Placing Your Deposit Ready to place a deposit on one of our babies? A deposit is required to hold the hedgie of your choice and is accepted via PayPal, credit, or money order in the amount of $25.00. You may place your deposit directly through our website if using credit, debit, or PayPal as your payment method. Your deposit will apply towards your total purchase price (excluding PayPal fees). The remaining balance, including sales tax, is to be paid by cash, PayPal, or credit card upon pick up. We do not accept checks. Deposits apply towards the total purchase price of your hedgehog, less any taxes or PayPal fees.​ Deposits are non-refundable. However, you may always transfer your deposit to another available baby of equal age, or to one that is older.​ Deposits are valid and will hold your hedgehog for up to 7 days past the date in which your deposit was placed, or 7 days past the hedgehog's wean date or "ready by" date if the hedgehog is too young to go home at the time the deposit was placed. Failure to pick up in your hedgehog within this timeframe will result in a forfeit of any deposit or sum which has been placed on this animal. Should you require your hedgehog to be held for an extended period of time, the hedgehog must be paid in full within the 3 day time frame and the owner must then enter into a boarding agreement with Muddy Creek Hedgehogs, as the hedgehog will then be placed into its own cage, apart from other babies. Boarding fees are calculated at $25.00 for the first day, then $5.00 per day for each day after, with a maximum of a 14 day holding period. Waiting List When spots are available, general waiting list deposits are accepted via cash, credit, or money order in the amount of $25.00. You may place your deposit directly through our website if using credit/debit as your payment method by visiting our available hedgehogs page and the General Waiting List Deposit link. Your deposit will apply towards your total purchase price. The remaining balance, including sales tax, is to be paid by cash or credit card upon pick up. We do not accept checks. Deposits apply towards the total purchase price of your hedgehog, less any taxes.​ Deposits are non-refundable. However, you may always transfer your deposit to another available baby of equal age, or to one that is older. ​As babies become available, you will being receiving baby picking notifications via the email provided when your deposit was placed. Please note that in order to avoid confusion on our end, we do not offer to send notifications to additional or alternate email addresses. Waiting list deposits are treated on a first come first served basis. As new babies are posted, those on the waiting list will be given the opportunity to pick a baby in the order deposits were received, as is shown on our waiting list page.​ Each family will be given 12 hours to pick their baby before we move on to the next family on the list, or make any remaining babies available to the general public. This allows us to email a minimum of two families per day. Failure to make a selection or notify us you would like to pass and wait for future litters within 24 hours will result in being placed on our inactive waiting list. In this event, you must the contact us to let us know you would like to be placed back on the active waiting list before you will once again begin receiving baby picking emails.​ Failure to respond to baby picking emails within the 24 hour time frame more than 2 times will automatically be considered a forfeit of any fees or deposits paid, or any gift certificates purchased. Waiting list deposits are valid for 1 year from the date the deposit was placed. If the family applies their deposit to a specific hedgehog within the 1 year timeframe, the deposit is valid for 1 week past the date which the deposit was applied, or if applicable, 1 week past the selected hedgehog's wean date.​ Deposits will hold the hedgehog of your choice for up to one week. If you do not pick up your hedgehog within that time, you will forfeit your deposit and the hedgehog will be listed as available. Should you require your hedgehog to be held for an extended period of time, the hedgehog must be paid in full within the 3 day time frame and the owner must then enter into a boarding agreement with Muddy Creek Hedgehogs, as the hedgehog will then be placed into its own cage, apart from other babies. Boarding fees are calculated at $25.00 for the first day, then $5.00 per day for each day after, with a maximum of a 14 day holding period. Once your deposit has been received, we will add your name to our active waiting list. As babies become available, we will post them to a non-public page and begin emailing families in the order in which deposits are received. Additional information regarding the selection process will be sent out via email when it comes time to pick your hedgehog. Once you have made your choice, you can then schedule an appointment via our website for pick up. You will be selecting a "pick up appointment", as you will have already applied your deposit to a specific hedgehog. All hedgehogs must be picked up within a week of the initial deposit date, or in the case of families on the waiting list, within a week of the time you applied your general waiting list deposit to a specific hedgehog. Failure to pick up within this time will result in a forfeit of deposit and the hedgehog will again be listed as available without any notice. Should you require your hedgehog to be held for an extended period of time, the hedgehog must be paid in full within the 7 day time frame and the owner must then enter into a boarding agreement with Muddy Creek Hedgehogs, as the hedgehog will then be placed into its own cage, apart from other babies. Boarding fees are calculated at $25.00 for the first day, then $5.00 per day for each day after, with a maximum of a 14 day holding period. Some babies may be listed as "Not Yet Available". These are babies who may or may not become available around the same time as the others. Please remember if you chose to pass on available babies to wait for one a hedgehog displaying this availability status, there is a chance that these babies may become unavailable for purchase at any time and without notice. ​​Interested families may also join our mailing list free of charge in order to receive email updates when new babies are posted, although this will not guarantee placement for future litters.

