Post by Lilith on Jan 5, 2017 20:03:35 GMT
Lilith's Loops guide for
breeding
breeding
If you are on this page I assume you are looking to learn more about the breeding process, or hoping to become a breeder yourself. There are many things you should know and be aware of before you begin the long path to becoming a good breeder. It has been stressed many times, but hedgehogs are much different than your average house pet. Their birthing process is unique as well.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
1. Have you ever bred any animal before this?
2. Do you have a mentor?
3. Are you financially prepared?
4. Are you emotionally prepared?
5. Do your hedgehogs have proof of lineage?
6. How many hedgehogs do you own?
7. Why are you wanting to become a breeder?
8. Do you have the time to dedicate?
9. Are you willing to face the potential risks?
1. Have you ever bred any animal before this?
This question is important. If you have never dealt with breeding animals, you may not be totally prepared for the less desirable, messier parts of the job.
At the same time, the breeding process is much different for hedgehogs. We will get to that.
2. Do you have a mentor?
GET A MENTOR. This is close to the most important thing you'll need to know. Find yourself someone experienced in breeding APH's who would be willing to walk you through the process. You do not want to go in blind. Having someone with experience guiding you will make your life, as well as the hoglets lives that much easier. If you think you can do it without assistance, I can't recommend it. There are a lot of variables to consider.
3. Are you financially prepared?
If you own a hedgehog already you are likely aware that they are expensive creatures to own. Between setup, vet bills, and proper diet you need to be prepared for the financial hit. Now consider that for multiple hedgehogs and litters. That being said, babies can be even more expensive if they need medical attention. You need to be prepared for all sorts of disaster, including but not limited to the mother rejecting her young, injuries, or unexpected illnesses.
4. Are you emotionally prepared?
This one's a big one. Breeding hedgehogs can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be devastating at times. Have you ever thought about what you will do if a hoglet dies? Worse, have you ever considered how you will feel about the mom if she is the cause of death? This is a very real risk for breeders, and an unfortunate reality of the species. African pygmy hedgehogs have been known to mutilate and sometimes eat their children if they feel threatened or exposed. It takes very little to provoke this reaction from a stressed out mother.
5. Do your hedgehogs have proof of lineage?
Proof of lineage means having some way to verify that both breeding hogs came from healthy backgrounds. This will be a requirement to become a certified breeder. If you wish to make this into a career you will need proof of lineage for all of your breeding hogs. You should not breed any hedgehog that comes from an unverified background. Breeders work hard to make sure these guidelines are followed to strengthen the healthy aspects of the breed.
6. How many hedgehogs do you own?
Someone wishing to make breeding a career will need a fair amount of room to house all of their hedgehogs, and extra enclosures for babies once they become too old to share cages. Keep in mind that males and females should be housed in completely different areas until they are being prepared to breed. You will also need to keep track of lineages and take care not to inbreed any of your mothers.
7. Why are you wanting to become a breeder?
What motivates you to want to head down this path? If it is money exclusively you will want to turn around now. Any good breeder will be sure to inform anyone who has interest in their field about the risks of becoming a breeder. Money should not be your motivation. If you wish to breed hedgehogs you should do it because you are passionate about the species. The money is an added benefit, but you can't expect to make a large sum of cash doing this anyways. Hedgehogs have a small time span where it is safe to breed and the health and safety of the hogs is always the most important thing. You will need to keep strict records of everything from lineage to breeding times to expecting dates. It is incredibly time consuming and should not be attempted unless you truly have the spare time to do it. Which brings me to number 8...
8. Do you have the time to dedicate?
Breeding hedgehogs is incredibly time consuming. You must have all materials prepared beforehand and a strong understanding of how hedgehog reproduction works. If you do not take the time to learn you may directly cause more harm than good. The birthing process isn't the only time consuming portion of breeding. You will also need to handle the babies every day confidently and consistently when they hit a safe age point. If you do not have the time to get them comfortable around people they will likely make more difficult pets. Are you prepared to find each and every hoglet a good home?
