a guide to hedgehog breeding

If you are interested in starting breeding, or currently breed without a mentor, we strongly recommend finding a mentor with significant hedgehog breeding experience. For those those who are prepared to take hedgehog breeding seriously, contact us if you are in need of a mentor.

While we are not trying to encourage more hedgehog breeders, we would like to encourage more responsible hedgehog breeding, which includes tracking pedigrees, and genetic issues (WHS), and breeding for quality for the species - not quantity. 

Therefore, we wanted to put some basic hedgehog breeding dos and don'ts together as a safe place for breeders to reference.  If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. My place is not to judge, but to help improve the quality of life of hedgehogs. 

questions to ask yourself

Before you get into hedgehog breeding you should ask yourself the following questions to make sure you are physically, mentally, and financially prepared.

• Why do you want to breed hedgehogs? Your why may include how you can help hedgehogs or help educate others about hedgehogs. If your why is to make money or does not have the best interest of the hedgehog at heart, then hedgehog breeding is not right for you at this time.
• Do you know hedgehogs? Do you have extensive experience owning a hedgehog as a pet? That includes proper care, living environments, and access to an exotic vet with hedgehog experience. You should have years of hedgehog ownership experience before venturing into breeding hedgehogs. 
• Do you have the time? Hedgehogs require and deserve daily socialization in addition to their basic care. When there are hoglets as well as adults, there is an additional level of socialization. If a mom abandons her litter or a hoglet, you will then need to bottle/syringe feed that baby each hour (throughout the night), exotic vet visits and more. Additionally you will need to provide a professional level of communication to potential hedgehog owners.
• Do you have the space? Hedgehogs require quite a bit of space. At a minimum, I recommend the 110qt Sterlite containers for each hedgehog. These take up at least 6 sq feet. You will also need a separate cage for each adult, as well as one for each litter after they are weaned from mom before they're ready for their new homes. 
• Do you have the emotional energy? Hoglets are absolutely adorable, that is true. However, there are times when litters are abandoned, moms are stressed out and mutilate their young, or illness/defects happen. It is absolutely heartbreaking. Even when you do everything right, things sometimes go wrong and it can take an emotional toll. 
• Do you have the finances? Quality hedgehogs that are pedigreed typically are higher cost than your backyard breeders. Please, do not breed or purchase a hedgehog that is not from a reputable breeder and/or that does not have a pedigree. Additionally, if something goes wrong with a mother and/or her litter, are you financially equipped to take them to the exotic vet to be treated?
• What if you can't find homes for the hedgehog babies? Are you prepared to keep and care for any babies that do not find homes? Note: You cannot sell hedgehogs (or any live animals) on Facebook. You will need a separate website for your hedgehog breeding program.
• Do you know the rules and laws in regards to breeding and selling hedgehogs? Are hedgehogs legal where you live? How many hedgehogs do you plan to have? Keep in mind that you cannot have more than four breeding females without being USDA licensed. We strongly recommend first-time breeders only sticking to one breeding female and growing a herd after experienced is gained.

dos and don'ts of hedgehog breeding

Baby hedgehog (hoglet)

Before you breed:

• DO track pedigrees and calculate coefficient of inbreeding (COI) before pairing any male and female, any pair with a COI higher than 5% should not be mated
• DO make sure both the male and female are healthy and have friendly temperaments
• DO NOT breed a female before she is 6 months old (a male should be 5 months old at least)
• DO NOT breed a female for the first time after she is over a year old
• DO NOT breed a female more than 2 times a year
• DO retire females that are not in good health, are too stressed by being mothers, or over the age of 2.5/3 years old (males should retire by age 3)

During the mating process:

• DO prepare the cage for mating by removing the wheel
• DO keep an eye/ear out for any aggressive interaction between the male and female (squeaks are normal, but should not be distressed). If the interaction turns aggressive, separate the pair into their own cages and try again later, with supervision. If aggressive behavior continues, the pair may not be a good match.
• DO NOT leave hedgehogs together alone if aggressive behavior is displayed
• DO separate hedgehogs into their own cage after mating period

Preparing for Hoglets:

