We obtained our first two pygmy hedgehogs in 1986. Back then little was known about keeping these little
creatures as pets. After a couple of years of caring for our own pet hedgehogs we found ourselves becoming more enchanted
by their antics and found ourselves investing more and more time (and money) into our hobby. Three years later in 1989 we
decided that we were ready to start a small scale breeding herd in hopes of producing a few babies so that we could study
them closely, in hopes of learning more about their development and their habits. We also knew that back then very few people
knew hedgehogs even existed let alone that people kept them as pets. We knew that if we wanted to keep this hobby going we
would need to sell some of our animals and the challenge would be finding responsible pet homes for the animals that we produced
in our breeding program. Other than a few people that we personally knew who thought that they would enjoy keeping a pet hedgehog,
we hoped that with time we would meet people who showed a genuine interest in keeping these odd little animals as pets. As
luck would have it, we met plenty of people who wanted to purchase animals from us thereby enabling us to continue this rather
expensive hobby.
Now, after a couple of decades spent caring for hedgehogs, we have learned a fair bit about their needs. We
have experienced many of the highs and lows that are associated with breeding and domesticating wild animals and we still
look forward to the other unexpected surprises that will surely come our way. Every day brings about new experiences and it
is the challenges that we are faced with that keep our hobby forever, interesting.
We are fascinated with genetics and we breed most of the colour morphs that are currently available. Possibly
by selective breeding more unusual colour patterns will start to appear in our breeding program. While colour selection and
prediction can be a fun part of breeding, when we select the right animals to pair up for breeding we don’t only pay
attention to colour and personality, we also pay particular attention to the adult size of the hedgehogs. We are working to
produce and maintain smaller sized hedgehogs than those that one might find in pet stores or from another breeders. We feel
that smaller hedgehogs are more suitable to keep as pets, not only do they need a little less room but they seem to be a little
more manageable for the average pet owner.
Currently we work closely with several dedicated breeders who, like us, share in our fascination with these
exotic little pets. All of us are committed to learning more about and sharing the information, our knowledge and our experiences
with other hedgehog guardians and potential pet hedgehog owners.
This site is not really meant to promote breeding any animal. There is certainly a lot of information in out
dated books and many articles on the internet that are confusing and at times, perhaps a bit contradictory. We feel that nothing
can replace a mentor program and believe strongly that before anyone decides to breed any animal that it would be in everyone’s
(including the animals) best interest to seek the advice of a professional. Keep in mind that most experienced breeders have
directly or indirectly experienced many of the situations that you might be better off avoiding. In addition to reading about
it on the Internet or in books why not search out a reputable breeder who can help you get started in the hobby of raising
hedgehogs. The more information you gather the more successful you will be and the more you will appreciate the hobby.
The purpose of this site is to share our experiences in hopes of helping to educate people and perhaps even
to debunk a few of myths that are all over the internet regarding hedgehog care. The site is updated regularly and we try
not to get too technical, always attempting to maintain a no nonsense common sense approach to caring for a pet hedgehog.
"your comments are always appreciated"
