# Breeding??



## DHammy01 (Jun 27, 2014)

How old does my hedgie have to be to breed? I look forward to breeding but I need a mentor (since it will be my first time). Also (if my hedgie is old enough, she is 3 months and 6 days) would anyone be able to provide a male hedgehog?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Your female has to be at least 5-6 months before you breed her, so she's 6 months before the delivery. She can't be older than 1 year for her first delivery.

Do you have a pedigree for your female? You should not breed her otherwise - you need to check her genetic background for any genetic issues that could be passed on to her babies. The same thing is required with the male. If you breed without having the pedigrees, it's irresponsible and not supported at HHC. 

Honestly, if she's your first hedgehog, it would be much better to wait and enjoy her as a pet.  Breeding hedgehogs takes knowledge of hedgehog behavior, lots of research into normal and unusual behaviors of pregnant and nursing females, you need up to $1000 available for emergency vet visits in case she needs an emergency c-section (and if you're not prepared, you could potentially lose her and all of the babies). That's great that you're looking into a mentor though. There's a lot to learn about breeding, even if you only want to have one or two litters. I would take things slow, do lots of reading, find a mentor and talk to them, etc. And though it sounds bad, read the horror stories. Not every hedgehog pregnancy ends badly, but you can't assume nothing bad will happen and it's best to be prepared. You should also check to see if you have any responsible, ethical breeders in your area that may have and be willing to provide a foster mom if your hedgehog rejects her babies. Hand-raising is very difficult and often unsuccessful. 

I know I'm being a bit of a wet blanket, but IMO, breeding is something that should be done only with plenty of preparation, research, and knowledge of hedgehogs. If you do decide to go ahead though, I wish you and your hedgehog luck with the litter. If you do run into trouble, please don't be afraid to post questions. Even if we don't support irresponsible breeding, our first concern is always for the hedgehogs and we'll help if there's a problem. But please, for your hedgehog's sake, give serious consideration to just enjoying her as a pet. There's plenty of time to get into breeding hedgehogs further down the line if you stay completely in love with these guys. New owners that are just getting the hang of the needs, behavior, and body language of hedgehogs are not great candidates for breeding. It'll be better for everyone if you wait a couple years or so.


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## DHammy01 (Jun 27, 2014)

Lilysmommy said:


> Your female has to be at least 5-6 months before you breed her, so she's 6 months before the delivery. She can't be older than 1 year for her first delivery.
> 
> Do you have a pedigree for your female? You should not breed her otherwise - you need to check her genetic background for any genetic issues that could be passed on to her babies. The same thing is required with the male. If you breed without having the pedigrees, it's irresponsible and not supported at HHC.
> 
> ...


How do I obtain A pedigree?


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

You'd need to get it from her breeder, as far as I know. Now that I remember, I have serious questions about the breeder you got her from. She was sent home with you way too young, at only 4 weeks. If the breeder sent the food home with you as well, they also don't feed their hedgehogs a good food at all. I would be very hesitant to trust the breeder you got her from for anything, and would seriously suggest not breeding her.


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## DHammy01 (Jun 27, 2014)

Lilysmommy said:


> You'd need to get it from her breeder, as far as I know. Now that I remember, I have serious questions about the breeder you got her from. She was sent home with you way too young, at only 4 weeks. If the breeder sent the food home with you as well, they also don't feed their hedgehogs a good food at all. I would be very hesitant to trust the breeder you got her from for anything, and would seriously suggest not breeding her.


My breeder did not send food with her. I ONLY feed Clementine cat food with 33% protein. And I did in fact check with my breeder. None of her previous (or present) hedgehogs have WHS or any other disease.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

The ingredients are as much of a concern as the protein percentage. And you still need a pedigree in order to breed responsibly - I wouldn't take the word of a breeder who sends a baby home at 4 weeks. A responsible, ethical breeder who has someone looking to breed one of their babies will make sure that person has the actual pedigree so they can check it for themselves. If the breeder doesn't have it or won't give it to you (unless their reason is because they don't want you breeding her), then that's a concern.

Can I ask why you're so determined to breed your hedgehog when you've only had her for two months?


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## ellisrks01 (Mar 25, 2014)

DHammy01 said:


> My breeder did not send food with her. I ONLY feed Clementine cat food with 33% protein. And I did in fact check with my breeder. None of her previous (or present) hedgehogs have WHS or any other disease.


It doesn't just need to be her hogs with a healthy background. That's why you need a pedigree. You need to check back 4 but preferably 5 generations back.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

You need to have a 5 generation pedigree, free from WHS. Check with the Registry to make certain the lines are clear and that will include the male you breed her with.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

WHS can skip a few generations so just because her present and past hedgehogs do not/did not have it doesn't mean that there isn't WHS in their background. Unless you know their ancestors, back as far as great-great-great grandparents didn't have it then you are not being a responsible breeder or owner.


