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wp 18 -- Scugog Citizen - Tuesday, June 20, 1995 = = FARM NEWS < Cashing in on the craze for hedgehogs by Heather McCrae When. Maurice Pratt saw an ad in a Manitoba newspaper a year ago advertising hedgehogs for sale, he thought it was a joke. Having been accustomed to seeing hedgehogs run rampant and abundantly in his native England, he wondered why anyone would pay for one of these prickly little creatures But, while they are a familiar sight in the English countryside, Maurice soon learned they're rather new to North America and are the current rage for breeders and pet owners. As a business enterprise few other animals can give you such a quick return on your investment Maurice promptly purchased 20 pairs of hedgehogs and "Jamesdale Hedgehogs" has Lifelong Cartwright residents Dora and Merlin Suggitt celebrated thelr golden wedding anniversary June 18th with family and friends at their home. They were married In the parsonage In Blackstock. Taking part In this happy become an established and reputable hedgehog breeding business. While currently selling them to breeders throughout . Canada, he says there's a huge demand for them in Alberta. Maurice and his family are now living in Port Perry where he's the herdsman on a dairy farm West of Epsom. When our children were young they had a couple of guinea pigs which the family enjoyed and the price was right. With ample and gentle handling, hedgehogs can become good pets too but they're not the price of a guinea pig. Often sold in pairs, (male and female), they sell for $500. and a trio, made up of two females and a male beckons $800. Because "they're different" they're more in demand now, Maurice told the Citizen. "They're cheap to feed and house and you don't have to take them for a walk. Because they have so little fur there's less chance of being allergic to them" he said. A couple of months ago Maurice participated in a huge pet show in Peterborough and, while not anticipating any sales, took some hedgehogs with him. "Ninety-nine percent of the people have never seen hedgehogs" he said. And one proud little boy went home with a male hedgehog. At a cost of $175. it was a unique birthday present for him. Looking like baby mice at birth, hedgehogs are bald and pink, but within 36 hours are covered with little quills. An adult sports quills about 2 centimetres in length, and weighs about 2 1/2 Ibs. When nervous or frightened, hedgehogs roll th Ives into a were children Joan and Ray, seven grandchildren and a great grandson. ball of prickles, completely hiding their soft bellies, heads and legs. Once they're accustomed to being handled, their quills lay flat, making them easy to hold. In fact, during this interview I had a His wife, Elaine, is a major part of the hedgehog business too. Feeding and cleaning their cages, she's also in charge of their breeding records. curious hedgehog plopped on my lap and was never pricked once by her spiny body. Unlike porcupines, which they're not related to, hedgehogs do not throw their quills. The babies are weaned at 6-7 weeks and reach breeding age at 12-14 weeks. After a 35 day gestation period, 1 to 6 babies can be born in a litter, however the norm is usually 3 or 4 babies. In the wild, hedgehogs are insectivores but in captivity they can eat dry cat food. Maurice says their hedgehogs only eat up to 1 tsp. of dry cat food daily and once every couple of weeks are fed a tsp. of Be quality moist cat food. B their hedgehogs love an occasional feed of meal worms, the Pratts have gone into meal worm farming too. A hedgehog, in captivity, can live up to 10 years. And they like warmth. If their surrounding temperatures get below 20 Celsius, they can go into hibernation, sleeping until the temperature becomes warmer! When Maurice left Manitoba two months ago the Manitoba Hedgehog Breeders' Association had just formed with 12 members. Believing it to be the first Hedgehog Association in Canada he feels it would be great if every province had its own Association. Maurice Pratt of Epson is a breeder of one of the latest rages 66 Brock St. E. (same buiding as Stevenson Rv) 852 1902 B in pets -- hedgehogs. He's holding one of the prickly little 3 FAMILY RESTAURANT 15300 HWY. 12 985-7593 (2 km. North of Manchester) BREAKFAST - LUNCH - DINNER TIRES ® Authorized Motor Ss 24 hour Road Service Vehicle Inspection Station -~ A) fellows. story above. 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