BREEDING MENTORSHIP
HEDGEHOGS
So you want to Breed hedgehogs?
Many reputable breeders will not sell hedgehogs for breeding purposes to new breeders who are not yet established and registered breeders. The ones that do sell to new breeders often require a positive reference from an experienced mentor, so that they can rest assured knowing that their animals will be well taken care of if the breeder is under mentorship of someone experienced.
A breeding mentor must be a registered breeder that is established in the pedigreed hedgehog breeding community. A breeding mentor cannot be your vet, unless they too are a registered pedigreed breeder. A mentor is also someone who is dedicated to training you to become an ethical and successful breeder, every step of the way. Therefore, a breeder that you happened to buy a hedgehog from who you’ve asked a few questions here and there, is also not your mentor.
Dragonstone Ranch only offers a small number of mentorship opportunities at a time, because in addition to all the animals we care for 24/7 here, we want to be able to have enough time to dedicate to our apprentices. When we are full, we unfortunately cannot take on any new mentees, because it would be unfair to take time away from our current ones. However, there are times when we may make exceptions. For example, if you are already an experienced breeder in other species, you are already somewhat ahead of the game and may not need as frequent mentoring as someone completely new to breeding.
We also work closely with many breeders around the country, so we can help you find a mentor that is a good fit for you even if we are unable to work with you personally.
PLEASE, TAKE THE THOUGHT OF BREEDING VERY SERIOUSLY!
Breeding a live animal should never be taken lightly. Every time you breed a pair of hedgehogs, both the male and female are at risk of injury or death from fighting. Every pregnancy comes with health risks. Every birth is subject to complications that can lead to the mother’s death. And… get ready for it… many hedgehogs cannibalize their offspring! Do not consider breeding unless you are prepared to handle the death of your precious hedgehogs and their babies. Also do not consider breeding if you are not financially stable. You are guaranteed to require vet visits and treatments when you go into breeding, which could get very expensive. If you are a busy person, breeding is also a bad idea because:
You will be required to clean cages frequently.
You will need to spend hours properly socializing the babies to get them tame.
You may end up having to hand-feed a litter if their mother rejects them, which means starting out at every 2 hours (#nosleep).
You will spend a lot of time screening potential adopters in order to attempt to ensure a good home.
You will spend a lot of time offering support to your buyers long after the sale.
You may think it’s no big feat because you have bred dogs or gerbils or even lemurs before. But take it from us, hedgehog breeding is no joke. We breed over 20 species at the ranch, and the one species that requires the most daily attention when breeding is hedgehogs! Why? Because hedgehogs are so much more prone to health issues than any other species we raise, due to the limited gene pool in the country.
Speaking of genetic health disorders due to limited gene pool… This is the exact reason why we only breed pedigreed hedgehogs, and why we won’t even consider mentoring you if you do not agree to exclusively breed pedigreed hedgehogs. Pedigrees are the only way to know for a fact that two hedgehogs are unrelated enough to breed together. Never assume two hedgehogs coming from breeders living on opposite sides of the country are unrelated, because we breeders transport our animals to other breeders all other the country and even outside of the US all the time.
Anyway, please seriously consider why you want to breed hedgehogs. If your goal is to make money, we’ve already mentioned that vet bills can get very expensive. Add that to all the supplies and food that you constantly have to keep buying in order to care for them properly. Don’t forget the space you will need, and higher electric bills for heating. So it is a toss up whether or not you will come out of it profiting. You may even lose more money than you make. If you just want to experience cute babies, then let us know and we can send you dozens of cute pics and videos without any of the risks! If you want your pet hedgehog to have babies, please just don’t. You most likely don’t have the pedigree, and the hedgehog may have been sold to you as “pet only” because they were not breeding quality. There are plenty of “backyard breeders” (“BYBs”) that produce babies without a regard for the wellbeing of the animal and its offspring. Please don’t be one of them.
Ok, you understand and you still want to breed… Read on.
If Dragonstone Ranch agrees to mentor you, we will:
Train you on the proper husbandry and practices of keeping and breeding hedgehogs.
Guide you to make ethical decisions, always keeping the animal’s best interest in mind.
Try our best to be available to answer your messages daily, even when our own lives are busy.
Teach you how to track and verify pedigrees.
Help shape your breeding program and help you attain your goals.
Assist you in all aspects as you build up your breeding business, including licensing, marketing, and more.
Guide you through emergencies until you are able to see a vet. We are not licensed veterinarians, but we do know how to treat a wide spectrum of afflictions due to our experience and close relationship with our on-call veterinarian.
Vouch for you, when we deem you ready, so that other breeders will happily sell to you, and so that you can become a registered breeder and earn your herd initials in 8 months time (a requirement of NAHHI.org).
Connect you with other amazing breeders that you may one day work with yourself.
Your success is our success, because when you use our name as your mentor, our own reputation is on the line!
Now here is the fine print. We expect our mentees to:
Exclusively own and breed pedigreed hedgehogs and track pedigrees on their offspring. This means you must rehome all of your unpedigreed hedgehogs. *We do make exceptions it is a pet that has been in the family for quite some time.
Always practice ethical and human standards. Feed a species-appropriate diet. Provide adequate sized housing and enrichment for all their hedgehogs.
Establish a relationship with an exotic veterinarian and seek medical care for any animal that requires it.
Take our advice into consideration, ask questions when you do not understand, and respectfully disagree when you do not agree. There is always another way to do things, and it’s ok to agree to disagree!
Come to us first when you have questions. We encourage you to ask questions on public forums (Facebook groups, etc.), and we also encourage getting second opinions from other breeders, but we expect you to at least consult with us first. We need to know where you’re at so that we can best help you!
Discuss with us before reaching out to another breeder to purchase breeding hedgehogs at least 8 months, or until we have decided your apprenticeship is complete. We want to make sure the hedgehogs in consideration are beneficial additions to your program. You don’t have to purchase hedgehogs from us in order for us to mentor you! But we do need to know and approve of what you add to your herd.
Consult with us before deciding on pairings for breeding for at least 8 months, or until we have decided your apprenticeship is complete.
Sell all offspring to only pet homes for a period of 8 months, or until you quality for assigned herd initials by NAHHI.
Never, ever sell hedgehogs to breeders who do not track pedigrees (“backyard breeders”).
Never rehome a hedgehog without first consulting the animal’s breeder. That breeder may want to buy the hedgehog back, they may want the hedgehog to only go to a pet home, or they may be ok with reselling for breeding as long as certain stipulations are in place.
If you agree to all of the above expectations, you may proceed to complete the application below. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us on Facebook Messenger.