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 1994. 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!

CINNAMON

CINNAMON hedgehogs are a lighter, creamier version
of the SALT & PEPPER. The shade of CINNAMON can vary
from almost chocolate to very pale.
The CINNAMONS retain the mask, dark eyes, and muzzle features...although many animals have more of a liver
color to their nose and face.
Both our CINNAMONS and SALT & PEPPERS sell for the
same price. We distinguish the two STANDARD varieties
in an attempt to match folks up with their preference to
either darker or lighter common colored hedgehogs.

ALBINO
ALBINO Hedgehogs were the first domestic color mutation
of hedgies. ALBINOS totally lack color pigment. This results
in them exhibiting gleaming white quills, pink skin, and pink eyes.
Those Pink Eyes...you either love them or you don't.

Here at

, we

LOVE OUR LITTLE ALBINO BUDDIES.!!!!!!!
Contrary to some myths, there are no adverse health or
longevity issues related to ALBINO hedgehogs in captivity.
In the wild they would have a difficult time surviving due to
their lack of camouflage. ALBINOS are your entry level
hedgehog price wise. Since the ALBINO gene is present in
most of the other color mutations that we breed, we tend to
have ALBINO babies on a consistent basis.

SNOWFLAKE
The SNOWFLAKE color is actually a PATTERN. A hedgehog's
quills are normally banded. The SNOWFLAKE color mutation intersperses solid white quills amongst the animal's
base color. It is similar in appearance to a lady who
frosts her hair. VERY PRETTY!!! SNOWFLAKE is the first
non-standard color variety

that we bred at

Most SNOWFLAKE hedgehogs typically have 50-90%
WHITE QUILLS. Most of our animals will average about 75%
white quills when they mature. SNOWFLAKES tend to
lighten up in color as they grow. Many are born looking
like a typical STANDARD hedgehog. As they get older they
go through a "quilling" stage and some of the new quills
come in solid white.

Although most baby SNOWFLAKES can be distinguished at an early age by a trained eye,
others cannot. Some litter mates will mature into SNOWFLAKES, while others will remain STANDARDS. Time (and knowing the pedigree of the animal) will tell. Determining how
heavy the snowflaking will be is a waiting game.

Note the photos above: The litter of hedgies on the left are all 8 week old SNOWFLAKES.
The center animal looks more like a SALT & PEPPER at this age.
The photo on the right is the same animal just one month latter!!!!!!
No doubt, we have sold some SALT & PEPPER babies in the past who latter "became" SNOWFLAKES!!!!

Another interesting trait of SNOWFLAKES is that this pattern can occur in most of the base
colors that we breed in. This means that not all of our SNOWFLAKES are SALT & PEPPER SNOWFLAKES (although the majority of our animals are). On occasion we will have
CINNAMON SNOWFLAKES, CINNICOT SNOWFLAKES, CHAMPAGNE SNOWFLAKES,
OAK BROWN SNOWFLAKES, APRICOT SNOWFLAKES, and even PINTO SNOWFLAKES!!!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE EXAMPLES OF OUR SNOWFLAKE HEDGIES

CHAMPAGNE
The CHAMPAGNE is one of several colors of very pastel hedgehogs. We like to think of them as BLONDS. They
have a very pretty dilute base color of creamy tan quills.
The mask and facial features, if present, are very opaque
and dilute. In general their face and nose is liver in color.
The CHAMPAGNES do not have dark eyes....but they are
not pink like the ALBINOS either. The eye color is a rich
RUBY RED that appears almost black until the light hits them
just right! CHAMPAGNES are not a common color,
as the trait is recessive.

CINNICOT

This color is very unique. Some have described it as
a "rusty version" of a CINNAMON. Since these animals
look like they are a cross between a CINNAMON and
an APRICOT, the name "CINN-ICOT" was coined early
on by hedgehog breeders.
CINNICOTS are a color all of their own! Some
CINNICOTS lean more towards the CINNAMONS. They have
dark masks and very few orange quills. Others can exhibit
more of the APRICOT traits...having lots of glistening orange
quill color!! Since there is quite a range of shades in the CINNICOT color, they can come in either DARK EYED or
RUBY RED eyed varieties.

