# Hindsight is 20/20



## nibletsmom (Dec 20, 2010)

We have had Niblet for a little over 2 months. My fiance and I have been together for almost 2 years and since I had met him, he always wanted a Hedgehog. Six months before we got Niblet, I started researching Hedgehog care. I wanted to make sure that we were competent and knew what we were getting into and that our little one was going to have everything he needed to be well taken care of.

I researched site after site, reading and reading. I thought we were ready. We felt ready. We started contacting breeders and heard back from a guy that lived a couple of hours away. We met him and picked up our beloved Niblet.

When we got him home, we "thought" we had everything we needed to be great hedgie parents. We were wrong. We were lacking so much. Things that we hadn't come across in our research. It wasn't until we came across this amazing forum that we found out what we really needed to become competent hedgie parents.

Note: We weren't lacking a lot...the 2 things that we failed in were heating and appropriate bedding. We had everything else.

My point is....
In hindsight, this scares me. We thought we knew everything we needed to know. But there are so many bogus sites out there. There are also half-tailed breeders out there that are not very thorough. Looking back, our breeder never asked us questions. When I think about it, I think if I were a breeder I would make people take a test before they could take my little ones home with them!!

I am so thankful for this forum and the people that are part of it.

It is my hope that every potential hedgie owner is somehow led to this forum before they take the steps to getting their little one. I know this doesn't always happen but it is my hope that they come across it.

Becoming great hedgie parents has been a journey for my fiance and I...and even though our little Niblet is not lacking anything he needs, we are still learning from the wisdom of the people of this forum.


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## pokybaby (Jan 20, 2011)

I know exactly how you feel. We did all sorts of research while we were thinking about getting a hedgehog. There aren't any breeders near where we live, but we found a pet store that had two for sale. We went in multiple times to see the hedgie and to ask questions. I bought my husband the most highly rated hedgehog book on Amazon. When we decided this was something we really wanted to do I started preparing. I read up on lots of websites and started collecting supplies. Boy I'm glad I stumbled on this site before we brought Horatio home though! 

Most of the info I had gotten was incorrect. The pet store kept their hedgehogs in glass aquariums with aspen bedding and no wheels or toys. They fed them Pretty Pets hedgehog food. I specifically asked the employee about the heat requirements and he didn't seem to know that you have to keep hedgehogs warm! I definitely know more about hedgehogs now than they do. I had bought a silent spinner wheel, and just a few posts on this forum convinced me to take it back and trade up to the Carolina Storm wheel.

Now I really feel for the other hedgehog at the pet store. I wish I could take him home too since I know his quality of life is not great. And I worry if someone does buy him, they won't know how to properly care for him. (I wonder how receptive the employees would be if I referred them to this site?) It has truly been a blessing for me and our little Horatio that I have able to get so much good information from such a knowledgeable and caring group.


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## HedgehogsAnonymous (Dec 30, 2010)

Agreed.


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## haleylove (Jan 19, 2011)

I'm an in-the-semi-near-future hedgie owner, and I am definitely glad I stumbled across this forum. Thanks for being a part of it!


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

I also know just how you feel. It's been a couple of years since I got Lily, but I hardly did any research before getting her. I'd found this site and read some of the other information, but didn't touch the forum. I also read a bit on Gail Dick's site, who was the breeder I got Lily from. I didn't really join in with this forum until January 2009, though, and I got Lily in August 2008. I didn't have any extra heating in my room until I got on the forums, after which I got a space heater. I'm a bit surprised she didn't have a hibernation attempt before that, really. :? I have to admit though, I've learned and done much better at caring for her, and the whole experience of getting her has definitely taught me some lessons. She's the first pet I've bought and owned all on my own, and I will definitely do more research in the future before getting new pets, especially ones I have no experience with, or that may require more specialized care.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

When I started researching hedgies, I stumbled upon this site as well. I read every single thread. I realized that if there were any errors, it was more on the side of caution. And reading all the history really helped me. For example, a breeder can say that 68 degrees is fine. And it could be fine for all their hedgies. But then you will have 2, 6, 8 people that say their hedgie tried to hibernate. At what temp? 68. So, obviously that needs to be adjusted. Better to be safe than sorry. So then when other sites or people will continue to say that 68 is just fine, I put 1 mark against them (in my head). It makes me trust their advise a bit less.

