View Pictures Of The Various Hedgehog Color Varieties We Breed

IS A USDA LICENSED BREEDING FACILITY. WE HAVE BEEN

BREEDING AFRICAN PYGMY HEDGEHOGS SINCE 1994. WE HAVE ALWAYS
STRIVED TO SELECT OUR BREEDING STOCK FOR IMPECCABLE TEMPERMENT
AND PERSONALITY. OUR FOUNDATION ANIMALS HAVE BEEN CAREFULLY CHOSEN
FROM SOME OF THE FINEST STRAINS OF HEDGEHOGS NATIONWIDE.

WE ARE ALSO COLOR
BREEDERS. OUR HERD IS
ON THE CUTTING EDGE
OF THE LATEST HEDGEHOG COLOR MUTATIONS
TO THE PET TRADE!

WE ARE ESPECIALLY PROUD OF OUR
PINTO STRAIN.

THESE FLASHY PATTERNED ANIMALS ARE EACH UNIQUE. THEY RANGE IN PATTERN INTENSITY FROM LITE PINTOS TO OUR FABULOUS HIGH WHITE STRAIN WHICH WE
AFFECTIONATELY CALL TOBIANO PINTOS.

was the first to breed this variety of PINTO HEDGEHOGS.

We are responsible for coining the name TOBIANO which originates from the horse world. After years of selective breeding for this gorgeous color trait, we brought our first TOBIANO PINTOS to the public in 2002.
(We currently have a brand new exciting color that we are "secretly" developing
...it is still several years away from being made available to the public!!!!!!)

THE IMPORTATION OF WILD CAUGHT HEDGEHOGS INTO THE
UNITED STATES WAS BANNED IN 1991. SINCE THEN, THE
HEDGEHOGS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC HAVE COME ABOUT
THROUGH DOMESTIC BREEDING. NOW THAT WE ARE IN THE 21ST CENTURY, OUR BABY HEDGEHOGS ARE MANY GENERATIONS
REMOVED FROM THEIR WILD ANCESTORS.

AS OUR HEDGEHOGS HAVE BECOME MORE & MORE
DOMESTICATED, EXCITING COLOR MUTATIONS HAVE CROPPED UP. THESE ABERRANT COLORED ANIMALS WOULD NOT USUALLY
SURVIVE WHEN OCCURRING IN THE WILD. THEIR LACK OF
CAMOUFLAGE WOULD MAKE THEM EASY
TARGETS FOR PREDATORS.

Dark Eyed White color mutation
of the Salt & Pepper Hedgehog

HOWEVER, IN CAPTIVITY, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY ALLOWS US TO DEVELOP THE GENE POOL AND
"FIX" THE GENETICS WHICH BRINGS US THESE BEAUTIFUL NEW COLORS OF HEDGEHOGS.

THE SAME SCENARIO WHICH WE ARE NOW EXPERIENCING WITH HEDGEHOGS HAPPENED IN THE
PAST WITH OTHER ANIMALS. IN THE 1930'S THE ORIGINAL IMPORTED WILD STRAIN OF SYRIAN HAMSTERS WAS THE COMMON GOLDEN VARIETY. TODAY HAMSTERS ARE AVAILABLE IN A MYRIAD
OF COLORS AND PATTERNS ... ALL BECAUSE OF THE EARLY PIONEERS OF HAMSTER COLOR
GENETICS. A SIMILAR SITUATION OCCURRED IN THE 1950'S WITH CHINCHILLAS
AND AGAIN IN THE 1970'S WITH MONGOLIAN GERBILS.

WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF HELPING TO BRING THE AFRICAN PYGMY HEDGEHOG
OUT OF THE "MONOCHROME" WILD WORLD, AND
INTO THE "KODACHROME" FUTURE OF THE DOMESTIC HEDGEHOG!
GARY STUDIED GENETICS IN COLLEGE. THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF COLOR BREEDING REALLY GETS HIM ENTHUSIASTIC. VICKIE IS JUST PLAIN PASSIONATE
ABOUT HER GORGEOUS COLORED BABY HEDGIES!

