PENNY'S PRICKLY PIGS

First, we start with the base color. The base color is the color of the skin, mask, ears, and arms/legs. Each color can also range from light to dark versions of that color (for example, light gray to dark gray). 

Note: Albino is a recessive gene that means the hedgehog lacks pigmentation. The skin is pink, eyes are red, and quills are white. 

Some hedgehogs have a special pattern with their quills. This typically ranges from snowflake to pinto to all-white. The patterns also vary depending on how much pattern is present. For example, minimum pinto, to reverse pinto or snowflake and high snowflake.

Facial markings indicate the pattern on a hedgehog's face, nose, eyes, and/or ears. As you can imagine, there are many variations, so we have included the most common facial markings.

Another great resource for hedgehog colors is the International Hedgehog Association, where there are pictures of many of the color combinations. 

What colors, patterns, and facial markings are we missing? What is the most unique color/pattern combo you've seen?

Hedgehogs, similar to humans, each come with their own personality. That is what makes hedgehogs interesting, and fun pets. Naturally some hedgehogs will be more friendly and open to being handled than others. Others will feel more defensive and ball up, taking longer to open up. If your hedgehog is on the grumpier end of the spectrum, is all hope lost? Not exactly. 

Here are some tips & tricks to help your hedgehog become more comfortable being handled:

• Share your scent. Leave a small piece of an old worn shirt in their cage with your scent on it (this is also helpful when bringing a new hoglet or hedgehog home)
• Give them an adjustment period. If your hedgehog just arrived home and/or is quilling (getting adult quills and losing baby quills - think of teething!), give the hedgehog some grace. This is a big transition. Try to limit handling for the first week home while they adjust to their new surroundings and/or complete the quilling process.
• Short, daily handling, and build up the amount of time each day. Start with just 30 seconds of calm, secure, handling (no gloves). I recommend holding them next to your body, in your open palms and standing still. The goal is to make them feel  secure and that your scent is associated with safety. If they do not open up, do not poke them around the face or poke at their quills, just gently place them back in their cage after a small amount of time. Gradually work up the amount of time each day and soon they should feel more and more comfortable with you.
• Let them hang out with you while you watch TV, work, etc. Sweatshirts with front pockets are great little hideaways for your hedgehog. After they have adjusted to being home and you have handled them daily, let them lounge in your sweatshirt or a blanket with you on the couch or while you work. 

Please keep in mind, every hedgehog is different and will react differently. Some may always be grumpier than others. This isn't a guaranteed method to help your hedgehog become more friendly, but certainly can help. 

If you're looking for a hedgehog, you also can always ask the breeder how often the babies are handled, and which hoglets in the litter are the most friendly. At Penny's Prickly Pigs, we strive to breed friendly adults, which generally leads to more friendly hoglets. 

Have you had a grumpy hedgehog? What tips and tricks worked for you?

What is the Coefficient of Inbreeding (COI)? The short-version is how closely related an offspring's parents are. Too high of a COI results in negative outcomes for the offspring, and the breed. 

The scientific answer according to Science Direct is, "The coefficient of inbreeding (F) for a child of a consanguineous marriage is the probability that the child receives two alleles at a given locus that are both from the same ancestor and are, thus, identical by descent (autozygous)."

So why does this matter? The higher the COI, the more homozygous an animal's genes would be. Once the COI reaches certain levels, one will begin to see deleterious effects of inbreeding, resulting in loss of vitality in the offspring, smaller litters, higher mortality, and increased genetic defects and mutations (WHS, for example). 

At what level COI do you begin to see these effects? One will begin to see the negative effects of inbreeding at a COI around 5%. Once the COI reaches 10% or higher, these deleterious effects reach the threshold of the "extinction vortex." As stated by the Institute of Canine Biology, "[t]he combined effects of these make 10% the threshold of the 'extinction vortex' - the level of inbreeding at which smaller litters, higher mortality, and expression of genetic defects have a negative effect on the size of the population, and as the population gets smaller the rate of inbreeding goes up, resulting in a negative feedback loop that eventually drives a population to extinction."

How do you calculate the Coefficient of Inbreeding (COI)? As you might expect, the Coefficient of Inbreeding can be calculated with a mathematical formula. "In general, for autosomal loci, the inbreeding coefficient for an individual is F = (½)(n1+n2+1), where n1 and n2 are the numbers of generations separating the individuals in the consanguineous mating from their common ancestor. (This formula assumes that the common ancestor is not inbred.)" - Science Direct

Babydoll Southdown Sheep Breeders Association has a helpful table (see below) with simple examples of inbreeding coefficients.

That formula is too much, is there an easier way? Fortunately Babydoll Southdown Sheep Breeders Association has a phenomenal Coefficient of Inbreeding (COI) calculator, which can go up to 7 generations beyond the offspring you're calculating. 

If you already use our free Google Sheets Pedigree Maker & COI Calculator, you can select the hedgehog you want to calculate the COI for on the 'Pedigree 8 GEN' tab, go to the 'Calculate COI' tab, copy the data highlighted, paste to a Google Doc and save as a plain text .txt file and upload to Babydoll Southdown Sheep Breeders Association and calculate. Don't worry, more specific instructions are available in the Google Sheet. 

​The calculation of the Coefficient of Inbreeding is only as good as the data you put in. The more expansive your data, the better the calculation. Also, most calculators assume the ancestors are not inbred themselves. In the event the ancestors are inbred, the coefficients will actually be higher than what is displayed.