Thats another thing I like about this forum, is it's ability to learn & adapt. The members here are willing to adjust & adapt their ideas & care. So when one person finds their hedgie with their nails ripped off, we are told what type of wheel it was that did that. We realize the possible harm, adjust our views & change any recommendations for the future. 

Which brings me to another reason I appreciate all of you. There is a REASON for every recommendation. We learn from someone else's trial & error. From others mistakes. When someone says "be careful not to let your hedgie ...", it's because there is a reason for it, it's not just someone's idea, made up. (Which is also why it's so frustrating when someone doesn't take your council & you know what could possibly happen to their hedgie because of it.)

I am the type of person that will err on the side of safety. Especially when safety comes at such a reasonable price & means so much to someone I care about.


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## Quilled1 (Dec 29, 2010)

I'm so glad I found this website as well. Emma wouldn't have the good living conditions she has without it.

It's ridiculous how much people trust pet store employees (I must admit that without this website I may have walked into one and bought the wrong things). Recently I was talking to my mom about the temperature requirements of hedgies and hibernation, etc. and she offered to get me a CHE (up til now I've been able to regulate the temp in the apartment pretty well and she's right next to the heater). Wasn't going to turn down an offer of something better/more efficient though.

I told her specifically: Ceramic Heat Emitter, 100 watts. What did she get? What the employee told her to get: "something that's like a black light, 80 watts". :evil: 

I swear, every employee at pet stores with hedgies should be required to read this forum...


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## Nebular (Dec 28, 2010)

Yeah, this is pretty much the best resource for anything hedgie-related. I was looking for a second food for Norman last night and someone decided they would try to help me. They asked what kind of cat I had. I told them it was a hedgehog. So her response was "oh, so you want something high in fat and low in protein then!", and proceeded to show me a food with zero meat and all garbage in it. I started to wonder if she even know what a hedgehog was. :shock:


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## Ophelia (Dec 10, 2010)

When I was at the pet store one day cuddling their hedgehogs, a lady was very interested in getting a hedgehog. The employees didn't even know they had a boy and girl in the cage together (the girl I spoke to thought they were too young to have babies...). So I told her the basics, and said she should come to this site.  I hope she did... I also hope they separated the hedgies. We'll see next Friday I guess.  (All **** might brake loose if they are. <.<) 

I also got my girl without having THAT much knowledge beforehand. I hadn't even seen a hedgehog in real life before I got her. =/ And the previous owner pretty much just dropped "him" off on my doorstep. So, yay forums!


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

I'd found this site early when I first started researching, so I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. I had gone through all the threads by the time I went to pick my boy up. And it was actually sooner than I expected, because the lady I bought him from, all the babies in the litter were claimed, but the one who claimed my boy never showed up and never called. So she called me up and said I could go pick him up if I still wanted him.

We spent over an hour there at her apartment, just talking and going over various care. Got to see my boy's mom and dad too.


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## Mew (Feb 4, 2011)

I feel the same way. :3
I was lucky enough to find this forum before I set a deposit on my little James.~ Everyone here has helped a lot.


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## PeekaBoo22 (May 16, 2011)

I feel the same way. I just recently found this forum & started reading all of the threads and posts, even though I got Peekaboo over a year ago, I thought that I had all of the requirements because I trusted the breeder and the information that her website had on it. After reading through all of the posts about fleece bedding, heating, toys and food, I am still in a bit of a panic. I switched Peekaboo's bedding from Feline Pine to fleece fabric only last night! I feel like such a horrible mommy, but he has never had any hibernation attempts and is the sweetest, friendliest hedgie on the planet! I never thought I was doing anything wrong! Its really upsetting and I am doing everything I can to fix my misconceptions... I want my baby to have the highest quality of life possible.


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