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## DHammy01 (Jun 27, 2014)

Lilysmommy said:


> The ingredients are as much of a concern as the protein percentage. And you still need a pedigree in order to breed responsibly - I wouldn't take the word of a breeder who sends a baby home at 4 weeks. A responsible, ethical breeder who has someone looking to breed one of their babies will make sure that person has the actual pedigree so they can check it for themselves. If the breeder doesn't have it or won't give it to you (unless their reason is because they don't want you breeding her), then that's a concern.
> 
> Can I ask why you're so determined to breed your hedgehog when you've only had her for two months?


I'm not determined? I am just excited for Clementine.


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## DHammy01 (Jun 27, 2014)

nikki said:


> WHS can skip a few generations so just because her present and past hedgehogs do not/did not have it doesn't mean that there isn't WHS in their background. Unless you know their ancestors, back as far as great-great-great grandparents didn't have it then you are not being a responsible breeder or owner.


Okay thanks for info!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I'm not sure why. Hedgehogs don't need to mate, or have babies. Clementine may not even be a good mother. She could be a good mother. But there's also a chance she could eat her babies, or neglect them. She doesn't even ovulate or feel any kind of breeding instinct unless she's exposed to a male. She's likely very content by herself - hedgehogs are solitary animals and most are happier alone than with babies or friends. Here's a copy/paste for a post I wrote two years ago:



> "My pet would enjoy being a mother and this would bring more meaning to her life."
> Granted, I don't think this is one I've really seen in regards to hedgehogs, but I figured I'd include it anyway. Not only is it a silly reason to breed any animal, and projecting your own human feelings onto your pet, it's particularly untrue for hedgehogs. They are a solitary species that avoids the company of other hedgehogs except for necessary mating and raising babies. While some hedgehogs make great mothers and are old hands at raising even their first litter, there's no way to tell that before breeding, and once in awhile, a hedgehog might cannibalize several litters until the breeder gives up breeding them.


http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/foru...lp/17659-so-you-want-breed-your-hedgehog.html

It sounds more to me like you're excited for yourself, not Clementine. Clementine doesn't care either way if she mates or has babies. By doing so, you're risking her life, no matter how small the chances may be. If you're doing this solely because you think she needs to have babies or because you want baby hedgehogs, which is very much what it sounds like, you're not being at all fair to your hedgehog that you say you love in your signature.


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## DHammy01 (Jun 27, 2014)

Lilysmommy said:


> I'm not sure why. Hedgehogs don't need to mate, or have babies. Clementine may not even be a good mother. She could be a good mother. But there's also a chance she could eat her babies, or neglect them. She doesn't even ovulate or feel any kind of breeding instinct unless she's exposed to a male. She's likely very content by herself - hedgehogs are solitary animals and most are happier alone than with babies or friends. Here's a copy/paste for a post I wrote two years ago:
> 
> http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/foru...lp/17659-so-you-want-breed-your-hedgehog.html
> 
> It sounds more to me like you're excited for yourself, not Clementine. Clementine doesn't care either way if she mates or has babies. By doing so, you're risking her life, no matter how small the chances may be. If you're doing this solely because you think she needs to have babies or because you want baby hedgehogs, which is very much what it sounds like, you're not being at all fair to your hedgehog that you say you love in your signature.


Umm I didn't know if she didn't care if she had babies or not. I don't care if she has children or not. I love her and I will do what is best for her, so therefore, I shall not breed my hedgehog.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I'm glad to hear that.


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Another thing to consider is breeding is dangerous for the mother too, I lost a first time mom during birth. I had a camera on her and checked her and she was eating...30 minutes later I checked again and she was dead...she bled out trying to give birth to her first baby. I also had one hedgehog that went from very sweet and loving to be held to a hedgehog that hated to be handled and started to bite. Just something to think about for anyone wanting to breed their pet hedgehog.


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

If you are still unsure critterconnection.com has a brilliant blog posting called something along the lines of Its not always easy to be a breeder or something like that. I linked to it in the breeder section of these forums in April or may or something. It's a rundown, with pictures, of a lot of the things that can go wrong. I recommend it to anyone who wants to breed. Great up front and personal section there on mastitis too. And I wasn't even trying to breed. Thought I bought a boy...


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Here's the link Grace mentioned.

http://blog.critterconnection.cc/it-is-not-always-fun-being-a-breeder/


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## gracefulchaos01 (Mar 19, 2014)

Just a heads up, it is kinda graphic.


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