Pregnant and using a wheel?

[horslvr123]

Ok.. im just looking for information on this.. I dont recall seeing this as a topic recently. If im wrong.. please direct me to the thread...

When should you take the wheel out of the cage if your hedgie is pregnant? Or can you just leave it in?

Im making me a list of things to do and not to do in case I decide to breed. This way I wont have to ask all these questions then.. I can just open up my little book..

That, and the petstore I go to always has hedgies and has a sale on the adults. They never seperate sexes, so if I get a girl, I want to be prepared.. (you never know. the prices just might go down enough that my husband wont be able to say no :D )

[who00knows]

It can be abusive to the babies. I think they recommend taking them out around the 20th day of pregnancy. I would no recommend breeding any store bought pets. Especially with the recent uproar of WHS going around! They should seperate the sexes. I just bought a male hedgie and turned out he was pregnant and 4 days after I got him I had babies. I was very ill prepared. Please dont breed store bought hedgies! Breeding takes ALOT of time and ALOT of money!

[horslvr123]

I wasnt going to breed the store bought hedgie.. i was saying I might BUY a hedgie from a pet store and it might be pregnant.
Ive told them about seperating them, they wont listen.. They get a kick out of having babies..The last time I mentioned it to one of the employees, I was given a snotty look.

[kaiteedyd]

I kinda say this to everyone so don't take it personally.

Please don't buy petstore hedgehogs or any animals for that matter from stores that keep them in bad conditions. I know it's tempting to save them but by buying them your encourage the store to restock. If their hedgehogs sit there forever, not being sold, they are not as likely to restock. If you are really concerned and they don't listen to advice please report them instead.

[horslvr123]

the only thing about reporting them is that it wont do any good. All their cages are clean. Animals look good.. Store clean.. There is no "law" on keeping hedgies in seperate cages, its just a recommendation.(granted, its a very good recommendation)
Eh, I probably wont get another hedgie anytime soon.. My hedgie room is my "spare/computer" room and its getting crowded.
LOL.. you should see my kitchen.. the far wall is lined with cages.. 2 parrots (in 2 cages) my sisters chinchillas (in one large tall cage) with the guinea pig cage on top of that and my chinchilla cages.. one stacked on top of the other..
So, with that in mind.. probably no more pets for a while..

I was just curious about the wheel thing.. Just in case..

[orchidofpurple]

It is against USDA regulations for a pet store to sell hadgehogs unless they are licensed. If they are not licensed and are caught it is a hefty fine.

[HedgePigLove]

I've asked the same question about the wheels, Alicia, since I work with rescue hedgies - want to be prepared! Anyway, some breeders remove the wheel as soon as the breeding commences, wanting the female to concentrate on getting relaxed and large. Other breeders keep the wheel in up 'til the last week before the due date and then remove it as part of the "final major cleaning before the birthing" routine. And some leave the wheel in until the last minute.

One breeder stresses that it's important not to let the mother see you removing the wheel, as she may take out her anger on the hoglets (apparently this happened to one of her herd members). All of the breeders that I've spoken with agree that once there are hoglets, the wheel needs to be removed. Apparently the mums' will take the hoglets running (holding one in the mouth) sometimes, and many will choose to run and not pay attention to their mothering duties. Hope this helps - Laura

[horslvr123]

Im pretty sure they are USDA licensed as they have a bunch of exotic pets.. But, next time in there I will double check..
Can the USDA make them seperate sexes or is that just a personal preference??

[bloane]

I remove wheels from all of my girls at 28 days of pregnancy, which is about a week before they are due. My girls don't seem to have much interest in wheels by that time anyway, so they don't mind.
Becca

[PrincessHedge]

Alicia, I sked them last time I was there they said they had there Usda Lisence so they are fine! Besides they do sell some cute babies I am thinking about going next week to pick another baby! Wish me luck, I hear they are on sale.