which hedgie best for a beginner?

[Iluvhedgies]

Hi! I am hoping to get my first hedgie within the next month. I was wondering about babies and retired hedgies. which one do you think would be better to get? I have found both for sale and they are the same price. For the retired hedgie, I talked to the women who owns her and she said she is a sweetie andwould be good for a beginner. But she would have to be shipped, which adds to the cost. So both are the same price, which one would be better to get?

P.S. for all who want to know, the retired hedgie I am looking at is from Hedgehogs in space, and the hedgies name is Poltergeist. If I got a baby I would get it from Deneen, from hedgiepets.com

[paris26]

It's completely a personal preference on whether you choose a young hedgehog or an adult. I have had all of the above and each hedgie has its own unique personality. Babies are a lot of work because they are potty just about everywhere so there is a lot of cage cleaning above the regular cleaning. Adults are usually able to control their potty habits and make wonderful companions as well

[kaiteedyd]

I've seen Polt on the website and she seems so cute! Only thing I would caution is the older hedgies are more likely to die sooner :(

That's the reason I decided to not get a retired hedgie.

[hedgehog69]

I would recomend a younger one that has been handled and is tame they are much easier to work with and dont take as long to bond to you, but older ones can be alright too, they all need good homes and need to be handled on a regular basis

[yourmine]

I think my biggest concern with the retired hedgie is the possiblility of having issues with the "female parts" that might require a spay. But that is really a concern with any female hedgehog that hasn't already been spayed. I think either experience could be rewarding for you. It's really just a personal decision. All I can say is, make sure that whichever one you pick, have a vet ready for any emergencies (not trying to scare you, I just think that a good vet is necissary whenever you have a pet especially new ones), and keep in contact with the breeder/previous owner (they can be such wonderful sources of information)! Congratulations and good luck!

[Iluvhedgies]

I got my hedgie May 1st, she's 8 weeks old now! She is a wonderful little girl, and I'm going to see if I can get a check up scheduled for this weekend :).

[Jessicy]

Congrats!

[eponine454]

oh how wonderful. And I LOVE the name NUTMEG. very cute.

[yourmine]

Congrats! What a cute name...please post some pics!

[Iluvhedgies]

some pics of her are in my gallery :D I can't post them because I did in another thread
http://www.chins-n-quills.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77713