All hedgehogs are sold under contract as "pet only"; meaning using our hedgehogs for breeding purposes is foridden as per the Purchase & Sales Agreement that is to be signed at the time of purchase. Pedigrees will only be released to USDA licensed breeders which have obtained approval for breeding rights prior to purchase. We will only sell hedgehogs in same sex pairs.

Please review this policy section carefully and in its entirety. We are not responsible for the loss of fees or deposits in the event one fails to adhere to appointment protocol and etiquette. APPOINTMENT TYPES When scheduling your appointment, please ensure you schedule the appropriate appointment type. Failure to schedule the appropriate appointment type will result in a cancellation of your appointment entirely. Meet & Greet Appointments - A 30 minute appointment designed for families to obtain general information regarding hedgehog care and behavior. Each session will include handling techniques with a live hedgehog, a nail clipping demonstration, and ample Q&A time. You will also schedule a Meet & Greet appointment if you DO NOT have a deposit, but are wanting to visit any current available babies with the intention of purchasing. Purchase at the time of appointment is not required. We do not guarantee availability of babies during our Meet & Greets. There will be a $15 fee to schedule a Meet & Greet, which can be applied to any future hedgehog purchase. Pick Up Appointments - Pick up appointments are designed for those who have previously PLACED A DEPOSIT on a SPECIFIC hedgehog in which they would like to pick up. If you have not previously attended a Meet & Greet, we would be happy to sit with you to discuss care, handling, and answer any questions you may have. If you have already obtained all of the information you need, or if you are not new to hedgehog ownership, you are more than welcome to pick up your baby and be on your way. Off Hour Appointments – In most cases, our appointment times are limited to what is available on our booking calendar. However, if needed we are sometimes able to accommodate appointment times that are not listed on our calendar. Because customized appointment times most often require us to modify work or personal schedules, there will be a $30 convenience fee which must be paid before your appointment request will be accepted. PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL BEFORE SCHEDULING AN OFF HOURS APPOINTMENT FOR AVAILABILITY AND INSTRUCTIONS.

HOW MUCH ARE YOUR HEDGEHOGS? Hedgehog babies are priced $250 + any applicable sales tax. Occasionally, an individual hedgehog may be priced slightly lower due to age, temperament, or other factors. Babies exhibiting certain colors or patterns may be priced slightly higher. Adoption fees for rescues or retired adults are assessed using variety of factors, including age, health, and temperament. Each hedgehog's price will be listed under their photo and in their general information on our available hedgehogs page. DO YOU OFFER ANY KIND OF HEALTH GUARANTEE? Yes. All babies come with a 1 year genetic health warranty and a limited-lifetime WHS warranty. Adult hedgehogs bred by Muddy Creek Hedgehogs that are under 1 year of age will be guaranteed to be free of genetic defects until their 1st birthday and will have a limited-lifetime WHS guarantee. Adult hedgehogs being adopted out as part of our rescue program will come with a 7 day general health guarantee. HOW OFTEN DO YOU HAVE HEDGEHOGS AVAILABLE? We try to have babies available a minimum of 4 times per year However, this is not guaranteed. To view our anticipated litters, you may visit our upcoming litters page. HOW OLD DO BABIES HAVE TO BE BEFORE THEY ARE ABLE TO GO TO NEW HOMES? Although our babies naturally wean by 6 weeks of age, we rarely feel comfortable sending them home at that time. It is right around weaning age that we see the biggest drop in immune response and therefore, it is at this time they are most sensitive to stress and susceptible to illness. Babies are not sent to new homes until they reach an absolute minimum of 150 grams in weight. In most cases, we wait until babies are at least 200 grams and are around 7-9 weeks old before we allow them to go to new homes. Although your hedgehog may be