The animals leaning more towards the CINNAMON standard color tend to have dark eyes and more pronounced masks. Those hedgehogs which fall closer in the APRICOT color spectrum usually have
more diluted facial features, ruby red eyes, and an abundance of gorgeous ORANGE colored quills.

The two hedgehogs on the left are litter mates. Both
brothers. Both CINNICOTS. Note the difference in the
color shade. The one on the left is lighter, and in real life
exhibits more APRICOT quills. The one on the right is
darker, even in the muzzle & ears.

(The fella on the right is actually a CINNICOT PINTO...notice
the nickel size white patch on his left side).

We have raised a wide range of "COTTYS" over the years.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE IMAGES OF CINNICOTS.

OAK BROWN

OAK BROWN is a relatively new color for us at

We began selling our first OAK BROWNS in 2005. These
beautiful animals are a tad lighter than a CINNAMON...but
much darker than a CHAMPAGNE.

And like most hedgehog colors, the OAK BROWNS can come
in a wide range of shades. (note the color difference
between the two brothers on the left).

OAK BROWN hedgies have dark eyes and retain the mask
and facial features.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE IMAGES OF OAK BROWN HEDGEOGS

APRICOT

The APRICOT is a pretty animal with light orange quills
blending with beige. Their eyes are RUBY RED colored. They
are distinguished by their pink noses and lack of a mask on
their face. APRICOT hedgehogs are difficult to find...but we
breed them on a regular basis!!! We love our APRICOTS to pieces....and our customers have discovered how
wonderfully unique they are too!

The photo on the right is another one of our APRICOT hedgehogs....showing some of the subtle differences in
the shade that we breed them in. APRICOTS cover the
spectrum from RICH ORANGE to a pretty pale PEACH color.

DARK EYED WHITES

DARK EYED WHITE hedgehogs are very rare!!!!!!!
But through years of professional breeding,

has them on a fairly regular basis!!

DARK EYED WHITES are actually the ultimate SNOWFLAKE hedgehog. And true to the SNOWFLAKE pattern,
some DARK EYED WHITE babies are born with darker
banded quills mixed in. They generally loose them
before reaching adolescent age...resulting in the
gleaming white animal pictured here!

There are several "shades" of DARK EYED WHITES. Differences generally involve skin, nose, and
ear color...as well as the base color of the few colored quills mixed in.

DARK EYED WHITES are the answer for folks who desire a WHITE hedgehog, but don't like the
PINK skin and eyes of the ALBINOS!!!!

If you have been wanting a unique and rare colored hedgehog....
check out our DARK EYED WHITES!!!!!!!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE IMAGES OF DARK EYED WHITE HEDGEHOGS

PINTOS! PINTOS! PINTOS!

The PINTO color in hedgehogs is actually a PATTERN and
not a color. PINTO refers to the patches of WHITE markings
which randomly occur on the body of the hedgie. Just like
PINTO horses, PINTO hedgehogs are each unique.

Here at

we are well known

for our famous strain of PINTO hedgehogs! We were the
first to breed, raise, and sell the TOBIANO variety of PINTO
hedgies. We are even the originators of the coined name "TOBIANO", which is taken from the world of PINTO and
PAINT horses. TOBIANO refers to a HIGH WHITE and
extremely flashy PINTO patterned animal.

The PINTO pattern can consist of varying amounts of
WHITE markings. Some animals have only a few small
patches of WHITE COLOR.

The animal on the left displays a medium amount
of PINTO color.

Some breeders will brag about a nickel size white spot
on their animal. Although this technically makes them a

PINTO...

is known for

much flashier and more attractive markings!!!

