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TheHedgieDen |
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Hedgehog rescue in Kingston, Ontario |
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©2003-2009 TheHedgieDen All rights reserved. WARNING: This Web site and all photos, information and designs contained within are protected by Copyright Law and international treaties. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this site, or any designs or information contained herein may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted to the maximum extent possible under the law. |
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I've had numerous people ask me why I do not advertise my babies. The answer is plain and simple. I do not feel internet classified sites such as kijiji are suitable venues for selling pets. I consider our hedgehogs as members of our family, and are NOT merchandise to be sold like a used car. I also feel classified ads encourage people to make spur of the moment "I want a hedgehog NOW" decisions. Often these are the hedgehogs that end up in rescues or being re-homed in a few months because the owner jumped to buy without ensuring a hedgehog was a suitable pet for their family and lifestyle. Being that we are a small hobby breeder, I do not mass breed hedgehogs. You will not find pictures of babies for sale on my website as my babies are always spoken for before birth. I want my new owners to be fully prepared for their baby so it is an enjoyable experience for both the new parent and the baby. For this reason, I have an adoption questionnaire that must be filled out before going on my waiting list. This questionnaire helps me assess the prospective owners knowledge of hedgehogs and their care so I can better help prepare them for their new arrival. |
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* * * Please note * * * I do not allow babies to go home in the 3 weeks leading up to Christmas. Christmas is a very busy, stressful time of year and is not an ideal time to add a new pet to the family. I also do not sell babies as a gift. I want to be in contact with the prospective owner and ensure a hedgehog is truly the pet they want and that they are fully prepared and knowledgeable about the needs and care of their new hedgehog pet.
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I am a small hobby breeder. Although between my daughter and I, we own many hedgehogs, but most are pet only consisting of rescues and our retired breeding herd. The rescues are pet only and ARE NOT used for breeding purposes. I register all hedgehogs under my care with the IHR (International Hedgehog Registry) and have been registering since our first pet hedgehog in 2003. All my breeding herd are fully pedigreed. I choose to only have a small breeding herd, and with a small number I can better provide lots of attention to the moms and babies. I have a limited number of babies available per year. Because I have a small breeding herd, I do not have a wide selection of colours which can only be done by larger scale breeders. I choose to focus on health rather than fancy colours. We typically have grays, chocolates, browns and occasionally snowflakes and albino. The health and well being of my girls is my most important consideration at all times. All our retired breeders live out their lives here. I do not sell these boys and girls when they can no longer breed. They are part of our family and will remain here for life. I have been breeding since 2004. Our Girls
THD Lucy is a wonderful mother and is very protective of her babies.
THD Pixie is a gentle girl and loves her babies.
THD Marley, shown as a baby has recently weaned her first litter and like her mom, grandmother, and great-grandmother, has proven herself to be a great mother. Marley is a doll.  Miki's picture is coming soon. Miki is still a baby but will join our breeding herd when she is old enough. The Boys
GCR Widget is a great guy who came all the way from Vancouver, BC. He has produced many wonderful babies.
EST Merlin is a very handsome boy and has many wonderful babies. |
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My hedgehogs are registered with the IHR (International Hedgehog Registry) and have been since 2003. All babies sold are registered as is any hedgehog that comes into my care. If you have any questions, contact the registry at huffyhedgie@yahoo.com I am the Canadian Liaison for the Hedgehog Breeders Alliance as well as being a breeder member. http://hedgehogbreederalliance.org/ I am a breeder member of the International Hedgehog Association. I am also an approved rescue contact for the IHA. http://www.hedgehogclub.com/ I am a long time member of the Hedgehog Welfare Society as well as an approved rescue contact. http://www.hedgehogwelfare.org/ I am an active member and Super Moderator on the forum Chins'n' Hedgies and was a moderator since 2003 on the former forum Chins & Quills. http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/ I am an active member and Moderator on the forum Hedgehog Central. http://www.hedgehogcentral.com/forums/ I am an active member of various lists.... Breeders Helping Breeders http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/BreedersHelpingBreeders/ Hedgehog Breeders Alliance http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/HedgehogBreedersAlliance/ Hedgehog Welfare List http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/hedgehogwelfare Hedgehog Help http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/hedgehog_help/ |
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Due to the amount of spam, porn and other unwanted emails I am getting, I have removed automatic email links. Please remove the spaces out of the email addresses below. thehedgieden @ cogeco.ca thehedgieden @ gmail.com For quicker response, use the above two email addys. I do not check hotmail daily. thehedgieden @ hotmail.com |
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| As we grow | ||
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Babies
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Policy We reserve the right to refuse sale to anyone if for any reason we feel one of our hedgehogs would not be the best choice of companion animal for them or their family. We will not sell to anyone under the age of 18 without parental accompaniment. We accept cash only.
I currently have no babies available and am not accepting applications for my waiting list.
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Due to the amount of spam, porn and other unwanted emails I am getting, I have removed automatic email links. Please remove the spaces out of the email addresses below. thehedgieden @ cogeco.ca thehedgieden @ gmail.com For quicker response, use the above two email addys.
