Which baby to choose? (also a rant)

[AltoClariTone]

i know, i've been starting a lot of threads. but you wouldn't BELIEVE what just happened to me! i went to my local petstore to look at the cages they have to offer. they also have a baby boy i've been considering. i was waiting for service (they were busy), and i was browsing the rodents absentmindedly. i looked into the gerbil cage, and what do i see? a dead newborn! right there in the front of the cage. completely hairless, shorter in length than my pinkie, and its eyes were still completely shut. i don't know if that's what it's supposed to look like.... maybe it was a preemie. regardless, i was disgusted. there were a couple of gerbils in that cage, so they must have two genders living together. grrrrr. i told one of the employees, and they said they hadn't realized there had been a birth, and they removed it as soon as they got the chance. i'm in total shock about it, because this pet store is usually very respectable... they're a huge source of knowledge on fish tanks, and they're always well-stocked and are very helpful. anyway, i decided to wake the baby hedgie to check his health....

i didn't see evidence of mites, but he lives in a wooden shelter, next to some bunnies. the "cages" have no tops, so you can reach in a pet the animals. i'm concerned that he could get mites if people pet the rabbits and then pick him up.

i need to know if this is promising behavior for a baby hedgie. i moved his bed (a hollow log-thing) and he woke up. i put my hand next to him, and he sniffed it, and as he did that, he slowly stepped into my hand.... he eventually had all 4 feet in my hand! he was pretty interested in my pinkie, and he spit on it. then he bit it. i'm assuming he did that because he's a baby, not because he was being agressive. is this good behavior?

i'm also considering driving a couple of hours and buying a baby from a breeder. they're cheaper, and come with a hedgie bag and food as well. i was really turned off by the baby gerbil incident, but the hedgie there seems so friendly, i don't know if i want to pass him up. advice? should i go with the breeder, or go with the pet store baby?

[mrgew]

Well you might want to ask where they got the hedgie from and its really up to you what you do. I can understand your concern with the dead gerbal. But from the sounds of it the hedgie seems to be in good health, but its still up to you which one you get. Also how old is the hedgie at the pet store?

[Ododad]

I will only address the hedgie question. I get kinda bummed out hearing horror stories about pet shops.

From my studies I don't believe that humans can transmit mites to a hedgie. Mites can come from infected bedding, another infected hedgie and sometimes extreme stress can cause them.
That he didn't ball up and or avoid you after being woken up is a good sign of his temperment. That he climbed onto your hand and took a nip of your pinkie most likely means that you had something that smelled quite tasty to him! lol A hedgies sense of smell as well as their hearing is very advanced and acute. He probably smelled something on your hand that you didn't even know was there. What you have described so far sounds promising. Some more things to check on him are: Missing quills (bald spots) runny nose (a cold wet nose is normal) any type of discharge from his eyes, ragged and/or scabby ears ( a good sign of mites, along with constant scraching) and bloody discharge from either the anus or vagina. There are more signs, but these are some of the basics. Of course, any hedgie you get should have a vet visit ASAP if only to determine that your starting out with a healthy hedgie.
Now, this is just my personal thought..... I would get the hedgie from the pet shop, and take her out of that environment. But, I take in rescues only and am a little bias in favor of helping out a needy hedgie. Hope this helps

[Tampaquillowner]

Here is my advice. Two of my three hogs are from petstores, Tico was a total huffbutt when I first got him and it took me almost a year to "socialize" him and make him "friendly" and he is still not as friendly as my breeder baby. Nemo I also got from a petstore and he was such a sweetie at the petstore. But when I brought him home it was a bit of a different story. In the petstore he crawled around on my hand and didnt ball at all but when we got home he was completely different. I thought it was just quilling but nothing has changed since june when I got him. So the moral of the story is this, even though he is a sweetie in the petstore he may not be when he gets home. I would go with one from a breeder (if they are reputable that is). My newest baby Price is from a local breeder and he is just the sweetest thing I have ever seen. He gives me kisses and isnt afraid of my face. He rarely huffs unless I disturb his sleep and only balls when I wake him up. But he is also quilling badly right now so I feel his temperment will be perfect when he is done.

I would say get the petstore hedgie from the petstore if you want to spend a lot of time socializing. I spend at least and hour with my boys per night and it has taken them quite a while to become social. Nemo is still not really social or friendly.
If you want a baby that has a health guarantee, a known background, and probably a MUCH better temperment then I would go with the breeder.

Just my two cents, hope it helps.