Buying a hedgehog online

To choose a hedgehog, look at what is available on our babies available page. If it says "On Hold" by it, that means that someone has reserved it, and it isn't for sale unless they back out.
If you have any questions, email us so that we can help you out!
If we don’t have what you are looking for, then we’ll do our best to give you an idea of when we might have it, and when to check back. You can join our updates mailing list (see babies page for link) if you want updates mailed to you about litters born and changes in availability.
If we do have what you are looking for, please complete our reservation form (or email the same information to hhvalley@yahoo.com if the form isn't functioning properly) if you would like us to hold it for you. We ask that you read our policy page, so that you are familiar with our sales policies and our guarantee. Reservations are taken on a first come, first serve basis, in the order that we receive the reservation forms.
Please remember that we cannot ship to states where hedgehogs are illegal.

2. Putting hedgehog on hold

Babies listed on the website are first come, first serve.
We do not reserve babies prior to two weeks old. When they are 2 to 3 weeks old, we can usually check for gender and make a preliminary guess at color.
If you see a baby listed that you are interested in, please fill out our reservation form.
The reservation form will hold your baby for up to 10 days while you make arrangements for payment. If we do not receive your payment within 7 days, we will cancel your reservation. If we do not receive your payment within 7 days of when we send your confirmation email (which is in addition to the autoreply that you'll get to notify you that the form went through and is waiting in our inbox), we will assume you are no longer interested and cancel your reservation, so please make sure to email us if you haven't gotten a confirmation of your payment being received within 3 days.
Babies are typically weaned and ready to ship when they are between 6 and 8 weeks old. Your payment will hold a baby to weaning age. If your hedgie is going to be shipped, we must receive payment in full at least 10 days prior to shipping as it takes us about that long to get shipping and vet appointments arranged. We will not make an appointment for a health certificate or schedule shipping until your baby and shipping costs are paid in full.
Once payments are received, they are nonrefundable so please do not ask us to reserve a hedgie for you unless you are certain that it is what you want.
Please do not ask us to hold a hedgie for you for more than 7 days without payment- when we did not require a payment, even with deposits, we had to spend quite a bit of time following up to get people to complete their transaction, or backing out after stringing us along for several weeks or even months. This was quite disappointing for us and for other people who were waiting for a hedgie!
After you submit your reservation, we will send you an email to confirm your reservation or to let you know if someone has already spoken for the hedgie you requested. Please be sure to respond to our confirmation. If you do not receive a confirmation within about 3 days, please follow up with an email as that means your form did not go through.
Please keep in touch with us during the purchasing process. Other people may want the hedgie you have reserved, and may miss their opportunity if you change your mind and don't tell us.
We cannot promise updated pictures while you wait because hedgies are not fond of the flash and it can take up to half an hour to get halfway decent pictures of some babies. But, if your baby likes to pose for the camera or if you want to see color and don't mind that hedgie ducks and hides between when the flash goes and the shutter clicks, we'll do our best to get you pictures as we're able to.

3. Purchasing the hedgie

Once you have decided on a hedgehog and are ready to purchase, you have to decide whether you will be able to pick it up in person or if you will need to have the hedgie shipped. You will note this on the reservation form.
When we receive your reservation form, we will send you an email with your total. For those that are shipped, this will include the cost of hedgie (s), health certificate, kennel cab, and shipping. If there are any questions we have about your reservation, we will ask at that time.
We will need the location of the nearest major airport to be able to obtain a shipping quote. We can only ship to airports that are served by Continental on weekends, with pet delivery service. Express jets cannot carry animals, only the big jets. You can check for flights at Continental. Sometimes we can use Northwest or Delta, though they are not our preferred airlines and are somewhat more expensive.
We can accept payment in three ways. First, you can send payment via PayPal. Second, you can use Western Union or Wal-mart bill pay. Third, you can send a cashier’s check or money order to us. When you write to confirm your purchase, be sure to let us know how you plan to pay, so that we can give you the information you need to send your payment. Of course, if you are picking up your hedgie in person, we can always accept cash, but it is never a good idea to mail cash. Remember that mail can take as much as 10 days to get to us, so if you're in a hurry, paypal or Western Union/Wal-mart bill pay are your best bet.
We do not take personal checks because of the unfortunate frequency with which they have been bounced on us in the past.

4. Scheduling the hedgie’s flight

We live approximately 2 hours from the airport and Tig works full time, so we do all of our shipping on weekends. We ship primarily through Continental.
We can ship any time of year as long as temperatures are between 45 and 85 here, there, and at any stopovers. We can ship in warmer or cooler temps (10 to 100) on Continental only, as they are the only airline currently equipped to do so.
We can confirm flight times and numbers approximately 5 days prior to shipping. Payment in full is due at least 10 days prior to shipping, and we will not schedule your health certificate appointment or flight until payment in full has been received.

5. Shipping day!

With Continental, the hedgies go counter-to-counter. You will pick up at the Continental Quick Pak counter or the baggage counter, which are typically located in the same part of the terminal. In Boston and a few other sites, the Quick Pak is at cargo.
Once we drop off the hedgie, we will get a waybill number. You can call us at any time after your hedgie is en route if you need the waybill number. They will let you pick up if you have a photo ID that shows that you are the person whose name and address is cited as the receiver on the paperwork.
To pick up your hedgie, you will need to go to the appropriate counter and tell them that you are there to pick up hedgehogs. Give them your flight information and a photo ID.
I recommend getting there right around the time the flight is scheduled to land, and planning to wait for them to disembark from the aircraft and be brought to you. It usually takes about 15 to 30 minutes for them to get from the plane to the counter.
When you get the hedgie(s), be sure that they are all there and all ok. If any problems occurred, you will need to report them to the airline (and to us) right away.

6. Confirming arrival

Once you arrive home with your hedgies, we really appreciate it if you email or call to let us know that your hedgie (s) arrived and to let us know how they are doing and how you like them.
If you have any more questions or concerns, we’ll do our best to help!
Remember, no matter how long you have owned your Hedgehog Valley hedgie, we will always be happy to offer support. And, we love updates and pictures!

hhvalley@yahoo.com

Show them you care, Support our Troops

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This page last updated by Tig on 11/01/07