Breeding.
This site only promotes ethical breeding, the suggestions/recommendations on this site are ethical ones and should you not wish to follow these suggestions you do so at your own risk. The best suggestion I have for those thinking hedgehog breeding is a quick, easy, cute way of making some money please forget breeding your hedgehog and get a job instead. These are living creatures and in order to breed correctly you will need to put time, money and patience into the female, babies and homes they go to. There are currently hedgehogs on any free-add site in the UK, because people are breeding them in order to make a bit of money. Do not add to the list unless you are serious about hedgehog welfare and development.
On this page we will take you through;
- Should I breed my hedgehog?
- Hedgehog breeding don'ts.
- What I will need.
- Dealing with the pregnant female.
- Dealing with the birth/What to do now?
- Hand rearing.// Poppy's story.
Should I breed my hedgehog?
Wise question and one that should not be answered lightly. Ask yourself the reason you want to breed. Ask yourself if you are willing to risk your females life. Ask yourself if you are prepared to cope if she rejects the litter and you have to hand feed a litter of 5 babies every 2 hours (24/7). Ask yourself how you will feel if your female eats/kills the whole litter. Ask yourself if you have the room to keep the babies should they be born with issues/be un-sellable.
If you are unsure as to if you can hand rear (due to time ect) please scroll down to "Poppy's Story". This should give you more of an idea.
Once you have thought about these questions long and hard will you be able to answer the question, Should I breed my hedgehog?
If you are unsure as to if you can hand rear (due to time ect) please scroll down to "Poppy's Story". This should give you more of an idea.
Once you have thought about these questions long and hard will you be able to answer the question, Should I breed my hedgehog?
Hedgehog breeding don'ts.
- Never breed a female under 6 months (Perfect age is 8-9 months).
- Never breed a female for the first time over 12months of age.
- Never breed a female under 300g in weight.
- Never breed a female/male with any genetic issues.
- Take caution when breeding from a hedgehog with unknown linage.
What will I need?
The female will need a nesting house/box to feel safe. Left uncovered may make her feel the need to kill/reject the litter.
Nesting material such as kitchen roll will need to be shredded and placed in the box/house.
Plenty of eggs, kitchen roll, news paper and lean mince!
Nesting material such as kitchen roll will need to be shredded and placed in the box/house.
Plenty of eggs, kitchen roll, news paper and lean mince!
Dealing with a pregnant female.
Once your female starts showing you can pretty much be sure she's going to have babies, now is the time when you need to start deciding on the final clean out date for the cage (as once the babies arrive you will not be able to touch) and when to remove the wheel. Remove the wheel around 7--10 days before she's due. (Pregnancy lasts around 35 days).
Once you remove the wheel there's no going back. Hopefully mummy hog will do her duties and start nesting but dont panic if she doesn't. Some hedgehogs take time to do these things.
Keep her food level's up and give her plenty of lean mince ect to build her up as some females will not come out of the nest once birthing has taken place.
Once you remove the wheel there's no going back. Hopefully mummy hog will do her duties and start nesting but dont panic if she doesn't. Some hedgehogs take time to do these things.
Keep her food level's up and give her plenty of lean mince ect to build her up as some females will not come out of the nest once birthing has taken place.
The birth and what to do now.
Once mummy hog has given birth you MUST keep off. Dont touch mummy or the babies until two weeks old. At 2 weeks old you may start handling slowly if mummy seems happy with it (but only for short amounts of time) at 3 weeks old you can build it up to more regular handling.
Poppy's story.
This is Poppy's story, something to remember before breeding.
Poppy came to me around 5 months old. She was suspected pregnant as it had been a sales ploy and a good friend collected her and gave her to me. She gave birth to 5 babies, I checked in on her and she seemed to be coping very well.....at first. I started to notice she looked more tired, she was spending more time out of the nest, the babies were getting louder. One night she chewed through the mesh on the front of her viv, we had to move her and the babies to a zoozone 2 for their own safety. She settled in the zoozone 2 very well, re built her nest and seemed okay, a little stressed but okay.
A few days later she went mental, the babies were 2 weeks and 3/4 days old when she rejected them, she nearly killed one of them. Poppy had never been violent before. I made the choice to remove them and hand rear, despite this being my first ever litter of hedgehogs I knew they had a better chance with me than with a very stressed Poppy. Poppy adapted to them being gone very fast and soon calmed down and returned to her normal self.
The babies however were not so easy, I had never hand reared a litter before. Never even had a litter of hedgehogs before. Luckily I knew it was something I may have to do because of her age and had some supplies in. (Goats milk, fennel tea and infacol) that night I knew I was in for a long ride. Feeding every 2 hours at the start, then every 3 hours and then after a few weeks I got to the point the babies would tell me when they wanted milk. The hardest part for me was being unable to leave the house with out 5 squeeking babies. Oh and being covered in goats milk and infacol constantly, being able to smell it on my skin.
When the babies got to 5 weeks I felt they were active, lively and independent enough that they would survive. I got them all to start eating solids, it took time but they did! And at 8 weeks old they all went off to their very special homes. (Apart from one which I kept). I am lucky I am in constant touch with all the owners and the hedgehogs are doing great. But it could have all gone so differently. Many have lost babies during hand rearing, its hard and very time consuming.
You need to be able to have time to do it before you breed. If you don't have the time, don't breed because hand rearing is something any mummy hog and litter may need doing and you have to be able to do it.
- Emma. (Arcticfrost hedgehogs).
A few days later she went mental, the babies were 2 weeks and 3/4 days old when she rejected them, she nearly killed one of them. Poppy had never been violent before. I made the choice to remove them and hand rear, despite this being my first ever litter of hedgehogs I knew they had a better chance with me than with a very stressed Poppy. Poppy adapted to them being gone very fast and soon calmed down and returned to her normal self.
The babies however were not so easy, I had never hand reared a litter before. Never even had a litter of hedgehogs before. Luckily I knew it was something I may have to do because of her age and had some supplies in. (Goats milk, fennel tea and infacol) that night I knew I was in for a long ride. Feeding every 2 hours at the start, then every 3 hours and then after a few weeks I got to the point the babies would tell me when they wanted milk. The hardest part for me was being unable to leave the house with out 5 squeeking babies. Oh and being covered in goats milk and infacol constantly, being able to smell it on my skin.
When the babies got to 5 weeks I felt they were active, lively and independent enough that they would survive. I got them all to start eating solids, it took time but they did! And at 8 weeks old they all went off to their very special homes. (Apart from one which I kept). I am lucky I am in constant touch with all the owners and the hedgehogs are doing great. But it could have all gone so differently. Many have lost babies during hand rearing, its hard and very time consuming.
You need to be able to have time to do it before you breed. If you don't have the time, don't breed because hand rearing is something any mummy hog and litter may need doing and you have to be able to do it.
- Emma. (Arcticfrost hedgehogs).