• DO provide a quiet, calm environment for the female's cage (free of loud noises, drafts, regular visitors); remove any stressors for the hedgehog
• DO NOT peek at babies or handle hoglets before 10 days old (in the event that a hoglet has been pushed out of the nest, you may calmly, quietly use a clean spoon to scoop up the hoglet and slowly place the hoglet in or next to the entrance to the nest)
• DO wait until the hoglets are at least two weeks old before handling, start with very brief touching to gauge the female's reaction, and work up to handling for longer amounts of time
• DO provide ample food and water in the cage, especially when the hoglets begin to eat solids and drink from the water bottle
• DO consult an exotic vet with hedgehog experience for any issues/concerns with mother and/or babies

Weaning Hoglets:

• DO keep hoglets with mom until at least 6 weeks old
• DO monitor hoglets an additional week after separating from mother to monitor eating, drinking, and gaining healthy weight
• DO separate male and female hoglets after 8 weeks old

Tip: if you are concerned about monitoring the mating process and/or the litters, you may find it useful to install an indoor camera (i.e. Nest camera) in the room where the hedgehogs live. Please note, do not place the camera or any cords directly in the cage.

hedgehog breeding timeline

• Mate hedgehogs | Place hedgehogs together in one cage, with the wheel removed, for approximately 3-5 days. This timing may vary, but we recommend at least one overnight session (this is when hedgehogs are awake), and no longer than a week. Also note, if aggressive behavior is displayed, separate the pair and do not leave them unattended. You may take a couple days off and try again if you are unsure if the breeding was successful. Do not place the male and female together between 30-42 days after the first day of the initial mating period in the event that the female is, in fact, pregnant.
• Gestation | Gestation is approximately 35 days, which means if the breeding was successful, in about 5 weeks the litter will be born. At about 3-4 weeks after mating, make sure the cage is properly ready for birth by removing the wheel and providing sufficient nest location options (hut, bedding, blankets, etc). 
• Birth | As the female approaches birth, she will possibly eat less and be less active. Do not disturb her and limit handling. A stressed female may result in adverse outcomes for her litter. If you hear the female in the process of giving birth, or hear squeaks, it is best to leave her alone and leave the room. (See my comment above about an indoor camera pointed at the cage (NOT in the cage) if you want to monitor the situation). Litter sizes vary, but the average litter is typically 3-5 hoglets. 
• 10 days old - Peek in Nest| IF the mother is not stressed and taking good care of the hoglets, you may gradually begin to peek in the nest. We recommend waiting until mother is out of the nest either eating, drinking, or napping before you peek into the nest. Make it brief.
• 2 weeks - Handle Hoglets | Start with very gently touching the backs of the hoglets and see how the mother reacts. If she gets stressed at any time, leave the litter alone and leave the room. If touching goes well, the next day or two, you may try handling the hoglets very briefly. Gradually, you can work up to socializing the hoglets more each day.
• 6 weeks old - Wean from Mom | By six weeks old, the hoglets should be eating solid food and drinking from the water bottle. (If they are not, please keep them with mother and monitor closely.) Place the litter in their own cage, including a food bowl, water bottle, hiding place (igloo), but no wheel. Once the litter is in their own cage and the female is the only one in her cage, you may return her wheel. Do not wean the litter from the mother before they are six weeks old. 
• 7 weeks old - Ready for New Homes | After a week of monitoring away from mom, if the hoglets are continuing to eat, drink, and gain weight, they are ready for new homes. The hoglets should remain in your care until at least seven weeks old, do not send them to new homes before then - even as tempting as holiday gifts or travel may be. 
• 8 weeks old - Separate Females & Males | If you have hoglets still in your care at eight weeks old, be sure to separate any males and females. While the males likely aren't capable of impregnating their sisters, they can be annoying and aggressive trying to mount them. 

A few notes:

• Healthy females should not be bred more than twice a year (wait 5.5-6 months between matings)
• Not all females are suited to be mothers. Signs that your female should be retired are very small litters (1 hoglet), overly stressed at giving birth/raising young, mutilating/killing hoglets, and abandoning litters.

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Please note, this is not a comprehensive guide to hedgehog breeding. It does not replace mentorship or first-hand experience. It is meant to highlight very basic dos and don'ts of hedgehog breeding based on our experience over the past 14+ years. What other questions do you have? 

If you're an experienced breeder, what would you add?