To help avoid confusion and to allow for the changes that often occur in young hedgehogs, we group our animals into one of six color groups with three additional patterns that may occur. While we cannot guarantee exact color or whether an animal will become a snowflake or a white, we will guarantee that an animal will fall within one of the following groups.

To avoid confusion, the formal color standard is listed in parenthesis after the name of each color group. Below each group you will find more information on terms to help you better understand or describe what you are hoping to find.

Colors:

Dark Standard: (Dark Gray, Salt & Pepper, Black)
extremely dark gray-black skin
black nose
dark quill bands
dark mask

Standard: (Chocolate & Gray)
light gray skin
dark brown or black nose
dark brown quill bands that may have a grey hue
may have some brown masking

Light Standard: (Brown & Cinnamon)
dark pink with gray hue skin
light brown or pinkish brown nose
light brown or reddish brown quill bands
masking possible but unlikely

Dark Cotty: (Black eyed Cinnacot & Dark Cinnacot)
pink skin
medium to dark pink nose
a mix of tan, orangish, &/or light brown quills, bands clearly visible
faint masking possible but unlikely

Light Cotty: (Red eyed Cinnacot, Champagne, Apricot, Pale Apricot)
very pink skin
pink nose
light tan and/or light orangish quills, banding may be faint
red or ruby eyes
no masking

Albino:
pink skin
pink nose
pink eyes
white quills
Albino animals have a recessive gene that blocks the expression of color pigment. Some people are bothered by this coloring, but we find them uniquely beautiful.

Patterns

Snowflake:
In the color standard, the ideal for this pattern is an animal with 50% unbanded (pure white) quills. In reality you will find anywhere from 25-80% unbanded quills tor more. Because of this, we do note when an animal is a “high white” snowflake, meaning an animal with an obvious large majority of unbanded quills who does not qualify as a true White.

Pinto:
Pinto is a partial form of albinism. Pinto animals are colored normally, with the exception of one of more patches of pink skin with white quills protruding.

White:
A true white animal will have all white quills, with the exception of 10 or fewer banded quills on the forehead. It is almost impossible to guarantee a young animal will be a true white. In many cases high white snowflakes and true whites are confused or simply misnamed.
{mos_jb_discuss:56}