GamblingHedgie
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Babies and Mother - 2007/07/23 10:39
Hello everyone! I'm new to the hedghog world, and have two of them. Caesar, the male, and Zelda, the female. I had them together when I bought them, but have since seperated them. About three weeks ago, I most of the shavings in Zelda's cage moved to her nest box. Sure enough, there were 3 little hedgies in there.
My question, is about the mother. It's been three weeks, and she is still extremely protective of the babies. I've only been able to hold the kids about 4 times since last week. It's only when I put mealworms on the other side of the cage I can get to the babies. She has bitten me when I try to go for the babies. Everytime I open the cage, she'll curl up and hiss at me, which she has never done before the babies were born.
Is there something I should be doing different? Should I be worried that she won't let me hold them? I know it says two weeks and you should be fine with holding them, but it's been 3, and she still doesn't fully let me.
Help please!
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dzmeadows
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Re:Babies and Mother - 2007/07/23 13:27
Sounds like a very protective mother there! I have some that are big bluffers, and will huff and snort at me even when I pull the babies for weaning, others just roll over and say yeah, take the brats for a bit... :-P
If bribing her with a mealie or two is what it takes, I don't see that it necessarily hurts anything. Any day now, the babies will be out and about, and much easier to snag without the mom being able to get a grip on you. Good luck with her!
Becca
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HamorHollow
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Re:Babies and Mother - 2007/07/23 14:08
Did the hedgehogs come from the pet store or another breeder. If they are from a pet store, then mom is huffy because she isn't very used to people. Also, it doesn't sound like she was with you very long before having the babies, so she probabally doesn't trust you yet. Since she is so new to you, I would recommend limiting your contact with the babies. They are still at an age where she can kill or damage them if she feels threatened enough.
-K
Kelly Sosik-Hamor
Hamor Hollow Hedgehogs - a New Hampshire breeder, serving Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and any where else hedgehogs are legal. |
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clutterbuster
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Re:Babies and Mother - 2007/07/23 15:14
Kelly, I've read on some sight that a mother hedgies personality changes after birth and not always for the better. And that hostile hedgies should not be bred, preference given to hedgies with good personalities. Even if I knew P-k's origin, I would not breed her for she came to us with behavioral problems and we've made so much progress in three months that I would not want to undo that with motherhood. I think a lot of newbies assume motherhood is good for them, but these are not cats or dogs. Even though the person who has just recently had a litter may be just dealing with a NATURALLY protective mother...Please talk about how motherhood is not a good thing for every hedgie . joy
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CThogs
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Re:Babies and Mother - 2007/07/23 15:47
Should I be worried that she won't let me hold them?
Any day now the babies will be toddling outside of the nest and hopefully Zelda will realize that she can't get them all back in the nest at once and be better about it. Or exhaust herself trying
Don't worry too much-take your cues from Zelda and if you can't handle them as much now, spend a lot more time with them when they are a little older.
Ann
Connecticut Hedgehogs
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GamblingHedgie
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Re:Babies and Mother - 2007/07/23 16:16
Thank you everybody for the help. Yes, they were bought at a pet store, they were about months old. Zelda was not hostile at all, she was the one who used to let me pick her up the the most out of teh two of them. They were both bought from a breeder, and were only there for a week and a half before I bought them.
One other thing I am worried about is that she housed them under the food dish( I have one of those un-flippable ones), so, I'm not sure if they will be able to burrow themselves out of it to walk around, or if I should help them a bit...
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GamblingHedgie
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Re:Babies and Mother - 2007/08/04 13:59
Well, just one more question as of now. Zelda has become very good with me and the babies. They have started to eat dry food as well as food from their mother. They are almost 5 weeks. However, I have yet to see them drink from the water bottle. Should I become worried, is there another way for them to get water?
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CThogs
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Re:Babies and Mother - 2007/08/04 15:36
Glad to hear things are going well.
See if you can move the water bottle lower. They may have trouble reaching it. If that does not work, you could try a water dish but you will probably have to change it frequently with energetic babies running around.
Ann
Connecticut Hedgehogs
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clutterbuster
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Re:Babies and Mother - 2007/08/04 17:43
gambling hedgie said they had a Pet Store hedgie that came from a breeder.
I think my rehome Max came from a pet store four years ago in NH that a breeder had sold to.
