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Bryan H. Smith
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The American Hedgehog
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It's History and Future
From the outset of their importation into the North American exotic animal market in 1990, one thing was clear - the African hedgehog was here to stay. Other things, however, were not so clear. Since this continent has no indigenous species of hedgehog, no one understood their basic care requirements, let alone how to breed them successfully in captivity or even if they would breed.
The initial imports came from two locations in Africa, and while the exact locations have now been blurred by time and secrecy, we do know that the bulk of the shipments were from Kenya and Egypt. Three species were imported: Atelerix albiventris (the White-Bellied hedgehog) Atelerix algirus (the Algerian hedgehog) and Hemiechinus auritus (the Egyptian or Long-Eared hedgehog). From the outset, the still inexplicable decision to cross the Algerian and White-Bellied species was made and The "North American" hedgehog was born.
While this new hybrid species thrived and adapted remarkably well to captivity, sadly, the two parent species as well as the Egyptian species did not. While there are still a few scattered examples of these species in collections, they are now far too few and too misunderstood by their keepers to continue beyond the current generation. As a result, North American fanciers have little choice but to concentrate their efforts on the hybrids - and concentrate they have with surprising success.
Since so little was known of hedgehogs, assumptions had to be made regarding their care and propagation. Zoos provided some answers, but even they knew little about the African species. In essence, early hedgehog breeders were on their own. If this new species was to thrive and survive, they would have to learn by trial and error.
Hedgehog pioneer, Pat Storer, did much of this work and by 1992 she had published the first truly definitive book on hedgehog care and breeding. Although much of the information in her book, "Everything You Wanted to Know About Hedgehogs but Didn't Know Who to Ask" was sorely lacking by today's standard of husbandry, she did provide early breeders with a basic guide, allowing them to successfully raise the now-popular "African Pygmy Hedgehog".
From those early beginnings, much has been learned about successful hedgehog husbandry and many false notions have been dispelled. While some of this was accomplished through trial and error, the bulk was accomplished through the use of comparison with other species. While we still have much to learn about proper nutrition and various health problems, today's hedgehogs are better cared for now than ever before.
There were some rather bizarre and even silly assumptions made at first. Many of these mistakes were based on what was already known of the European hedgehog. While the two species are similar in many ways, there are enough differences to make a verbatim comparison ill advised. Early mistakes included the recommendation that breeding animals be kept in small, dark transport cages; nest boxes for females and young were 4-inch PVC pipes that oftentimes rolled over the hoglets, crushing them to death; recommended foods included raw eggs and meat - rich sources of Salmonella poisoning; since hedgehogs are somewhat nocturnal, they should be kept in dark rooms; to avoid infanticide during the first few weeks of a hoglet's life, females were kept totally undisturbed for more than a week before birthing and as much as 3 weeks after; hibernation of the African species was not only considered safe, some were actively encouraging owners to hibernate their pets, leading to the death of many animals. While not always related directly to what was known of the European species, these and other incorrect assumptions were slowly weeded out, one by one, through the painstaking process of trial and error and experimentation, followed by dissemination of what was learned through magazine and newsletter articles, the Internet and seminars held at hedgehog shows and elsewhere.
Nowadays we know that breeding animals require at least 3 square feet of floor space in order to raise their offspring successfully. Rather than spend money on expensive cages, most breeders now use inexpensive, easy-to-clean plastic storage containers made by RubbermaidÔ or SteriliteÔ. PVC tubes have been replaced by a variety of different ideas for nest boxes. While the problems with infanticide have not been entirely solved, we have had increasing success with fostering and hand raising hoglets from inexperienced and problem females. We now know that we have to increase light periods for hedgehogs (breeding animals in particular) to about 14 hours starting in October to reduce the risk of pre-hibernation stupor - a common problem for some bloodlines between the months of November and March. Some breeders have managed to eliminate that risk almost entirely by removing animals with a predisposition to hibernation from their breeding programs altogether. Considerable work has been done in the area of temperament as well to the point where some hedgehogs being raised today don't even know how to roll into a ball or raise their quills.
Probably the greatest obstacle to all of this has been the dissemination of accurate information. Two books in particular have been responsible for the spread of false and misleading information, and given that they have been the most widely distributed books in pet stores for more than 7 years, it's little wonder that we still have a long way to go. The International Hedgehog Association (IHA) and its predecessor, the International Hedgehog Fancier's Society (IHFS) have worked tirelessly since the mid-1990's to dispel the false notions while at the same time encourage responsible, reasonable hedgehog stewardship.
Paradoxically, all of this has taken place at the same time as the number of hedgehog breeders has declined substantially. Most of the large commercial producers are gone now. While they did not contribute much to the knowledge pool, nor did they interact much with the rest of the hedgehog community, they did provide the core hobbyists with the animals they needed to build and maintain their herds. At the same time, the number of hobby breeders was declining steadily and there were real concerns regarding the continued success of the Pygmy Hedgehog in captivity. To further add to this paradox, the demand for hedgehogs as pets in both the United States and Canada has been rising steadily and rapidly. They are now one of the most sought after pets on the continent.
With the increase in the popularity of hedgehog shows, complete with show standards and all of the trappings of a modern-day dog show, coupled with a slow but steady rise in interest in colour breeding, hobby breeding is starting to make a comeback. Concerns about new breeders making unfortunate mistakes based on old information along with a rising intolerance over the breeding of hedgehogs for the pet trade has led to the formation of a mentoring program. New, inexperienced breeders are now being paired up with long-time, knowledgeable breeders in an effort to better and more quickly educate them and bring them into the 'fold'.
Further, we have found that if we work closely together, comparing notes on a regular basis rather than work independently as we have in the past, we can learn even more. The Internet has proved an invaluable tool, providing us with the means to 'chat' almost daily with one another, even though we are, in most cases, thousands of miles apart. With a growing interest in colour breeding and only a handful of breeders with knowledge of hedgehog colour genetics and breeding techniques available, these 'chats' are essential to the growth of the hobby.
Eventually, we hope to see the number of serious hobby breeders grow to the point where they can not only support the demand from pet owners and other breeders, but also that of hedgehog shows. Our basic philosophy has and continues to be one of encouraging shows as a means by which to preserve and improve the domestic hedgehog.
Shows provide a standard of perfection for breeders to work towards, with an emphasis towards good temperament being paramount. Shows bring people together to form friendships and compare ideas. They increase public awareness; they create a need for new products and services from the pet trade; and, by doing so, create a sustainable hobby and pet market.
While we still have much to learn about the 'domestic' hedgehog - especially in the area of nutrition and disease - we feel we now have an animal that has adapted remarkably well to domestication and as a result of this and its endearing personality has a long future ahead of it here in North America.
The images in this article are copyright Bryan H. Smith
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