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Hedgehog, sugar glider, sto, short-tailed opossum, duprasi, squirrel, mouse, mice, rats, rabbit,
bunny, chinchilla, hamster, gerbil, rat, birds, guinea pig, degu, jird, dormouse, lemming, jerboa, prairie dog, chipmunk,
ferret, skunk, agouti, belgian hare, english lop
We do not show our animals!
Why not?
We feel that showing an animal causes unnecessary stress to the animal. Imagine an animal that is mostly
a creature of habit and likes familiarity, being packed up and driven across the country to be put on public display for a
day or two, risking being "poked and prodded at" by people it has never met.
We do not take our animals to unfamiliar environments, possibly putting it’s health at risk by exposing it to animals
of unknown origin. Rather than exposing our animals to various parasites, viruses, bacteria, various types of fungi or potential
injury, we have decided that it is in our animals’ best interest not to bring them into a show ring. We would gladly
give up a few points, or a title of champion in exchange for knowing that we have done everything we can to ensure that our
animals remain healthy.
Most hedgehog shows are held in the USA. It can be very difficult and expensive to bring exotic pets into the USA. Some
people do bring them to shows into the USA but be sure to check first, to find out if you need a permit. Getting the right
permit can be costly and time consuming. If you bring any animal into the USA without letting customs know, you are SMUGGLING!
It is a criminal offence! Not only do you risk prosecution but you also risk having your animal confiscated and possibly euthanized.
Before you consider bringing any animal into a foreign country be sure to check all municipal, provincial/state and federal
laws. Be sure you have all the necessary documents. Most countries have laws regarding the restricted movement on all animals.
These laws are in place, not only for the safety of people but also for the safety of the environment and indigenous species.
To us, animal shows are (for lack of a better word) hokey. Sure we always appreciate the things that people say about
our animals but we are not that insecure that we need a stranger to tell us our animal is pretty. Animal shows are perhaps
a bit of a social outing but they are not that different than a beauty pageant and certainly not my idea of a fun day out.
The animals are judged by a few select groups of individuals (club members) who are supposedly the people who know what we
should all want our own animals to look like. Those few individuals pick a standard usually based on their own animals and
then they judge it on looks. They do not judge the breeders or his/her commitment to the species nor do they judge the effort
and care they provides to their animals outside of the show-ring. Unfortunately, these judges do not have the resources to
go around to judge each member or to inspect breeders and their breeding records to see how these animal are housed and cared
for outside of the show ring. Except for the obvious, congenital defects and overall health conditions are seldom visible
on a show table.
We have been enjoying the hobby of keeping and learning about specialist animals for a long time. After so many years
spent, dedicated to improving our breeding herds and working closely with people who also share our interest, if we really
need a judge to tell us we have nice animals then perhaps we should not be breeding.
We are always willing to learn and we are willing to share our experiences with others and although we do realize that
there will always be people who feel that showing animals is a great social experience and a way to learn more about the Species.
Some people even choose showing animals as a career and make it their life long goal, but that has never been our focus. We
feel there is so much more to breeding than showing animals. Putting an animal on public display to be judged on looks alone,
is just something we don’t agree with.
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