I do not check hotmail daily. thehedgieden @ hotmail.com |
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| How we care for our Hedgehogs | ||
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Our hedgehogs have their own 10' x 20' room. It has heating and airconditioning separate from the rest of the house so it can remain at a temperature comfortable for the hedgehogs. As well as a solid door, the room also has a screen door so that our cats cannot visit the hedgehogs without our knowledge. All of our hedgehogs except for the pregnant moms and new babies are in stacked cage units. Each cage floorspace is a minimum of 4.5 square feet. Our pregnant moms move to bins 2 weeks prior to delivery. Because shavings and other types of beddings are dusty and can cause respiratory issues I am not comfortable using them on a regular basis. All of our hedgehogs are on cloth cage liners. Our moms are on kiln dried pine shavings from 2 weeks prior to delivery to weaning. All of our hedgehogs have an 11" bucket wheel except for the moms who are near delivery. We feed Chicken Soup for the Cat Lovers Soul Lite, Royal Canin Lite 37, First Mate cat food (available only at Petcetera), Solid Gold, Eukanuba cat Light and Nutrience Light. Our pregnant moms get a bit of Royal Canin kitten food in their mix starting 2 weeks prior to delivery. We keep our hedgehog room at 75-76F. As well as getting light from 2 windows our hedgehog room is lit from 7 am - 8:30 pm by daylight replicating bulbs. Because new smells and voices can upset pregnant and nursing moms we do not allow any one in our hedgie room except for family members and people the hedgehogs are used to. We will gladly bring any of them for you to meet with the exception of pregnant or new moms. Our hedgehogs are our pets first and foremost. My girls get long breaks between litters. If I have any concerns or hesitation about breeding a girl, I don't do it. The girls health, welfare and happiness are my first concern. I consider myself fortunate that I work from home so am here to handle babies at anytime during the day or night or to provide round the clock nursing care if required. This I could not do if I worked outside the home or was in school. All of our babies are handled as soon as mom allows. I have recently divided our hedgie room to allow the new moms a small nursery area separate from the rest of the gang. The pictures below are the old set-up.
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Things to have ready BEFORE your new hedgehog arrives home: Cage - A cage of at least 2 square feet and preferably 3, 4, or more square feet. Well ventilated and escape proof. Food dish and water bowl/bottle - Ceramic dishes work best as hedgies often put their feet on the side of the dish to eat and drink. Plastic and lightweight dishes are easy to tip. A good inexpensive idea for dishes are individual dip dishes found at the dollar stores. Food - a mix of good quality cat foods. If possible use the food hedgie is already eating. (see feeding your hedgehog) Hidey home - either a hedgie bag, plastic igloo, cardboard box or something hedgie can crawl inside of to feel secure. Bedding - KILN DRIED pine shavings, KILN DRIED aspen shavings, Carefresh or cloth cage liners. NEVER USE CEDAR shavings or any shavings that have cedar in them. Try to choose a bedding that is a dust free as possible. I personally have found Carefresh to be too dusty. Corn Cob bedding is not safe for hedgies. The pieces can get caught in sensitive areas of both sexes and cause infection. Also it does not absorb urine and gets smelly very quickly. A source of extra heat, an electric space heater or human heating pad for round the clock heating. Pet Snuggle safe disks or hand mitten warmers when traveling or trips to the vet. Thermometer - any type of accurate thermometer to ensure hedgies environment is above 72-73 F. Light source - A light nearby that can be left on 12 hours a day. It can be a broad spectrum bulb or just a regular light bulb. Wheel - A large 11" diameter or larger, solid surface wheel. NO MESH OR RUNGS. A bucket wheel is best as hedgie can be injured on the cross bars of normal wheels. Veterinarian A hedgehog knowledgeable vet located before one is needed in an emergency.
Optional Litter box - a shallow pan or tray large enough to fit under the wheel with about 6" protruding in front of the wheel. Litter - Choose a litter that is as dust free as possible. Yesterdays News, paper towel, Carefresh, Kiln dried pine or aspen shavings are all fine. I personally have found Carefresh to be too dusty. No Corncob, No Clumping cat litter, No Clay cat litter These litters can get stuck in sensitive areas. Toys - Toilet paper tubes cut lengthwise so hedgie does not get stuck. Plastic cat toys and balls. Small stuffed toys (no loose woven fabrics, no loose threads or loops). Cardboard boxes. Small blankets mounded up to crawl on. Plastic plumbing tubes or ferret tubes and elbows. Must be 4" diameter. You, a hedgehogs favorite jungle gym. Treats - BUGS, mealworms, crickets, silkworms Weigh scale - Hedgehogs are very good at hiding illness and often the first sign of illness is loss of weight. Keeping track of your hedgehogs weight may alert you to an illness in its earliest stages. The best and most accurate type of scale is a digital scale often sold for weighing mail. |
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Due to the amount of spam, porn and other unwanted emails I am getting, I have removed automatic email links. Please remove the spaces out of the email addresses below. thehedgieden @ cogeco.ca thehedgieden @ gmail.com
For faster replies please use the above two addresses. I do not check hotmail as often. thehedgieden @ hotmail.com
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