Same-sex pairs????

[Melody]

I got Emily three weeks agol She is an adorable chocolate, about 10 wks old and weighs 195 gms. She is very sweet and a cuddly bunny, mot quilly or huffy; sleeps alot b.c she is still a baby, but eats, plays on wheel etc. She just seems so - all alone. She had been in with 7 other hedgies when I got her. I know they are solitary animals, but it still seems so sad when I see my two boy chinnies having so much fun and companionship together -- and there she is, alone. There are no breeders anywhere near me, and I don't want to ship b/c I like picking out my own baby. I am willing to take my "chances" with one that comes from a decent petshop environment (the hedgie vet recommended this place). I DO NOT PLAN TO BREED! I found a female albino who is also very sweet tempered, not huffy or quillly, let me pick her up and play with her. She is more active but I think that is b/c she is older - 4-5 months (she weighs 430 gms!!!). The shop has had her over a month, and she is housed with another chocolate female and they get along fine. No health issues, no mites, nice poopies, etc. What do you think? Should Emily remain an only child or do you think they'd get along? The albino is a real sweetheart. Please respond ASAP as someone else was also looking at her - my luck!

[illinidairychic]

I personally have females that are bunked together. BUT not all my females get along with each other. I have a few royal queen bees that prefer to be alone then together. I try to keep sisters together or mother and daughters because they do seem to enjoy having each other near them. If you watch them and make sure there are no issues first before caging them together I would say go for it...but I know a lot of people that don't think the same way. Just be prepared that if they don't get along for room for another cage.

[Melody]

When I get around to introducing them later (IF I get the abino - LOL) - I have set aside a nice new 32 x 22 inch cage, with plenty of hidey houses (wood and pigloo types),sleeping bags, toys and blankies. I would put 2 sets of food and water dishes at opposite ends of the cage. They sleep in my bedroom so I would be aware of any disturbances at night. I just wonder if I should wait for another baby, or is a 4-6 month old okay as long as the temperament is sweet, which it is. Both of them have been around other hedgies without incident. The owner says he has handled her alot and she is a sweetheart.

Is it ok that she is twice the size? Altho the one she is in with now (also female) is about the same size as my Emily

[hemi_mygirl]

I'd first introduce them during playtime, and let them get used to each other. If they're fine for that, put them in the same cage and watch them closely.

The albino sounds sweet though - I love albinos!

[Nancy]

You already know what I think. Welcome home little albino girl. :laugh:

[hemi_mygirl]

LOL, take lots of pictures!

[HamorHollow]

All of my girls are kept in group cages, so they get a long weather or not they want to. Occasionally I have to make some switches. You will probably be fine, but be prepared just in case.

Also, very important: Make sure that the albino's cage mate really is a female. A lot of pet shops mis-sex their hedgehogs and you end up with a surprise. You'll also want to ask when the last time another hedgehog was in the cage, just in case.

You may want to take your new girl to the vet, or at least quarantine her before putting her with your current hedgehog. You don't want to take a change on your current girl getting mites or an illness.

-K

[Melody]

Update - I called the store back today to see if she was still there. This time when I asked about her age, they said they had had her for about a month, but she was in the back because she had had a litter of 3 baby albinos! She abandoned them after a week, so they put her back out to sell her. I feel terrible, so is sooooo sweet - I don't know whether to rescue her. But I have concerns if she had babies too young it may have hurt her, and would she be less receptive to "rooming" with my Emily. They are supposed to be getting more babies in this week. But the way, the guy I spoke with today IS a breeder. I wish I could find ANOTHER breeder!!!!!! But only because no one seems to separate the sexes! These are private stores, the chains don't carry hedgies. My gut instinct tells me to wait at this point. What do you think? Dang, why did she have to be so sweet?

[hemi_mygirl]

My goodness.. poor girl! I agree about mis-sexing the hedgehogs. On Hemi's receipt, she was sold as a "male salt and pepper african pgymy hedgehog".

It's your call whether to wait or not... she may not even be as young as they told you she was. Some petstores will sell 2 year old huffy balls of quills as 8 week old babies. A chain of a store I got Hemi from tried to do that to me when I was shopping around. I'd seen this big albino hedgehog there for the past 6 months, and they tried to tell me he was only 8 or 12 weeks old.

I suppose you could always wait and see if they get more babies in. Best of luck!

[Melody]

Yes, the age thing concerns me - at 430 gms, she could be two years old for all I know and that could have been her umpteenth litter. I don't like that they didn't tell me that yesterday when I was there. The guy is a BREEDER - how stupid is he to mix the sexes together? That's why I think I will wait. I knew Emily was young because she was so very tiny. As much as I really like the new girl yesterday, I think this was meant to happen - the addl info, I mean!

My sweet angelic Emily must have had a field day on the wheel last night. I woke up this morning and the wheel had come off the spoke and was on the floor, with Emily asleep under it. Emily - fine. Me - heart attack!