9. Are you willing to face potential risks?
We touched on this a little bit on #4, but there are many risks that come with breeding hedgehogs. Babies being cannibalized is a huge risk, and probably the most common issue. Have you considered how you will feel if your mother hog doesn't survive? What about if the mom rejects one of her young? Are you prepared to be up every three to four hours to syringe feed the rejected hoglet? Do you have a surrogate mother ready to take over if needed? These are all very real problems that have occurred with most breeders at some point or another.
10. Are you willing to be patient?
This is a big one. If you do not think you can leave the mom and hoglets alone for at least two weeks after the birth you need to reconsider breeding. This time is crucial for the hoglets survival. During these two weeks the hog mom is at an elevated risk for cannibalizing her young. You need to make sure any fleece has been replaced with a better substrate for nesting and mustn't disturb her or the babies at all. The only reason you should even go near the cage is to change food and water. Even small attempts to peek can lead to disaster, so don't do it.
If your answer to any of the above questions isn't resoundingly positive, you should reconsider. I don't say this to be mean, I say this for the safety of the mom and hoglets. It isn't fair to breed an animal and not give them the proper environment to thrive. Please be sure this is a path you want to go down before you start. I promise you it is more time consuming and expensive than you imagine it is.
If after all that you are still interested in breeding, then please continue onward.
The breeding process
The female should be between 5-12 months old. This is optimum age for breeding. If you opt to breed her sooner you could cause severe internal damage, and if you choose to breed her later her chances of conceiving drop significantly. Be sure any hogs you breed are well tempered towards humans and hopefully other hogs as well. Please keep in mind that negative personality traits tend to carry on to the babies. If your mother hedgehog tends to bite it is likely her offspring will too. Also be aware that mother hedgehogs personalities often change a bit after pregnancy.
When preparing to breed, you will want to bring the female over to the males cage. Prepare for this by giving the male's enclosure a good clean before you bring her around. De-clutter the area of excess toys, tubes, and obstacles. Bring the female to his enclosure and allow them to coexist for about seven days. The male will likely start squeaking loudly while the female huffs and looks defensive. This is completely normal and nothing to be concerned about. After seven days remove the female and bring her back to her own cage. Be sure to write down the first day they were together to track the earliest point of pregnancy and follow through until 35 days after their last encounter. If the female hasn't given birth in that time keep a close watch for another ten days before assuming the breeding attempt didn't work.
The next 35 days should be spent preparing for the hopeful litter of hoglets. You will need to prepare a nesting box that you will place in her cage about a week before she is expected to give birth. This can be anything from an empty gallon ice cream pail with a four inch hole cut into the side to a plastic bucket with appropriate modification. Keep in mind that your hedgehog will feel much happier if the walls to the nesting box aren't see through, and will need enough room for up to eight hoglets as well. Most litters have between 3 and five hoglets. A mostly opaque nest box surface is ideal. I don't suggest cardboard boxes in this situation although many others have had success with them. You will need to leave the cage alone, including cleaning, for at least two weeks after birth. In that time the cardboard can get a little bit gross, so plastic has always seemed to be a better option.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
1. Have you ever bred any animal before this?
2. Do you have a mentor?
3. Are you financially prepared?
4. Are you emotionally prepared?
5. Do your hedgehogs have proof of lineage?
6. How many hedgehogs do you own?
7. Why are you wanting to become a breeder?
8. Do you have the time to dedicate?
9. Are you willing to face the potential risks?
1. Have you ever bred any animal before this?
This question is important. If you have never dealt with breeding animals, you may not be totally prepared for the less desirable, messier parts of the job.
At the same time, the breeding process is much different for hedgehogs. We will get to that.
2. Do you have a mentor?
GET A MENTOR. This is close to the most important thing you'll need to know. Find yourself someone experienced in breeding APH's who would be willing to walk you through the process. You do not want to go in blind. Having someone with experience guiding you will make your life, as well as the hoglets lives that much easier. If you think you can do it without assistance, I can't recommend it. There are a lot of variables to consider.
