Kita has 5 little ones and Veda has 4. I was finally able to move the moms from their cages and hold the babies for a short while. I spent a little more time with Kita’s litter since they are older and I know that Kita doesn’t mind as much. Kita has 2 boys and 3 girls. The boys are both algerian grey or dark grey pintos and the girls are algerian cinnamon or cinnicots. I have already decided to keep 2 of the girls. I named them Valentine and Honey since they were born on Feb 14th. :) I will have the other 3 up for sale to my waiting list. Their eyes are not open yet, so I’m waiting to post pictures until they are around 3 weeks old. Veda’s litter was a surprise. I think 3 of them are albino. I can’t be 100% sure until their eyes open, but that is what they look like. The other looks like an algerian grey. I haven’t sexed them yet, but I think I’ll keep the grey one for my breeding program. I might change my mind once they are sexed.
I am very excited that there were no losses with these litters. Veda and Kita are both wonderful moms.
I checked on Kita yesterday and I thought I heard some tiny sounds, but I wasn’t sure. I definitely heard louder squeaks today, so the litter is confirmed. I’m excited to have Valentine babies. :) Kita is a wonderful mommy, but I have to give her some space before I check on the litter. I will be keeping at least one or two females from this litter, so I’m especially excited to see what is in the nest box. The waiting list will be notified once they are a couple of weeks old. Now I’m hoping that Veda has a healthy litter soon.
I thought I should do a post about power outages, since we have 32.5 inches of snow on the ground here and many are without power. Luckily, our power has stayed on and my hedgehog room has remained a steady 78-80 degrees. We have a generator, so I do not get as nervous as I did years ago when our power would go out, but I do keep a supply of hand warmers in case of an emergency. The hand warmers can keep your hedgehog warm for many hours or even days if necessary. I activate the warmer and slip it into a sock and tie the end. The warmer is placed in the hedgehog’s hideout and it keeps the area warm for 7+ hours depending on the type of warmer. Having some of these warmers on hand could possibly be a life saver. :)
The simple answer is – Yes!
Definition
hy·po·al·ler·gen·ic
adj.
Having a decreased tendency to provoke an allergic reaction.
The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary
The definition of hypoallergenic may surprise some people. Hypoallergenic does not mean non-allergenic. Hedgehogs are not very likely to cause an allergic reaction, but it has been known to happen. Hedgehogs produce very little dander, which is the usual culprit for animal allergies. It is extremely rare that hedgehog dander produces any sort of reaction. Allergic reactions to hedgehogs are usually from small pricks of the hedgehog’s quills that have been contaminated with an allergen.
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So, of course you love your hedgehog. Who wouldn’t? But, can you love your hedgehog too much?
Possibly.
Imagine a family with a child who loves hot dogs and chips. What child does not love hot dogs? It is not too hard to imagine. Now imagine that the parents give the child hot dogs and chips every single day.
Obesity
Obesity is one of the leading causes of death in hedgehogs. Treats shouldn’t be fed every day. A basic healthy staple food should be the majority of every pet’s diet. Treats should only be fed sparingly. I’d recommend no more than a few times per week (e.g. a few mealworms at a time).
Over the years I have heard many pet owners tell me how spoiled their pets are and how they are given treats all the time. Just as often I see overweight and unhealthy pets. Our pets depend on us to provide a healthy diet, just the same as children depend on their parents.
We as pet owners sometimes feel that a pet’s diet is boring and monotonous, so we want to spice it up by adding lots of treats. Ultimately, the health of the animal should be more important.
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If you are looking into buying a pet hedgehog then you have probably come across this disease in your search.
What is it?
Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome or WHS is a debilitating disease which is compared to Multiple Sclerosis. It is a progressive, degenerative, neurological disease usually showing first symptoms in the hind legs with paralysis then spreading to the front legs and upwards Paralysis could affect one side of the body more causing the hedgehog to fall over. Age of onset of symptoms is usually around 18 months and death usually occurs between 2 to 18 months after onset.
Hedgehogs are prone to mite infestation. If your hedgehog starts losing patches of quills, mites are probably to blame.
Source
The bedding that you buy may be contaminated with mites or they could be transferred from another pet in your house. Whatever the case, your hedgehog will need to be treated.
Treatment
Many people confuse fleas with mites. Fleas are pretty uncommon in hedgehogs. Most flea treatments are dangerous for hedgehogs, so avoid trying any over-the-counter flea treatments. Mites can be treated with Revolution (prescribed by a vet).
Ivermectin can be used topically/ or orally to treat hedgehogs, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have had good results with it in the past. I do use it on rabbits, but hedgehogs are smaller making it harder to get the dosage correct and you will need to administer 3 doses at 2 week intervals. I have also heard of cases of hedgehogs dying from Ivermectin, possibly from overdosing or fatal injections. Revolution clears it up in just one dose, so I’ll be sticking with that.
There are so many commercial foods out there. You may be confused by the selection and quality of hedgehog food. When I first did my research, I was naive and believed that if it was labeled for a hedgehog, it must be a perfect diet. I was completely wrong. Unfortunately, the hedgehog diets on the market are not well suited for hedgehogs. Since hedgehogs are a fairly new exotic pet and are even illegal in many states, many animal food companies still do not have a handle on the nutritional requirements of a hedgehog. If you ask most breeders, they will give you a variety of different cat foods and hedgehog foods that they have tried. I have tried a good many of the ones labeled for hedgehogs, but I’m still most happy with the cat foods.
What do they eat?
Hedgehogs are insectivores. Fresh fruits and vegetables can be fed to your hedgehog in very small amounts from time to time, but treats should mostly consist of live insects. Other good treats would be: cooked chicken, cooked eggs and cottage cheese, to name a few. My hedgehogs have really liked Sunseed Hedgehog food as a treat, too. Read the rest of this entry »
Your hedgehog is walking around fine and then suddenly he backs up, contorts his body, foams at the mouth and starts licking the foam onto his spine. This is something that has to be seen to be believed. This behavior is completely normal for hedgehogs.
When your hedgehog encounters a new or unusual smell, you may see him self anointing. Young hedgehogs seem to do it more often than adults. Possibly because more smells are new to them.