THE BREEDING OF FANCY COLORED HEDGEHOGS IS A RELATIVELY
NEW AREA OF EXPERTISE. MANY OF THE HEDGEHOG BOOKS ON
THE MARKET DON'T EVEN PICTURE HEDGEHOGS OTHER THAN THE
COMMON VARIETY. MOST PET STORES HAVE NEVER SEEN A
COLORED HEDGEHOG! WE ARE THRILLED TO BE SO CLOSE TO THE
CUTTING EDGE OF THE LATEST HEDGEHOG COLOR MUTATIONS.
WE WILL USE THE REMAINDER OF THIS WEB PAGE TO GIVE YOU A
TOUR OF THE WONDERFUL RAINBOW OF HEDGEHOG COLORS
WHICH WE ARE BREEDING AND HAVE AVAILABLE FOR SALE ON
A REGULAR BASIS.

Rich Cinnicot Pinto Hedgehog

Before we start to show you our hedgehog COLORS ... we would like to discuss the complex
issue of hedgehog color classification. During the relatively short period of time that
hedgehogs have been kept as pets, many groups and individuals have endeavored to
formally classify all of these colors. And there has been some disagreement. Several
organized groups have come (and many of them have gone) without a 100% consensus on
how to classify Hedgehog Colors. Establishing an iron clad "STANDARD OF PERFECTION" for
hedgehogs like the AKC has for dog breeds, and the AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION has
for domestic fowl, has been somewhat elusive. Possibly in time, hedgehog experts will be able
to lay aside their differences and personality clicks in order to arrive at a universally agreed
upon standard for breeding and showing hedgehogs, similar to what the
THE AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION has for equines. In the mean time, you may
find some confusing and contradictory information about HEDGEHOG COLORS on the Internet.

Here at

Vickie and Gary have attempted to simplify the classification

of our HEDGEHOG COLORS for the benefit of our PET HEDGEHOG CUSTOMERS.

Hedgehogs are now being bred in over 30 specific colors. Some of the differences are very
subtle and take a trained eye to recognize. For example, the standard wild color (AGOUTI)
hedgehog has been bred in many slight shade differences.!!!! There are TRUE SALT & PEPPERS, GRAYS, BROWNS, CINNAMONS, CHOCOLATES....the list goes on. Then we have the ALGERIAN
and WHITE BELLIED issue. Our modern pet hedgehog is the result of a cross between these two distinct subspecies of African Hedgehogs. Case in point: the ALGERIAN CINNICOT COLOR is completely different from the WHITE BELLIED CINNICOT colored hedgehog!
VERY CONFUSING TO THE NOVICE HEDGEHOG OWNER!!!!!

has attempted to quell some of the confusion by developing our
own simplified HEDGEHOG COLOR classification system.

Over the years, our PET HEDGEHOG customers have thanked us for this!

Basically we have scrunched the BIG 64 Color Crayon box
into an easy to understand 8 Color box!!!!!!!!!!!
Wild Strawberry, Magenta, and Violet Red.....become plain ol' RED!!!!
Nice 'n easy.

Now if someone would prefer to discuss the more technical aspects of
HEDEHOG COLORS, we are happy to do that...but

OUR EMPHASIS IS ON THE BREEDING OF FANCY COLORED
HEDGEHOGS AS COMPANION PETS ... AND OUR COLOR DESCRIPTIONS
HAVE BEEN DESIGNED TO MAKE IT EASY FOR OUR CUSTOMERS TO DISTINGUISH THE VARIOUS HEDGEHOG COLORS/PATTERNS WHICH
WE OFFER FOR SALE ON A CONSISTENT BASIS.

SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO...

SALT & PEPPER

This is the common wild color of hedgehogs. It is
technically "Aqouti", meaning that there is a mix of
chocolate, tan, & cream colored quills. Some call this color
"STANDARD" and distinguish between various shades
of brown. To keep it simple, we refer to all of our Standard
Hedgies as SALT & PEPPER.
The SALT & PEPPERS have beautiful racoon like masks,
dark eyes, and dark ears. The quills are banded.

breeds SALT & PEPPERS in

various shades, including both Dark and Lighter varieties.
Some have more chocolate colored masks, others are
deeper brown.

ALTHOUGH COMMON... SALT & PEPPERS ARE POPULAR DUE
TO THEIR ENDEARING MASKS AND FACIAL FEATURES!