3. Are you financially prepared?
If you own a hedgehog already you are likely aware that they are expensive creatures to own. Between setup, vet bills, and proper diet you need to be prepared for the financial hit. Now consider that for multiple hedgehogs and litters. That being said, babies can be even more expensive if they need medical attention. You need to be prepared for all sorts of disaster, including but not limited to the mother rejecting her young, injuries, or unexpected illnesses.
4. Are you emotionally prepared?
This one's a big one. Breeding hedgehogs can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be devastating at times. Have you ever thought about what you will do if a hoglet dies? Worse, have you ever considered how you will feel about the mom if she is the cause of death? This is a very real risk for breeders, and an unfortunate reality of the species. African pygmy hedgehogs have been known to mutilate and sometimes eat their children if they feel threatened or exposed. It takes very little to provoke this reaction from a stressed out mother.
5. Do your hedgehogs have proof of lineage?
Proof of lineage means having some way to verify that both breeding hogs came from healthy backgrounds. This will be a requirement to become a certified breeder. If you wish to make this into a career you will need proof of lineage for all of your breeding hogs. You should not breed any hedgehog that comes from an unverified background. Breeders work hard to make sure these guidelines are followed to strengthen the healthy aspects of the breed.
6. How many hedgehogs do you own?
Someone wishing to make breeding a career will need a fair amount of room to house all of their hedgehogs, and extra enclosures for babies once they become too old to share cages. Keep in mind that males and females should be housed in completely different areas until they are being prepared to breed. You will also need to keep track of lineages and take care not to inbreed any of your mothers.
7. Why are you wanting to become a breeder?
What motivates you to want to head down this path? If it is money exclusively you will want to turn around now. Any good breeder will be sure to inform anyone who has interest in their field about the risks of becoming a breeder. Money should not be your motivation. If you wish to breed hedgehogs you should do it because you are passionate about the species. The money is an added benefit, but you can't expect to make a large sum of cash doing this anyways. Hedgehogs have a small time span where it is safe to breed and the health and safety of the hogs is always the most important thing. You will need to keep strict records of everything from lineage to breeding times to expecting dates. It is incredibly time consuming and should not be attempted unless you truly have the spare time to do it. Which brings me to number 8...
8. Do you have the time to dedicate?
Breeding hedgehogs is incredibly time consuming. You must have all materials prepared beforehand and a strong understanding of how hedgehog reproduction works. If you do not take the time to learn you may directly cause more harm than good. The birthing process isn't the only time consuming portion of breeding. You will also need to handle the babies every day confidently and consistently when they hit a safe age point. If you do not have the time to get them comfortable around people they will likely make more difficult pets. Are you prepared to find each and every hoglet a good home?
9. Are you willing to face potential risks?
We touched on this a little bit on #4, but there are many risks that come with breeding hedgehogs. Babies being cannibalized is a huge risk, and probably the most common issue. Have you considered how you will feel if your mother hog doesn't survive? What about if the mom rejects one of her young? Are you prepared to be up every three to four hours to syringe feed the rejected hoglet? Do you have a surrogate mother ready to take over if needed? These are all very real problems that have occurred with most breeders at some point or another.
10. Are you willing to be patient?
This is a big one. If you do not think you can leave the mom and hoglets alone for at least two weeks after the birth you need to reconsider breeding. This time is crucial for the hoglets survival. During these two weeks the hog mom is at an elevated risk for cannibalizing her young. You need to make sure any fleece has been replaced with a better substrate for nesting and mustn't disturb her or the babies at all. The only reason you should even go near the cage is to change food and water. Even small attempts to peek can lead to disaster, so don't do it.
If your answer to any of the above questions isn't resoundingly positive, you should reconsider. I don't say this to be mean, I say this for the safety of the mom and hoglets. It isn't fair to breed an animal and not give them the proper environment to thrive. Please be sure this is a path you want to go down before you start. I promise you it is more time consuming and expensive than you imagine it is.
If after all that you are still interested in breeding, then please continue onward.
