The Hedgehog Emporium

So, you've decided to breed your hedgehogs!  First of all, congratulations on soon becoming a grandparent!  This is how you should look at this entire process, your pet hedgehog is your baby and your baby's babies are now your very own Grand Hoglets!  I'm assuming from this point onward that you have already gone to Hedgehog Central and CAREFULLY and COMPLETELY reviewed their Tips on Breeding, Guide to Handfeeding and MINIMUM Expectations of Breeders.  You have likely looked at other pages as well including the general breeding FAQ's kindly provided by Brian MacNamara or other such outlines!  If you haven't seen these resources yet, bookmark this page and go to these links.  You should also have spoken with local breeders near you and contacted the IHA for a mentor to help you get started.  These are all required before you startup a breeding herd.  I will not give as many procedural details as they provide, I will focus more on troubleshooting, so you will miss out on very important information from those resources.  My plan here is to help you know what to do when something does go wrong.  Please be aware that all of the below scenarios have happened to me and are very common with rodents of all types including mice, rats and Hedgehogs.  Breeding is never for the faint of heart but hopefully this case study will help breeders who suddenly find themselves in unexpected situations deal with that situation effectively and hopefully save the mother and her litter too!

Selecting the right mother will save you much misery and heartache when trying to breed Hedgehogs.  First are the basics, between 6 and 12 months old, known lineage, IHA registered, free of illness or injury, displaying colour patterns you like, affectionate (not reacting to a touch) and likely the most important part - A GOOD MOTHER!  The first few requirements are easy to meet with a careful purchase from a reputable Breeder and proper care, but what about that last one?  How can you tell if a Hedgehog who has never had babies before is a good mother?  In short, you can't.  You will not know this until after the babies are in her nest, but luckily there are only two types of mother's in this world - Good Mothers and Bad Mothers.  Good mothers tend to their babies, nursing them and raising the litter without problems.  I have heard of some Very Good Mothers who will let you peek at her babies and even take photos while they are little.  This should be considered very rare and not be expected from any mother you do not know extremely well already.  Bad mothers ignore their babies, dislike feeding them and sometimes attack and kill their babies (sometimes even eating them to regain nutrients).  The only good thing about bad mothers, from the Breeder's perspective, is that most of the time they can be taught to be good mothers with a little work!  We will start with a hypothetical first-time mother and track her first 3 litters.  This should give you an idea of what should be done every time you breed a new mom and how to intervene if problems should arise.

Minimizing stress during pregnancy and after birth is PARAMOUNT!!  The father or his scent should not remain in her cage; this means she should get a squeaky clean and disinfected cage promptly after they are separated (I only leave them together for 3 or 4 nights).  She should have LOTS of bedding to make a nest, typically at least twice the amount found in normal cage, about 5 centimeters (2 inches) deep.  Her cage should not be changed from this point forward, spot cleaning dirty areas is alright but she needs to relax in her own scent and establish a territory free from intruders and other hedgehogs (no play dates with other Hedgehogs either until the babies are weaned).  Keep her nursing cage in a quiet, dark corner of a room where no other pets (i.e. cats) or people generally have access.  We have a designated Nursery room that is always closed.  Cover her with a light sheet to soften sunlight and provide an abundance of food and water but leave the door open slightly so you don't bang or jar the cage when entering (don't let her escape though).  The food at this point should be a high fat kitten food (I prefer Science Diet Kitten Formula) and water should be topped up daily.  As time progresses you will notice her eating more and more (stashing food in her nest too) and then.... nothing.  She will completely stop eating or drinking and stay in her nest.  This is your cue to not go back in her cage for AT LEAST ten (10) days.  Believe me, she will not run out of food or water and will not suddenly develop a need to play with you. 

The next day, instead of waiting ten (10) days, you sneak into the room quietly and do not hear squeaking from within the cage.  Assuming no babies you stealthily lift the sheet and refill the water dish (maybe it is too small or you forgot recently).  This is when you suddenly get a chorus of squeaks from within the nest site.  The huffy mom makes noise and the squeaking quickly escalates into a shrill scream.  When you see mom get up and thrash her head you drop the sheet and leave.  It is already too late.  Mom was nervous, unsure of what your intentions were and has started killing her litter. 

OPTION 1:  Take mom out of the cage. 

Do not remove the babies as they need the smell of their mother to reduce their stress levels.  Incorporate a foster mother (stuffed hedgehog or "Mama Carrot") into the nest so the babies have something to snuggle with and GO DIRECTLY TO THE NEAREST PETSTORE AND PHARMACY.  You need several things: baby medicine dropper, KMR (Kitten Meal Replacement) or other lactose-free baby formula (Esbilac Kitten or Alsoy with DHA), Infrared Heat Lamp with proper lamp fixture, Paper Towels, digital thermometer (to keep the nest at 37 Degrees C or 98.5 F) and batteries for your camera (they are VERY adorable).  Proceed to Hedgehog Central and RE-READ their Handfeeding Tips.  If you bring the mother (later and in a separate cage) back into the room where she can hear the babies, watch to see if she searches for them when they start squeaking.  This means she does have some form of mothering instinct and there is hope for a second litter.  Even if she does start searching, know that you've now touched them and she will never take the babies back.  Do not try and reintroduce them.  If she does not search for the babies she should never again breed.