By far, the majority of PINTOS that we produce are
SALT & PEPPER PINTOS. However, any hedgehog
background color can come in the PINTO pattern.
We regularly raise: CINNAMON PINTOS
(like the fella pictured here), CHAMPAGNE PINTOS,
CINNICOT PINTOS, OAK BROWN PINTOS, and even
APRICOT PINTOS.!
The APRICOT PINTOS look like little "dreamcycles" due
to their subdued pastel colors! And although the PASTEL
colored PINTOS don't have a dramatic high color contrast,
their rare soft subtle beauty puts them in high demand.

And if that isn't exciting enough....on occasion we even have SNOWFLAKE pattern animals
who are PINTOS!!!!!!! And yes...you got it...the SNOWFLAKE PINTOS can be:
SNOWFLAKE PINTO OAK BROWN,SNOWFLAKE PINTO CINNAMON,....etc...you get the idea!!!
THIS IS WHERE IT GETS REALLY EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But our real passion is for our
HIGH WHITE TOBIANO PINTOS!!!!

We never loose our enthusiasm for all of our wonderful, flashy, bouncy, balls of TOBIANO quills!!!!! To us at

THEY ARE THE BOMB!!!!

(Please note: We do maintain a WAITING LIST for our customers who
are desiring some of our rarer colors or hedgehogs. This helps us to
fill the demand in a fair manner.)

CLICK HERE FOR LOTS MORE IMAGES OF OUR PINTO HEDGIES!

PLATINUM

PLATINUM hedgehogs are actually a specific type of
DARK EYED WHITE. And as we previously explained,
DARK EYED WHITES are the ultimate SNOWFLAKES.

The PLATINUM color is an animal with 99.99% solid white quills...they are essentially devoid of any banded quills.
Their skin is very dark, can even be JET BLACK. They
have BLACK NOSES, dark muzzles and ears. The contrast
against the WHITE quill color is stunning!!! We list
PLATINUMS here as a separate color category because they
are extremely rare. When we have them, they are generally
a tad pricier than the other DARK EYED WHITES.

We have included some other pictures of PLATINUM hedgehogs with the DARK EYED WHITES.

(Scroll up to that category and click on the link if you are interested in viewing those images. )

HERE AT

, WE ARE AS FOND OF OUR COMMON COLORED

HEDGEHOGS AS WE ARE OUR EXOTIC COLORED ONES. WE BREED ANIMALS WHICH A
HEDGEHOG JUDGE WOULD DROOL OVER ... AS WELL AS ONES THAT WILL STEAL
A PET OWNER'S HEART!

WE HAVE DESIGNED THIS PAGE TO BE A GUIDE TO THE
RAINBOW OF COLORS WHICH WE PRODUCE IN OUR HEDGEHOG HERD.

WE GENERALLY HAVE BABY HEDGEHOGS AVAILABLE ON A CONSISTANT BASIS.
WE ARE SORRY ... BUT NOT ALL COLORS ARE AWAYS AVAILABLE.
CALL US FOR OUR CURRENT INVENTORY OF BABY HEDGEHOGS.

WE WILL ALWAYS BE HAPPY TO PLACE YOU ON OUR WAITING LIST IF
THE COLOR WHICH YOU DESIRE IS CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK.

WE MAINTAIN ACCURATE PEDIGREES ON ALL OF OUR BREEDING ANIMALS. THIS
HELPS US TO PROFESSIONALLY MANAGE OUR BREEDING PROGRAM. IT ALSO ENSURES
OUR CUSTOMERS THAT THEIR PET HEDGEHOG IS OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY!

FOR MORE PICTURES OF SOME OF OUR HEDGEHOGS... YOU CAN CHECK
OUT OUR WEB PAGE TITLED "VICKIE'S BABY ALBUM".

To see pictures of some of our hedgehogs currently available for purchase, check out our HEDGEHOGS AVAILABLE web page.

All images are the copyrighted property of

We bred these animals, we raised them with TLC, we took the photos...
It is NOT NICE to steal somebody else's hard work!!!!!!!!

/td>