How Much Should I Pay for a Hedgie???

[mycatjavajoe]

Hi there! Not a hedgehog owner yet. doing my research first! this is something that potbelly pig newbies NEVER do! (I am a rescuer that get their thrown away ones lol)

How much should I expect to pay for a hedgehog? Will it matter between a hoglet and a "teenager" and an adult? I'm sure it is diff everywhere... what about the Metro Detroit/Ann Arbor areas of Michigan? We also arent too far from Flint and about an hour from Lansing. Does it Vary from breeder to breeder depending on what they breeder for and colors, etc??? I saw hoglets in the paper here in Minneapolis (I am moving in 12 days to MI lol) last summer for like $50. does that sound right? Is there such thing as a "backyard breeder" that are doing it ilegally??? is that common???

Anyway... please get back to me! I hope to see your posting soon! THANX!

STEPHANIE
mycatjavajoe@yahoo.com

[Nancy]

Hi Stephanie

I'm glad you're doing research. So many people don't and then the hedgehog is the one that suffers.

Prices vary greatly but most breeders seem to sell in the $100. - $175. range. Some breeders price for colours, others don't.

$50. is cheap and I would question why they are so low. Yes there are backyard breeders just like with any animal. :)

[mommy2ryan]

hoglets for $50 is really cheap. The place I got mine charges $100 for males and $150 for females regardless of color. She did sell some of her older hoglets or problem ones(one had his ear a little chewed)for $50.

[hedgehog69]

I usually sell mine for 75.00 to 100.00

[FiaSpice]

my hedgie cost me (hum well my boyfriend) 120 Canadian $. 50 us $ sound fishy, I've never seen breeder selling so low, I would question myself on that breeder (I saw once a girl selling them for 75 CND$ and they were bred daugther/father)

[mycatjavajoe]

Okay, thanx! I will not be able to breed from that "breeder" anyway, because we are moving. anyone in the Minneapolis area might want to start watchign the Star Tribune on sundays to see if this person does it againa dn give them a call to see if they are legit. this Might be important for people that are buying them! Plus the good name of the breeders elsewhere!

That is cheaper then a purebred potbelly (about $500) but backyard breeders are legal in this case and end up selling for like $25..and you can get them for a few bucks at a livestock auction :( I just hope that this hedgehog person isnt like one of those! Tehy had the hoglets and were also selling adults and as they put it "teenagers" for like $25!!! I would question thier integrety!

THANX GUYS!

STEPHANIE

[keeja820]

WOW! that sounds sooo scary!!! how horrible!

[HamorHollow]

Because there are some large hedgehog mills in the mid West (1 or 2 in Kansas and 1 in Texas), some of the legit breeders in that area have been forced to lower their prices to $75 or $50.

On the East Coast, prices tend to be a bit higher. I sell males for $160 and females for $185. I think the West Coast prices are similar.

Any hedgehog breeder that has 3 or more hedgehogs is legally required to be licensed and inspected by the USDA. The USDA looks at medical records, sales records, and most importantly cleanliness. While having a USDA license isn't a guarantee of anything, in general it means that the breeder needs to be organized and held to a minimal level of cleanliness. Licensed breeders can be inspected at any time.

One of the problems with the back yard breeder is that they may get some or most of their stock directly from a pet store. Pet store lines can carry deceases or be strongly inbred. Please note that I am not calling all small (non-licensed) breeders back yard breeders. I know some great small breeders. You just want to look closely and make sure they are legit. Check out their web site if they have one and talk to them on the phone or in email. Also, don't dismiss a breeder because they don't have a good web site. Not everyone is good on the internet, and sites may go down temporarily when servers are being changed or if there is a major pipeline down.

A legit breeder will keep linage records of their hedgehogs. This is important. This does not mean that they need to participate in the hedgehog registry, just that they need to keep track of their lines. For example, I keep all my linage in a program called "Pedigree Explorer" (expensive, but worth it), and I reference it any time I put a pair together to breed.

Most importantly, a legit breeder will allow you to visit and see the adults and babies before committing to buy one. Most won't take you directly into their hoggery, but if you ask and they won't let you see it, you might want to question why. The only exception to that would be if babies were just born and a mom was acting "off" (for fear that a new person in the room would scare her and she might eat the babies) or if it is the middle of flu season or some other crazy disease was going around (hedgehogs can catch the common cold, also in the height of the bird flu scare, breeders were advised by the USDA not to let anyone new into their hoggery). If they won't let you in, they should at least have pictures available to show you.

Here is an article I wrote about the difference between a pet store hedgehog and a breeder hedgehog. Some of it can be applied to the back yard breeder who gets their stock from a pet store. Why Should You Buy From a Breeder? (http://www.hedgehogworld.com/content/view/112/42/)

The difference between a hoglette (defined as 6 - 12 weeks) and a teenager (12 weeks to 6 months) is minimal *if* you are getting your hedgehog from a good breeder. The well socialized hedgehog will readily adapt to a new owner, at any age. The major difference is that the younger hog has not gone through its quilling stage (think teething) and can have periods of moodiness and sometimes nippiness. The slightly older hog has probably either finished quilling or is at least through the worst of it. Please don't get the impression that getting a young hedgehog is a bad thing, it isn't. It's just that some of them go through a rough quilling stage. (ages are defined loosely and are subject to vary a bit)

For parents with young children (7ish or so) I recommend the older hogs simply because one nip can make a child afraid of the hedgehog and not want to play with it. That isn't to say that older hogs won't nip at all.....

I've rambled way too much, but I love talking about hedgehogs and sharing what I've learned. At this rate, I'll never get 100 posts so I can use my own icon. *sigh* Well, I may not have a pretty picture, but at least I can educate.

Also, good luck with your move!

[miami hedgehogs]

We are experienced breeders in South Florida, we are USDA licensed and have many years experience (although we are fairly new to Florida). We manage our hedgie lines as well as anyone, and go to great length to find the right animals when bringing in new bloddlines. All this said, we generally sell our Salt & Pepper, and albino hoglets for $100 each, we charhe a little more for Cinnamon, Cinnicots and other colors. This seems a reasonable price to us, even though we know people in other states charge more. I guess a lot depends on local market and availability for other local breeders.

Miami Hedgehogs
Miami Hedgehogs

[cecelia117]

I just bought my hedgehog recently and she cost me about $90. If I remember right the males are around $80, and females $90.