NOTE:  If during handfeeding at any time you see 3 clearly defined diagonal bands across a baby's stomach (they look yellow/green) you are feeding them WAY too much and need to cut back.  Babies only require one tenth of their body weight in food over a 24 hour period (0.1 mL or CC per day for newborns).  These are their intestines about to rupture from becoming impacted.  Try as best you can to stimulate peeing/pooping with a warm damp cloth on their bum after every feeding.

OPTION 2:  By the time you re-enter the room the babies are dead. 

Following your family customs you give the babies a proper burial and thoroughly clean and disinfect the entire cage.  Replace bedding and do not breed this mother again for at least 6 months.

The first failed litter was 6 months ago and you are interested in trying to breed the new mom again.  You keep in mind that although you did everything with the best intentions, it was just the edgy mother who responded poorly to your presence.  The encouraging part of this whole thing is that the new mom was looking for her babies, which tells you that she does actually care.  So, this time you have the quiet corner, the sheet, much more bedding for her nest, the kitten food, larger food and water dishes and even replace her normal hut with a regular blanket so she has room for a larger nest!  The week before her due date you remove everything from the cage she doesn't need (ie. wheel or toys), so it looks like the one on the left (notice there is no top).  This time you check on her every day but when she stops eating you don't lift up the blanket... that is, you don't until you realize ALL (not just one or two - See Summary Below) the babies are outside the nest. 

Having read some very informative pages at The Hedgehog Emporium, you know full well not to pick up the babies without first grabbing a large soup spoon and rubbing it in the mother's dirty shavings to cover the smell!  This works and you pick up the babies one by one and move them back into their nest!  An hour later, you are checking on the nest as any conscientious Grandparent would and notice the babies are again outside the nest!!!  Since they are just starting to get quills you figure they have only been alive for a few hours... or one day at most.  You quickly conclude that the mother is reluctant to nurse. 

OPTION 1:  Hand feeding babies rejected by their mother is difficult, as you learned last time. 

The success rate is very low and they are prone to developing illnesses because they do not get their mother's antibodies to help ward off infections while their own immune systems develop.  Septic Infections are the most common cause of death.  I tried this once and was not successful in the least... if it is at all possible, handfeeding should be strictly avoided.

OPTION 2:  Try and put them back into the nest. 

If the new mother does not want the babies to suckle a war of attrition will not help save the babies.  You will not wear her down with time, but trying will never hurt.  Remove any obstacles around her nest and put the babies in one more time in such a way that she cannot ignore them.  I would try and prop their noses into her tummy, for example, if she's not too huffy at this point.  Then stay with her and watch carefully to see how she reacts.  If you have another mother who recently gave birth you could cover the mother's and all the babies' noses and bottoms with a small dab of vanilla extract and try mixing the litters, maybe she will take them if she cannot tell them apart by smell.  If you choose the latter route, the new and reluctant mom should never again be bred as she has not learned to care for her young.

OPTION 3:  Trick her into feeding them! 

This is likely the best option!  Luckily, it's quite easy to outsmart a Hedgehog, if you can think like one.  If you know of a treat that your little lady LOVES and will eat every time it's nearby, go get it.  I have heard of everything from Mangos and Bananas to little cubes of Sugar-Free Jell-O (makes for a very colourful anointing session too but might stain quills) working well in mice and rats and you could try any number of these options (it is best if you already know what she likes before breeding her).  Lay the treat behind or beside her head so she knows its there, when she starts licking it quickly put the babies back near her stomach with your spoon!  With any luck, she will care more about the treat than she will about the babies suckling and allow them to continue.  This allows the babies to at least get a little milk before they are kicked out of the nest again, makes her feel full so she should not be anxious about a lack of food, and has the added bonus of getting her to associate suckling with positive experiences like treats!  In time she should learn to allow them to feed without fighting.

In the second scenario all the babies were refused suckling after repeated attempts to make more room and put them back into the nest.  At this point something more direct had to happen to keep the babies with their mother.  The first step was to try a couple of times to remind the mother they are present.  When she resisted both times a treat was used to lull her into allowing the babies to suckle.  If this technique works once, do it again about an hour later.  Then, the third time, add the babies but don't give the treat to the mother until they are nearby.  The fourth time wait until the babies are suckling, this is Classical Conditioning and over time she will learn.  If you can keep the babies in the nest, eating and alive for three (3) days their chances of survival to weaning are greatly improved.  If the mother cannot be tricked into accepting these babies it is definitely time to retire her as a breeder.  It is very hard on her to keep having litters she does not want and even harder on you to watch. 

Baby Hedgehogs are best off if they remain with their mother as long as possible.  We have not yet been able to exactly reproduce a mother's milk and definitely cannot provide the antibodies the babies need to live.  In my experiences with mice, it seems that some mothers do not like it when babies suckle.  Apparently they just don't like how it feels and they move their babies away from the nest.  It is important to notice that if ALL the babies are out of the nest it could be a suckling problem, but if just ONE baby is outside it's likely that baby is sick and the rest are suckling.  If this is the case, replacing the one that is out might put the rest of the litter at risk.