The breeding process
The female should be between 5-12 months old. This is optimum age for breeding. If you opt to breed her sooner you could cause severe internal damage, and if you choose to breed her later her chances of conceiving drop significantly. Be sure any hogs you breed are well tempered towards humans and hopefully other hogs as well. Please keep in mind that negative personality traits tend to carry on to the babies. If your mother hedgehog tends to bite it is likely her offspring will too. Also be aware that mother hedgehogs personalities often change a bit after pregnancy.
When preparing to breed, you will want to bring the female over to the males cage. Prepare for this by giving the male's enclosure a good clean before you bring her around. De-clutter the area of excess toys, tubes, and obstacles. Bring the female to his enclosure and allow them to coexist for about seven days. The male will likely start squeaking loudly while the female huffs and looks defensive. This is completely normal and nothing to be concerned about. After seven days remove the female and bring her back to her own cage. Be sure to write down the first day they were together to track the earliest point of pregnancy and follow through until 35 days after their last encounter. If the female hasn't given birth in that time keep a close watch for another ten days before assuming the breeding attempt didn't work.
The next 35 days should be spent preparing for the hopeful litter of hoglets. You will need to prepare a nesting box that you will place in her cage about a week before she is expected to give birth. This can be anything from an empty gallon ice cream pail with a four inch hole cut into the side to a plastic bucket with appropriate modification. Keep in mind that your hedgehog will feel much happier if the walls to the nesting box aren't see through, and will need enough room for up to eight hoglets as well. Most litters have between 3 and five hoglets. A mostly opaque nest box surface is ideal. I don't suggest cardboard boxes in this situation although many others have had success with them. You will need to leave the cage alone, including cleaning, for at least two weeks after birth. In that time the cardboard can get a little bit gross, so plastic has always seemed to be a better option.
You will also want to make sure you have a burrow friendly substrate in her cage within the final couple weeks before her due date. Carefresh bedding is a personal favorite of mine. Just be sure you freeze it before placing it in her cage to kill off any potential mites that could be in them. Same goes for any sort of shaving, however we recommend finding a softer substrate. Fleece is not ideal in this situation. You will need to be able to go at least two weeks without cleaning whatever you lay down and fleece doesn't make the best nesting material because of that. Be sure to do a full clean of her cage a couple days before her expected delivery date.
The birth
During the final stages of the mothers pregnancy, usually within the last couple weeks before expected delivery you will want to increase her food intake. You can continue to check in on her until you hear the sounds of chirping from her nesting box or notice she has skipped a meal. At that point it is absolutely necessary that you do not try and peek. You can stress the mother out if you do and this can cause mutilation tendencies. Make sure to keep her food well stocked and her water clean, but that is it! No peeking!
Two to three weeks later the hoglets will be ready for human interaction. Their eyes will be open and they will start clumsily exploring their surroundings. You may start picking them up and getting them used to people now. Keep in mind that no matter how bonded you are to your hedgehog mom she will likely make sounds of displeasure when you pick up her babies. This is just a concerned mother being a good parent, so don't take it personally. You will want to handle each hoglet confidently and consistently for about a minute each. When you put them back the mom should be alright, but you will want to start small and work towards longer interactions. Continue this pattern until they are five weeks old. Be sure to comfort the mom as much as you can during this time. When the five week mark is hit you will be able to handle each baby much longer without concern. This is about the time where the hoglets will be almost weaned and starting to eat solid foods.
At the six week mark you should notice the mother spending much more time away from her babies. This is usually a good indication that she has weaned them and they now need their own space. Do not remove the hoglets from mom before six weeks. At this point you should spend as much time as you can familiarizing each baby with humans. This will ensure that each hog will make a great pet with a good temperament. This is also the earliest you should allow a hoglet to leave for its new home, but many breeders will keep their babies for a little longer just to make sure they are comfortable with people.
If you still have babies in your possession at eight weeks old be sure to sex each hoglet and separate them accordingly. The males are now old enough to breed which can cause severe problems for a female that young.