slightly larger than a newly weaned baby, they will be much more prepared to handle the stress of transition to a new home. Additionally, their core personality traits are more readily apparent once they have passed the most difficult and painful quilling phase, which generally occurs right around the time of weaning. ARE YOU USDA LICENSED? UPDATE: Since taking a break from breeding in 2021, after maintaining a flawless USDA track record for 10+ years, we no longer maintain a USDA license due to the small nature of our breeding herd and being under the limit which requires active licensing. However, should we decide to grow our breeding program in the future, we will publish updates regarding our USDA license number. You will find our previous USDA license number 34-A-0194 associated with both the name "Eternal Hedgehogs" and "Muddy Creek Farms." All records are still valid and relevant. Our previous licensing status can be verified using the USDA/APHIS List of persons licensed or registered under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). WHAT COMES WITH MY HEDGEHOG? Our hedgehog babies come with their health guarantees, & lifetime breeder support. Hedgehogs do NOT come with cages or set ups, although these things may be purchased separately through our online store. WHAT SUPPLIES DO I NEED BEFORE I CAN BRING MY HEDGEHOG HOME? We have more extensive articles regarding proper set ups listed in the Hedgehog Care & FAQ section. I WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HEDGEHOGS BEFORE I MAKE A COMMITMENT TO BUY A BABY. CAN I COME VISIT TO GET MORE INFORMATION? Absolutely. We want you to feel completely comfortable before taking home a new pet hedgehog. Meet & Greet Appointments can be scheduled on our appointments page. The cost to schedule a Meet & Greet is $15, which can be applied to any future hedgehog purchase. CAN I TAKE A HEDGEHOG HOME THE SAME DAY AS MY APPOINTMENT? Yes. Provided the hedgehog is physically ready to leave for a new home, you are more than welcome to take your hedgehog home the same day. During this live feed we discuss hedgehog handling techniques, perform a nail clipping demonstration, and answer any questions you may have. DO YOU HAVE AN ADOPTION APPLICATION? No, we do not require an adoption application. However, those purchasing a hedgehog are required to fill out a Purchase & Sales Agreement before taking a hedgehog home. We do reserve the right to refuse a sale or void our health guarantee based upon answers provided. I WANT TO CONTINUE FEEDING MY HEDGEHOG THE SAME FOOD USED BY THE BREEDER. WHERE CAN I FIND IT? We feed a mix of Farmina® Prime Chicken & Pomegranate Kitten formula, chitosan powder, and Probios® probiotic powder. The cat formula may also be used as the ingredients and nutrition information are identical, but the pieces are significantly larger. You may choose to order all items separately through outside sources, or we do offer the mix packaged in a heat sealed, stand up zipper bag. We do offer shipping on this product, or you may choose to pick up in person to save on shipping fees. For further information as to why we have chosen these products, please visit our nutrition article.

All hedgehogs will be listed as "available for deposit" between 5-7 weeks of age. Babies are generally considered weaned and ready to go by 7-8 weeks of age, or once they reach 150 grams in weight.​ All families must fill out and sign our Purchase & Sales Agreement before picking up their hedgehog. The agreement must be completed by an individual 18 years of age or older. We no longer accept paper copies. All forms must be submitted electronically via our secure, encrypted online form. All of our hedgehog babies are sold as pets. We do not sell babies to breeders. All buyers are required to sign a contract and this is included within that contract. We do keep in contact with other breeders nationwide. If you have placed a deposit with us and we find you have placed a deposit with another breeder as well, we will sell you a baby of the same sex as the one you are purchasing through that breeder. If a deposit is placed with another breeder on two or more opposite sex babies, you will forfeit your deposit with us, as we do not sell hedgies of the opposite sex to unlicensed buyers.