I got the shock of my life on Friday, February 27th when I went to clean out Annie's cage. Just as I lifted the T-shirt she was hiding under, I got a glimpse of babies. I didn't even have a clue that she was pregnant when I brought her home! Immediately I dropped the shirt, took out her exercise wheel, and backed away from the cage until I could find out what to do. Minutes later after doing some reading and talking to some hedgehog breeders I didn't hold out too much hope that the hoglets would survive. I can't tell you the number of horror stories I read about mother hedgehogs mutilating the babies. I was told by more than one breeder to not even think about going near the cage other than to put in fresh food and water daily. It seems that anything that may stress out the mother could cause her to turn on her little ones.
I'm happy to say that today marks the third week birthday of four adorable hoglets. At this point, it appears that everyone is alive and healthy. Eyes are starting to open this week. I'm hoping that they will soon start exploring so that I can see them more. What is really amazing is the fact that I lost four dear hedgehogs last year and now there are four new little lives in my home; including another albino hedgehog just like my dearly departed Casper.
Here is a photo I was able to take at the end of week two when their mother, Annie, was out eating and had left the bag open.