# Oh my goodness... Some people... (have to vent, sorry)



## DasIgelPoggie (Oct 21, 2010)

I keep an eye on my local classifieds to monitor the "hedgie saturation level", and came across THIS little gem.

"$120 - Female Hedgehog - Provo
We recently bought two baby hegehogs from a breeder about 3 months ago. Sadly, their not getting along and we need to re-home one. She's still a really sweet, very cute little girl."

I almost exploded. First, I wanted to know the money-hungry breeder who sold two babies to them knowing full and well that two hedgehogs should not be housed together (with the very, very rare exception, like Isis and Juju). Then I wanted to know... WHY THE HECK ARE YOU BUYING HEDGEHOGS IF YOU DIDN'T DO A SPECK OF RESEARCH?? Seeing this ad just made me even more frustrated with the irresponsible backyard breeders of my state... Ugh. I have such a hard time with this type of thing. This is after last week, I saw the same hedgie for sale three times in one week by each new owner. She's three, and the first person advertised her as a "great potential breeder". The next person advertised her as "An early Mother's Day present that my wife was very unhappy about!" The last person I saw selling her advertised her as "A great classroom pet or starter pet for a young child, because they don't require much time or care!" My heart just broke for that poor baby, being tossed from home to home... Hedgies aren't common to come by in my state, but we seem to have a limitless supply of ill-educated owners!!

Those two ads recently just made me extra determined to EDUCATE, EDUCATE, EDUCATE!!


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Luckily hedgehogs aren't very 'popular' around me because I would seriously snap on anyone who posted a craigslist/kijiji ad like those.

I don't understand how people are so willing to just throw away a life.  With pet ownership comes responsibility and so many people look at animals as disposable toys. I think a lot of it has to do with our society and, sadly, my generation seems to be the worst. Not doing enough research before you buy an exotic pet is one thing, but being apathetic about what happens to them in the long run is just cruel. 

As long as just ANYONE is allowed to own an animal, we will have to deal with the idiots that rush into things unprepared and WE will be the ones cleaning up their messes and taking in their neglected and/or abused hogs. *Sigh*


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## Hillybean (Jun 10, 2010)

Hedgehogs are becoming easier to find in my area. Both from individuals breeding them and from the pet stores selling them. 

The down fall is the lack of education, the individuals, pet stores, and owners have about hedgehogs. These hedgehogs aren't vet checked and most do not have a known pedigree. The responce I get when I inquire is 'the mom came from a pet store and the dad came from this breeder'. I have inquired because I have seen one or two that have good markings (and all hedgies are just so cute). I still see many people in my area breeding them and selling them $150-$200, with no gurantees, no pedigree, and no knowledge on their proper care. They are simply breeding them for money. 

Then when people don't want them anymore, around six months old it seems, they want all their money back that spent on the hedgehog. Not realizing it needs vet care, different set-up, different food, the works.


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## DasIgelPoggie (Oct 21, 2010)

It's just so insanely heartbreaking  I do what I can to share the info I have-- I have posted ads many times encouraging people to come here and to my site and research, and to text or email me any time with questions even if they did not buy from me or are not planning to buy from me, I just want people to respect the little lives they're caring for. Poor babies, being juggled around like that... No wonder most hedgies die premature deaths.


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## fairywinged (May 15, 2012)

while I do feel for this lil hedgehog. I do not think it is so terrible to buy two hedgehogs at once. That is if you are prepared to house them separately. I am getting two females that are going to be litter mates and if they do not like each other I am prepared to house them separate. I have two of everything you need two sets of dishes, two hide outs (actually more than that) and two wheels. We are going the c&c cages so they have room enough even if separate. While I understand your frustration I just want to point out that just cause you are getting two doesn't make you irresponsible.


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