Do breeders sell pregnant females

[Caroline]

We got our first little hedgehog about 1 1/2 months ago. His name is Napoleon and we love him to bits. We got him off of craigslist and do not know his history. He is a pinto.

At some point down the road, once we know more about hedgehog care, I would like to breed them. What I am wondering is whether, as in dogs and horses, I would be able to purchase a good quality female who has already been bred? Or after purchasing females, can I take them to other breeders who have males to have them bred. This would also make it possible to introduce new bloodlines and not have to repeat breedings.

I have bred and shown top quality showdogs before, and have a show quality miniature horse that I am training as well, so I would not consider myself one who would just randomly breed for the sake of having a litter.

 

[Caroline]

More on me

Many of my other questions on hedgehog care are being answered on websites such as this. I just have not been able to find the answer to those questions.
I know all to well that breeding is not a moneymaker venture, that it is an act of love (or craziness) anyhow one of the other, because you are more likely to loose money rather than make a profit. For example my mother owns the daughter to one of the top German Shepherds in the world (2007 World Sieger) and not only lost money breeding her, but ended up having to spay her.
I know that it is a huge time and space commitment and with 4 kids, 3 cats, 3Betta, two horses and Napoleon the hedgehog, plus work on top of that, I will need to wait a while before time and space is available. Plus I am in the process of training and getting a horse ready for the upcoming show season.
So bottomline, I would just like to have those questions answered and not other information and advice time,commitment, challenges etc.

 

[smhufflepuff]

Hi woman in shoe,

Congrats on your new little buddy. We'll be looking forward to hearing more about him.

I'm going to guess that if you've been active in breeding and showing quality dogs, you know about the importance of knowing plenty about taking care of the little guys before you start breeding so you can learn the ins & outs of hedgie care and you know about the importance of having a good lineage before considering breeding; ie, that you're not planning on breeding Napoleon, but, rather, enjoying him and all his hedgie antics. You probably also know that there are different types of breeders - ones who really care about their animals and improving their health/quality. And others who... well... are not so careful... Glad you made it to our forum and can start figuring out who's who and what makes them more or less reputable in the hedgehog community.

I don't know too much about the whole breeding scene... just little bits and pieces here and there. So I'd wait for a response from some more knowledgeable than me for more details.

The pieces I do know include: You'll want a good mentor. There are good (trustworthy) folks out there who are set on breeding healthy hedgehogs and who will mentor others.

I'm not so sure that a reputable breeder would sell a female whom they know is pregnant. You'd want the momma hedgie to feel comfortable in her home and have an established routine... not just be used to how things are at her original home, become pregnant, move, and then need to adapt to a whole new home and way of doing things during the course of her pregnancy. With hedgies, we're looking at ~35d gestation... momma might not yet feel "at home" by the time her babies are ready to be born. Not that that kind of thing hasn't happened, but why stress out momma hedgie when you could be more planful about the whole affair?

Other ways one might breed hedgies - I know of those who have both males and females whom they breed (carefully selecting whom goes with whom), of those who exchange some of their breeding stock with other breeders, and of those who have a female with whom they go on a foray to meet a male hedgie. If and when you get to the point where you're ready to breed, your mentor will be able to help guide you about the specifics.

So... in the meanwhile... check out the hedgie breeding FAQ: http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2219

And let us know about Napoleon

 

[Nancy]

Yes, some breeders will breed a girl to sell if this is what the person wants. There are a few problems with this. First off the girls have to be 6 months old for a first litter which means the breeder would have to keep the baby until she is 6 months, then breed her.

There is always a risk when a newly pregnant hedgehog goes through a stressful situation plus it doesn't always give adequate time for the girl to get used to her new home prior to delivery.

My first breeding quality hedgehog was newly pregnant when I got her and it ended in cannibalization. It may have anyways but I always felt we didn't know each other well enough and that could have been the reason she cannibalized.

In hindsight, I don't know what the point is in getting one already pregnant. In order to have a second litter there has to be a male so might as well get him to start with and buy a girl as a baby and when old enough, breed her yourself.

Reputable breeders are not as likely to sell a pregnant girl to someone that is not experienced and well known.

Yes, some breeders will breed a girl with one of theirs but depending on where you live, there may not be a reputable breeder near you that is willing to do that.