There are two pet stores in my section of NYS that says they have a breeder they can get a hedgie from within a week, which makes me really nervous as to what breeder would sell to a pet store?
(I know Pet stores hedgies come from someplace, but i figured the chain stores had a supplier as they do with other animals).
I'm kind of wondering aloud here - anyone have a comment?
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HamorHollow
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Re:Babies and Mother - 2007/08/04 22:18
clutterbuster wrote:
......... which makes me really nervous as to what breeder would sell to a pet store?
(I know Pet stores hedgies come from someplace, but i figured the chain stores had a supplier as they do with other animals).
I'm kind of wondering aloud here - anyone have a comment?
Technically, mills are breeders too. Only you'll never hear the person at the pet store say 'I'll conatct the mill and see what they have in stock.' They say *breeder* to make it sound better
-K
Kelly Sosik-Hamor
Hamor Hollow Hedgehogs - a New Hampshire breeder, serving Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and any where else hedgehogs are legal. |
Do you want to buy a baby Hedgehog? Please fill out out questionnaire. |
Hedgehog World - A Community for African Pygmy Hedgehog Owners and Breeders
Join us for Hedgehog Fest 2008
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CThogs
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Re:Babies and Mother - 2007/08/21 07:45
Technically, mills are breeders too. Only you'll never hear the person at the pet store say 'I'll conatct the mill and see what they have in stock.' They say *breeder* to make it sound better
I am dragging up this thread again because this is a pet peeve of mine. Most pet stores do say that their hedgehogs came from "local breeders" and it is very misleading to the general public.
Here is an excerpt from my article "Why should I buy from a breeder and not a pet store?"
If you cannot buy from a breeder and wish to buy from a pet store, here are a few questions to ask:
Are you USDA licensed? Pet stores must be USDA licensed if they sell even one hedgehog or other exotic pet.
Were the hedgehogs born here? If they say they were, ask to see mom She should be kept in the back and not out on the sales floor.
Were the hedgehogs from a local breeder? If they say they were, ask for the contact information for that breeder and contact them.
I do not sell to pet stores and most other small and medium scale breeders do not either.
You can see the whole article here:
http://www.connecticuthedgehogs.com/articles/petstore.htm
Ann
Connecticut Hedgehogs
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aislinsadia
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Re:Babies and Mother - 2007/08/21 09:56
Seems like this thread has gone away from it's original purpose- to help someone who is in need of good, safe advice about the hedgehogs in their care.
*~*Steph*~*
Cotton, Noodles & Cocoa (hedgehogs), Kuruku & Kimiko (kittehs), Sushi & Lily (Ryukin Goldfish), Rosy & Ruby (beagle sisters), and Archie & Rocky (African Dwarf Frogs). |
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CThogs
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Re:Babies and Mother - 2007/08/21 12:22
Yeah-alot of threads seem to do that don't they
Ann
Connecticut Hedgehogs
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CandJ327
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Re:Babies and Mother - 2007/08/21 17:59
There's a gross petstore where I live that had hedghogs. They are USDA liscenced. They said they got them from a local breeder and when I pushed them (this took a lot of pushing BTW) he told me that by "local" he meant domestic, and by domestic he meant Texas. I live in NY 
He also had a male and female housed together and said they were 9wks old but were as big as Ava's parents when I saw them at our breeder's.
I hope your babies are doing well 
Ava's mom!
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clutterbuster
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Re:Babies and Mother - 2007/08/21 20:00
curious what section in NYS is this pet store, sounds like one I've went to last jan. with someone to do a rescue, and that guy is USDA licensed... is it the store in Canajoharie? He had told me he gets his from a breeder in NJ.
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CandJ327
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Re:Babies and Mother - 2007/08/21 22:18
No, he's in North Syracuse.
I work in the "pet related industry" with dogs and know the assistant director at the SPCA up here. I had one of my sales woman go and speak to her about it. A short while later we found out from a woman with "Stop Puppy Mills Now" at a trade show we were at that they had been shut down! We were so excited, however, a few weeks later they were open again. It must have been a situation where it was their first strike and conditions weren't "too bad" so they were allowed to clean up their act
From what I hear, they're still pretty shabby.
Post edited by: CandJ327, at: 2007/08/21 22:18
Ava's mom!
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