Hoglet process Most people who find me opt to go onto my waiting list to be contacted when a litter is born and available. This helps me to ensure they're going to dedicated/keen homes and that it isn't a whimsical purchase. From here, once a litter is born, I will contact everyone on the list to let them know of the litter, you then have two weeks to decide if you would still like a hoglet. If the answer is yes then, at two weeks of age, I will contact each person, in turn, on the list to inform them of genders and colours available. It is then up to that person how long they take to choose, as I don't want to rush any decisions, though I do advise by 5 weeks to ensure people further down on the list know who is/isn't available. Once you have chosen a hoglet I ask for a non-refundable £50 deposit within 24 hours, this is to prevent people further down the list waiting any longer than necessary and the same will be asked of everyone on the waiting list.
Visitation of hoglets is opened at 5 weeks of age, though this would be a brief handle and more of a chat and meet mum/dad ect because hoglets/nests are still fragile at this age. I would advise not travelling far for this initial visit as this visit may be disappointing to those who aren't local. I am more than happy to provide photos/videos/live stream to those further away if it helps with hoglet choosing and this is the method I have done when selecting my own.
I always advise people to choose on temperament but I do aim to produce 'first hedgehog' suitable temperaments and all of mine should be confident/friendly when they leave me, if this is not the case and one is looking to be difficult/a biter/a grouch I will always mention this before selection. When choosing on colour I can only make an estimated guess at adult colours because levels of snowflaking can change quite dramatically and broken masks do also change with age.
When things go wrong Sometimes females will reject a litter later than 2 weeks, if this happens I will inform everyone on the list and the list will revert to how it was with the offer of waiting for a future litter, perhaps a different pairing. This isn't something that has happened to me yet but it is unpredictable and upsetting for everyone involved. If deposits have been taken these will of course be refunded or held and transferred to a different litter depending on your decision.
It is rare but sometimes people will wait for a hoglet, take them home and then after a week or a few months decide that they are not suitable pets for them or discover they are allergic, in the case of this happening I please ask that hoglets are returned to me, there is no judgement in these cases I purely value the life/health of my hoglets. If a hoglet is returned within 2 weeks I will refund the full amount paid minus the deposit (£50). If the hoglet is 4+ months of age then I cannot offer a refund of any amount paid unless in extreme/emergency circumstances but I please ask that you inform me of your decision and at worst let me know where the hoglet is going so I can keep track of health.
Quilling is a normal process that hoglets go through, it is the shedding of their juvenile quills for larger adult quills, it can cause your hoglet to become very grumpy because it is painful. During this phase some people choose to continue handling as much as possible. I prefer to take a step back, decrease handling but increase hand feeding, enrichment ect and increase handling and bonding once quilling has passed. Sometimes quilling can be very painful and the hoglet may lose his friendly/confident temperament and become a bit grumpy, this is really common and not something I can do much about beyond offering guidance, I haven't yet produced a hoglet or owned a hedgehog that has remained grumpy and hopefully this continues. If your hoglet is too grumpy for you and you'd prefer to return them then I am happy to do so and discuss refund options if this is a young hoglet.
Health As part of my breeding program I aim to improve the species and produce healthy hoglets, therefore it is only fair that I offer a lifetime guarantee against wobbly hedgehog syndrome (WHS) and a general 6 month health guarantee.
Wobbly hedgehog syndrome is a known but unusual progressive degenerative neurological disease within pygmy hedgehogs and as the name suggests the first symptoms are often weightloss combined with wobbly movement at around 1-2 years of age, from here hedgehogs sadly deteriorate and there is no treatment. WHS can only be confirmed by autopsy and if an autopsy proves WHS was a cause of death then I will refund the price of the hoglet plus autopsy fee. The 6 month health guarantee is something I offer as a gesture to supporters of Watoki to cover vet fees that are a result of my care, not many breeders offer this. Included in the health guarantee are things that can be traced back to my care or my breeding, such as a deformity, hernia ect. This does not cover things such as broken limbs, infection or mites that happen in the care of the new owner/someone else because these are not preventable by myself or provable by the owner once they've left my property. I do require a veterinary report before I cover treatment/surgery fees.