Dwarfhog

[barton]

has anyone heard of a hedgie being dwarfed. as most of you know my gwen had four hoglets one of which is tiny she is half the size of the others literally and has been this much smaller from the get go. i have been giving her puppy formula cause it seems she is not getting enough milk. she is proportional but tiny. her eyes are open just like the others but still she is like the size of my thumb and their bodies stretch accross the palm of my hand...could she be a dwarf? i know that litters can have a runt but she is way smaller...any thoughts? she seems healthy and is growing she just seems to be the size of a 5-7 day old hedgie not a 20 day old!
also...she is albino but almost half of her quills have brown tips...i have seen "albinos" with a couple of quills with brown tips but not like this and now im thinking how can an albino have any pigminatation....does that mean she is not actually albino even though she has ruby eyes?

just thought i would share this amazing girl with everyone any feedback would be great.

[hedgewood]

She sure sounds adorable. Unfortunately, I don't have any input for you, but I would like to see pics if you have any.

[HedgeMom]

A "dwarf" would have a different body shape. Normal head size, shortened forelegs and hindlegs.

I remember at a hedgehog show in Iola there was a contest for "smallest" hedgehog. Had to be an adult. There was one who was full grown and I believe 150 grams. Many under 200 grams. So there can be a huge difference in size.

[Nancy]

She could be a ruby eyed cinnacott or an apricot which would account for the pigment in the quills but with red eyes. :)

[platnymbit]

Somewhere I heard that apricots were smaller than other colors. If this is true, could it explain this?

[barton]

thanks for the replies,maybe i should check out the color chart because her quills are a definate white with some brown tips... i will let you know if i find anything useful.
yes they definatly come in different shapes and sizes its just that she looks like she is from an entirely different litter she is just that small when i get a chance i will take a pic of her next to one of the others and post it.

[hijo]

you know what you should do? You should take some pictures... ;)

[Vampira_666]

I agree, please take some pictures:) I'd love to see her. especially compaired to her siblings:) I agree she could be an apricot or a cinnacott, but a Pinto, and this could explain why she is white and brown. Hope this helps a little. ~Please post pics~

[bloane]

I agree with Hedgemom. I have had a dwarf, and it was VERY obvious that her body was abnormal. Even from a quite young age.
Some runts are VERY far behind other babies their ages. I would start pulling the other babies for an hour or so once or twice per day to let her have uninterrupted time wth the milk bar. ONLY If your mom is comfortable with this, of course.
There are several other colors that can have ruby eyes other than albinos, matter of fact, I wouldn't qualify bino eyes as ruby. Ruby is a dark red, albino eyes are more of a neon pink.
Also, be aware that she may change colors several times yet. I have seen some EXTREMELY odd colorations in babies around that age, that I have gotten very excited about, and then they changed color and ended up with a normal coloration. Is her nose plain pink, or does it have any color to it? (brownish rim, light brownish all over...)
Becca

[Nancy]

Becca, do you have a picture of the dwarf you could post? :)