APH 'the must-have pet' in the Daily Mirror

[Lucy_]

Originally Posted by Athravan

I had 9 emails today alone, I didn't know about this article until the first person who came to visit mentioned it. Funnily, the second person who came to view my babies was horrified at their size, and was under the impression adults were the size of an egg. I had absolutely no idea where she got that impression... but now having seen this article I fully understand why she thought that!! I have sent off caresheets and I don't think many of them are genuinely interested it's just a craze because they think they're tiny and cute.

Same here! I had about 8 phone calls asking about hogs, and I was shocked about all the sudden interest. Then Jon asked me after closing how many phone calls had we had about hogs and I said about 8-9, which he replied with 'its down to that ridiculous newspaper article'... I didnt know there was one until then! Which now explains it all... Ive just read it all and it shocks me!!! The picture of a very obviously young hog in a egg cup, which is giving out the impression that that IS what an APH fully grown is.
I have a standard procedure for all potential buyers with the majority of our exotics wherby they need to do their research and then I WILL question them face to face, and if I am still not happy then Ill send them away... until I am fully satisfied that they are suitable for a hog and vice versa, and know all they need to know before they can buy one, and if they arent suited or I dont beleive they are suited then I will refuse to sell them one.

At the same time, you can automatically pick the people out who are just in it for the ''awwwww I saw it on TV I want it now'' type of people.
Hopefully breeders will stick to their guns and not just sell more down to the recent adverts etc

[Fixx]

Originally Posted by Lucy_

At the same time, you can automatically pick the people out who are just in it for the ''awwwww I saw it on TV I want it now'' type of people.
Hopefully breeders will stick to their guns and not just sell more down to the recent adverts etc

Forums can be just as guilty of this as TV, there are/have been forum members on here who acquire animals then proceed to try and swap them for other animals or sell them in a very short space of time.

[Emmaj]

Originally Posted by Fixx

Forums can be just as guilty of this as TV, there are/have been forum members on here who acquire animals then proceed to try and swap them for other animals or sell them in a very short space of time.

that is so true i never in a million years would have thought i would be a skunk owner without finding this site

so many people dont know you can own most the animals that are owned until they read about it in papers or see it on a forum like this

[Choggie]

Originally Posted by Emmaj

that is so true i never in a million years would have thought i would be a skunk owner without finding this site

so many people dont know you can own most the animals that are owned until they read about it in papers or see it on a forum like this

I have been inundated with emails and phone calls enquring about my choglets - I too have a standard reply and attach my care sheet and a questionnaire for prospective owners to fill in. If it is a genuine enquiry they will send the required information back to me.

I feel that it is important to make any prosective owner aware that they are a long term commitment and that they need to be handled on a daily basis - not just left in their cage. I emphasise that the more they put into their choggie, the more they will get out of them. I think that you can tell a lot from the people who come to visit the choggies and you can tell whether somebody has a true genuine interest over somebody who just wants one as they have seen them in a newspaper or on TV.

Newspapers are really good at editing out the important bits just to get a cute story across and unfortunately this can be done without the actually person giving the interview being aware of this.

I personally have been asked by the Alan Titchmarsh show to go along to their studios tomorrow and do a live slot on the show - good idea or bad idea? I have already rang the UKAPH as I value their help and support immensely and I am hoping that I can help to put across the point that these are a long term commitment and not a whim. I will be pointing out the importance of looking after them correctly and I have been asked to take one of my set ups down with me which will show how I set them up - my care sheet has been sent over to them and I have a full arsenal of registration papers and all owner details that I shall be taking with me. I shall also be mentioning what an important role the UKAPH play and how important it is to purchase UKAPH registered babies.

Hopefully I will get the balance right - I am been given the opportunity of a rehearsal so that we can get this right.

Will this bring in more emails and phone calls - undoubtably it will but first and foremost will be the welfare of my choglets and if I have any doubts whatsoever, they will remain with me in a loving and caring home

My current litters have all been reserved with good homes prior to doing this interview.

If anybody has any pointers please let me know - if I can go and do this properly it is better than somebody else doing it badly.

