Valley Oasis Hedgehogs

08/30/2020

I have had an alarming amount of interest in babies this year, and I have to tell y'all... we're still not breeding. The last post on this page was over two years ago. We still do boarding, and rescues, but for the foreseeable future,

We will not have babies.

I've been a bit snippy with the last half dozen people to message me, because I think at this point it's a little ridiculous. We will resume breeding eventually, but we have had two children since I last posted over two years ago. If you want a baby from us, just please be patient. I want the youngest baby at least potty trained first. 😂🤦‍♂️

05/04/2018

Do you guys remember these girls? Riot (left) and Azure were our first ever breeding females, they were our ring bearers in our wedding, and they each picked their person. Riot was my girl, and Azure was definitely a Daddy's girl.

We are heart broken to announce that we have lost them both. March 16th, Azure passed in Steven's arms. Tonight, May 3rd, I found that Riot had passed in her sleep.

Riot and Azure were bonded from a young age. They genuinely seemed to love each other, and they both went through a depressive state when they were split up to breed and be mom's (though Azure never became a mother, but an excellent auntie to many of our young female hold backs). They were so bonded, they passed within 2 months of each other. We have big, potato shaped holes in our hearts as we mourn their passing.

11/26/2017

It's looking like we will have no babies. Galadriel had babies last Friday but none of them survived. Octavia is overdue by a week (and I'm not convinced she is pregnant) and I'm 100% sure Voodoo isn't pregnant. So unless I post otherwise, it's looking like we are not going to have any babies. I have closed our application, so if you are interested in adopting any adults or rescues, please message or email me directly!

10/26/2017

Today we said goodbye to our resident dinosaur, Renny. We got him as a rescue nearly 5 years ago, and at that point we were told he was approximately a year old. So that put him around 6 years of age. He was an old boy, and easily one of the most stubborn animals we have had the pleasure of living with. When we got him, he had been living on cat litter which permanently damaged his respiratory system. He stopped eating a few days after coming home, so he got hand fed until he felt like eating again. He broke his leg almost 4 years ago, after what we suspect was him tripping and falling out of his bucket wheel (he was a very clumsy boy). We amputated the leg, and he was very grumpy waiting for it to come back. He eventually gave up hope, haha. Fast forward to last summer. He started going blind, developed pretty nasty arthritis, and needed high fat food to help him keep weight on. We thought he could go any day. He liked to play dead a lot, where he would sleep in random places (like the center of his cage, on his wheel, etc) or he would sleep so heavily we could pick him up before he would stir. He kept up like that for well over a year. We moved a month ago, and as we are settling in to our new home, we can see him declining further. His arthritis made it difficult for him to walk. He struggled to eat. But dang it all if he wasn't just as lively as he ever was.

Today, we had to make the choice for him. He hadn't eaten in days, he had lost a lot of his body quality, and he was very lethargic. If you ever met Renny, you would know he was anything but lazy. Our love for him could not balance out his low quality of life. He was ready, he just wouldn't go on his own. We were there, right until the end for him.

We love you, Renny. You were such a great little boy, and even though you put us through the ringer, we will miss you so much. Be good, enjoy having your leg back, tell everyone who went before you how much we miss them too. Good night, sweet boy. ❤

10/20/2017

Octavia is not too sure about these snuggles, but as long as she can chew on my pants, maybe it's not so bad.

10/15/2017

Look at how handsome our boy Zorro is! 😍 I can't get over his stripes!

09/26/2017

Hey guys! We just moved this weekend, so if you have sent me a message/email/application, I am still a few days away from replying! Thank you all for your patience. :)

09/18/2017

Woah. At some point you sneaky people got us up to over 1,000 likes! Thank you so much everyone for your support over the years. Should I post some cute, never-before-seen pictures of our hogs (babies included) as a thank you? :)

09/14/2017

Here's the dark side of breeding. This gorgeous boy, Oliver, left this world today. We kept a close eye on him ever since we noticed that mom was never fully happy with his health. Like Laurel, momma got a little over zealous with grooming him after birth, and it resulted in him losing a leg (the same leg that Laurel is missing). The different between Laurel and Oliver is that Laurel recovered well and kept growing. By 4 weeks old, Oliver's growth had come to a standstill. Mom was back to overgrooming him because she knew something was wrong. She accidentally caused damage to his tail. By the time this photo was taken, Oliver was absolutely the tiniest hedgehog we have ever had at that age. But he was so full of life and energy.

We watched him, and we noticed shortly after he weaned from mom, he was going downhill. We were hand feeding him to boost his energy, but it wasn't enough. I came in to give him his nighttime feeding and he was gone.

His star shone so brightly, but the hottest fires burn the quickest. He was labeled as not available because I knew by the time he was 4.5 weeks old, there was a strong chance he wouldn't make it to adulthood. Steven and I loved him fiercely, but sometimes love isn't enough.

This is exactly why I do not encourage breeding. It is hard. It weighs on your soul so much. Oliver, and all the lost babies who have passed before him, taught me a lesson. It's okay to love with your whole heart, even if you know it's only going to break. There is no such thing as a lost cause so long as there is still love.

Goodnight, my little Loliver.

Oliver - 37 days
NOT AVAILABLE

09/14/2017

Sweet little Laurel is still available! Her four-legged sisters have already been reserved, but Laurel has been passed over. She would love to have a family of her very own! Having three legs has never once slowed her down. She is such a little love bug, and even though there is nothing wrong with her, she has been listed for cheaper than her sisters ($35 cheaper). If you think you can keep up with this beautiful girl, head to our website www.valleyoasishedgehogs.com and fill out a reservation form so Laurel can have her own family!

Laurel - 37 days

09/04/2017

Hey everyone! We have a need for some serious adopters! We need homes for a baby or two this round, and then of course we will have a lot of adults looking for their forever homes too.

With a heavy heart, Steven and I have decided we will be retiring from breeding at the end of this year. We have not decided if we will be having any more litters or not, but come 2018, we will be a rescue and boarding facility only. There's a lot of factors that have contributed to our decision. We have noticed that being between two larger breeders geographically speaking means that we have struggled since day one to find homes for all of our hedgehogs. I have also been having a lot of battles with my health and can not always keep up with the demands that running a breeding program require. We are so thankful that we have met so many wonderful people through this adventure, and we want you to know that we are not going away forever!

We will still be here to offer boarding services to anyone who needs them, as well as being able to fulfill supply orders, food orders, and of course we will still be involved with rescue and rehabilitation! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. :)

09/04/2017

The Arrow Litter