After the successful rearing of the last litter you have been motivated to think your new mom is becoming a Good Mother.  You wait another 6 months to ensure she is strong and healthy again, then try to breed her another time following all the same procedures as you did for her second pregnancy (larger dishes and blanket, ect).  This time after birth you can hear the babies squeaking and slurping and know they are suckling; you feel proud for having taught her how to do that!  Things seem ok the first couple of nights but then you notice that the wheel you forgot to remove from the mother's cage has actually fallen over!  Worse, it fell right on top of her nest!!  You pick up the wheel and hear lots of huffing from the mother under her nesting blanket....

OPTION 1:  Peek under the blanket and see if the babies are ok. 

At this point you're likely thinking that if the mother was going to kill her babies she would have already, but you could be wrong.  A wheel falling on the nest is an unexpected disturbance, but is not a direct threat to life.  Again, the first litter died just because you reached into the cage, lifting her blanket has got to be much worse!  If you do pick up the blanket and see her sitting with no babies to be seen, but she is NOT MOVING at all... even just an inch... DO NOT TOUCH THE MOTHER!!!  She is most likely sitting on her babies to defend them and touching her would be a threat (again, the wheel was not).  Gently put the blanket down, remove the wheel and watch what happens later from a safe distance.  If you made the mistake of picking up the blanket, you better have her favourite treat in your hand at the same time.  Give her the treat before dropping the blanket and backing away.

OPTION 2:  Do not peek under the blanket and wait anxiously nearby to see what happens (Version 1).

Soon after the removal of the fallen wheel a scenario similar to The First Pregnancy unfolds.  The shrill squeals of babies being killed prompts you to remove the mother from the cage and try once again to handfeed the litter.  You will likely have more success this time handfeeding as the babies are a little older, but it will still be very hard.  If this is the case you should NEVER breed that female again.  Generally, two failed litters means she is retired.  We were hopeful for a third because she learned so quickly the second time, but she was nevertheless reluctant and this time she has proven she is not breeding quality.

OPTION 3:  Do not peek under the blanket and wait anxiously nearby to see what happens (Version 2). 

Soon after the removal of the fallen wheel you begin to hear soft squeaking and suckling from under the blanket and you see babies crawling out from under their mother's bum.  She was sitting on the babies to protect them from the threat to her nest.  For a new mom who started out by killing her babies at the first intrusion, she has improved greatly!  She now defends her babies and takes care of them.  She will make an excellent addition to your breeding herd and maybe over time will relax enough to not require such strict isolation.  For now, just keep her in the corner and let her raise her babies as she sees fit.  Keep in mind that every Mother (Hedgehog or Human) will have her own technique and as long as the babies are alive and happy she's doing it right! 

In the third scenario we have a challenge that tests if your new mother has matured into a Good Mother.  By now, if she is still resistant to taking care of the babies she should never be bred again.  This breeding is causing lots of stress for you, as the Breeder, even more stress for the mother and unneeded stress on the babies, if they even survive.  You will only develop unhappy and huffy hedgehogs that will not help the efforts of other Breeders who work towards the betterment of Hedgehog temperaments.  This example demonstrates that any object in the nursing cage that is not absolutely necessary (even hanging water bottles) should not be left in during breeding.  The best way to avoid these problems is to be patient and not disturb the mother.  However, sometimes things happen that are beyond our control and we find ourselves thrust into such a predicament. 

In conclusion, breeding Hedgehogs can be equally as heartbreaking as it can be exciting and rewarding.  It is also not very profitable as you may see from the amount of time and attention a pregnant and nursing mother requires from you.  Not only this, vet bills for a sick mother can cost your entire income from selling babies that year.  This should really be a labour of love conducted by an eager soon-to-be Grandparent, not a profit driven endeavor.

I would contend that 98% of all problems with babies after a successful birth, which are not sick, are the result of improper conditions that left the mother feeling threatened or unsafe.  The illnesses and birth complications can only be dealt with by a vet, which is why any animal breeder should have a specialist vet on speed dial.  You can help make sure your breeders feel safe, warm and comfortable by following the tips that are scattered throughout this page and under Hedgehog Care.  Minimize stress, keep them warm and cozy, do not intrude and all should be fine: most animals do not kill their babies without a reason.  The problem is that often times we cannot figure out what that reason is or how to correct it for next time.  The best idea is to be prepared to move on a moments notice if anything at all goes badly, yet give her all the space and time you can and not intrude on her territory.  You need to be a better mother to your baby than you expect your little mother to be for hers, at all times - planning ahead and being prepared for everything is the job of a good Grandparent!  If you do your job wisely, you will hopefully have many more good experiences than bad experiences.  Wishing you fond experiences with little Hoglet,

Tara, Owner and Breeder of The Hedgehog Emporium

www.TheHedgehogEmporium.webs.com