoy it, so maybe I'll do what you said, Gail, and look for a smaller local pet store.

Also, thank you for the suggestion, Amlinals. You're right, I'm looking for the benefits of the food source for her..whatever more vitamins and good things I can get for her, that's what I'll do. I'll definitely look for that nature variety. Thank you again, everyone!


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## eskye (Oct 5, 2012)

Alex said:


> Thanks for the advice, everyone. That was definitely another concern of mine; that by breeding my own mice I'd have too many to just give to Hannibell. I really didn't want to raise my own, but it's just as everyone says, it's hard to trust feeders that come from the chain pet stores, you know? You never know what they put in them. I did end up getting her one of the single frozen pinkies from the pet store and she did enjoy it, so maybe I'll do what you said, Gail, and look for a smaller local pet store.
> 
> Also, thank you for the suggestion, Amlinals. You're right, I'm looking for the benefits of the food source for her..whatever more vitamins and good things I can get for her, that's what I'll do. I'll definitely look for that nature variety. Thank you again, everyone!


Aside from raising your own, finding a local breeder is best. A small mom and pop store or breeder found through craigslist that will let you see their breeding facility is optimum. The two pet stores I used before raising my own I chose because I could go back and look at their tanks, and if needed, pick the feeders out myself. Any place that doesn't allow you to see their facility has a reason not to show you - and not a good one! Good luck on finding feeders! Craigslist can actually come up with some good finds.


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