[Athravan]

Anyone who is being asked to do any promotional work for newspapers or any media should definitely do it if they can give the correct information.

There is nothing wrong with increasing awareness of hedgehogs as pets - they are not massively hard to care for, they do make excellent pets in my opinion and it certainly wouldn't hurt for them to be more mainstream assuming that breeders are responsible and sellers aware of their needs, like any animal.

The problem is with articles like this that are extremely misleading, suggesting that they are small and cute, that they can free roam the house and breed very easily. The video suggests that you can just stick two hedgehogs together and get 12 babies which you can sell for £150 each - this of course is going to make quite a few people see money signs and think wow it's really easy to breed and make a fortune off these!

If you do it, you must be sure of course you trust the newspaper or media to put the full story across and this can be difficult, but if you talk to the person doing the interview first and make sure they realise that you want to include a bit of information then that should help, and at the end of the day no one forced this woman to say that her hedgehogs popped up in cupboards and in egg cups and tea cups and no one forced her to let them take a picture of what must be a 10-14 day old hedgehog without anyone actually mentioning in the article it's age.

We definitely need some responsible breeders in the media.

And think about it... if they're looking for someone to do a piece on hedgehogs and you say no... perhaps they'll go to someone else who will give the wrong information.

Personally I'm letting anyone who enquires come and visit if they really want to after reading a caresheet, because it's a lot easier to tell people and show them the hedgehogs in person and gauge if they are genuinely interested or not. Like anything if they don't get one from me, they will get one elsewhere if they are determined - I'd rather it be from me after a grilling and after they've seen the youngsters and the adults and gone over all the care information, and will have me for support indefinitely, rather than someone just offloading them quick because of the interest. Now christmas will be the true time to worry if the media continues.

[Choggie]

Thanks - and I totally agree with you - with any prospective customer I always show them the mum with the choglets and also the dad - I have two girls on reserve from my eldest litter and she is more than happy to home them in individual set ups. You can tell a lot from people when they come to visit and by talking to them you can sense if they have a genuine interest or not especially when the chogs poop on them! Supply of tissue and hand cleaner always at hand but the reactions say a lot of prospective new owners!

As for the breeding aspect I always try to point out that yes it is rewarding but there are times when it is soul breaking - Herby my female culled the runt of her litter and Honey a first time mum culled one on birth and it was gut wrenching to watch and not to be able to do anything about it - even tried to hand rear the other but not to be - there are highs and lows and this is across the board on breeding any animal.

Alan Titchmarsh is a keen animal lover and I hope that this interview will show that they are wonderful pets kept in the correct manner and given the care and attention they need.

[Emmaj]

Originally Posted by Choggie

Thanks - and I totally agree with you - with any prospective customer I always show them the mum with the choglets and also the dad - I have two girls on reserve from my eldest litter and she is more than happy to home them in individual set ups. You can tell a lot from people when they come to visit and by talking to them you can sense if they have a genuine interest or not especially when the chogs poop on them! Supply of tissue and hand cleaner always at hand but the reactions say a lot of prospective new owners!

As for the breeding aspect I always try to point out that yes it is rewarding but there are times when it is soul breaking - Herby my female culled the runt of her litter and Honey a first time mum culled one on birth and it was gut wrenching to watch and not to be able to do anything about it - even tried to hand rear the other but not to be - there are highs and lows and this is across the board on breeding any animal.

Alan Titchmarsh is a keen animal lover and I hope that this interview will show that they are wonderful pets kept in the correct manner and given the care and attention they need.

when is it going to be aired and which channel? would be good to watch someone telling the truth about the prickley little critters

[kiriak]

Could someone explain to me why all the reputable breeders are saying their Hedgehogs are UKAPH registered and yet Google searches cannot find such a society? Am I missing something?

Many thanks

[Shell195]

Originally Posted by kiriak

Could someone explain to me why all the reputable breeders are saying their Hedgehogs are UKAPH registered and yet Google searches cannot find such a society? Am I missing something?

Many thanks

Instead of googling the initials googe the full title and it brings up this


HedgeBottom Hedgehogs - Home

[kiriak]

Ahh thank you