The birth
During the final stages of the mothers pregnancy, usually within the last couple weeks before expected delivery you will want to increase her food intake. You can continue to check in on her until you hear the sounds of chirping from her nesting box or notice she has skipped a meal. At that point it is absolutely necessary that you do not try and peek. You can stress the mother out if you do and this can cause mutilation tendencies. Make sure to keep her food well stocked and her water clean, but that is it! No peeking!
Two to three weeks later the hoglets will be ready for human interaction. Their eyes will be open and they will start clumsily exploring their surroundings. You may start picking them up and getting them used to people now. Keep in mind that no matter how bonded you are to your hedgehog mom she will likely make sounds of displeasure when you pick up her babies. This is just a concerned mother being a good parent, so don't take it personally. You will want to handle each hoglet confidently and consistently for about a minute each. When you put them back the mom should be alright, but you will want to start small and work towards longer interactions. Continue this pattern until they are five weeks old. Be sure to comfort the mom as much as you can during this time. When the five week mark is hit you will be able to handle each baby much longer without concern. This is about the time where the hoglets will be almost weaned and starting to eat solid foods.
At the six week mark you should notice the mother spending much more time away from her babies. This is usually a good indication that she has weaned them and they now need their own space. Do not remove the hoglets from mom before six weeks. At this point you should spend as much time as you can familiarizing each baby with humans. This will ensure that each hog will make a great pet with a good temperament. This is also the earliest you should allow a hoglet to leave for its new home, but many breeders will keep their babies for a little longer just to make sure they are comfortable with people.
If you still have babies in your possession at eight weeks old be sure to sex each hoglet and separate them accordingly. The males are now old enough to breed which can cause severe problems for a female that young.
At about ten weeks the hoglets will grow their first batch of adult quills. Up until this point the quills on each baby will be small and soft. The initial appearance of the babies can be deceiving. You often can't tell what the final coloration of your hedgehog will be until this point has been passed.
What to do if a hoglet is rejected
You need to be prepared for this possibility before breeding is considered. Sometimes mother hogs will reject their young. This can be due to negligence on our part, or illnesses / disabilities we are unable to see ourselves. If you have another nursing hedgehog the best option is to attempt to foster the baby with her. If fostering is not an option you will need to be prepared to step in and do the work. Goats milk or First Born kitten formula works as a wonderful substitute for hogs milk and can be fed via syringe. You will need to be prepared to give a feeding every three to four hours. You will also need to stimulate urination during this period. This can be achieved by rubbing the lower portion of the hoglets abdomen carefully.
Please also note that hand fed hoglets have an unfortunately poor survival rate. Many do not make it more than a couple weeks. Hand feeding is a last resort and should not be done if there are any other options available. Always opt to surrogate a hedgehog if you can.
That's it guys! I know it was a long read but for anyone who is inexperienced in this area please be sure to look through this before you try and breed. If you take anything away from this post, please let it be this: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A MENTOR BEFORE YOU BREED.
What to do if a hoglet is rejected
You need to be prepared for this possibility before breeding is considered. Sometimes mother hogs will reject their young. This can be due to negligence on our part, or illnesses / disabilities we are unable to see ourselves. If you have another nursing hedgehog the best option is to attempt to foster the baby with her. If fostering is not an option you will need to be prepared to step in and do the work. Goats milk or First Born kitten formula works as a wonderful substitute for hogs milk and can be fed via syringe. You will need to be prepared to give a feeding every three to four hours. You will also need to stimulate urination during this period. This can be achieved by rubbing the lower portion of the hoglets abdomen carefully.
Please also note that hand fed hoglets have an unfortunately poor survival rate. Many do not make it more than a couple weeks. Hand feeding is a last resort and should not be done if there are any other options available. Always opt to surrogate a hedgehog if you can.
That's it guys! I know it was a long read but for anyone who is inexperienced in this area please be sure to look through this before you try and breed. If you take anything away from this post, please let it be this: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A MENTOR BEFORE YOU BREED.
Last edit: 01/06/17
Made by Time Lapse of Adoxgraphy.
