African Pygmy Hedgehog Colours

There are currently over 90 colours of African Pygmy Hedgehogs available. The colour most readily available currently is Pinto and some breeders charge more for rarer colourations. Albino hedgehogs for example tend to go for cheaper than the more popular darker colours.

Although a lot of dark African Pygmy Hedgehogs are sold in the UK as "Salt and Pepper" this colour is not yet available in the UK. Hedgehogs looking similar to this colour may be a chocolate, grey or other combination.

There has also been claims of ginger hedgehogs, however this is not officially recognised and seems likely to be the results of a permanent dye used in Thailand to give gimmicky colours to pets.

Colour identification

Proper colour identification cannot be done until after their adult quilling at 9 weeks. Colours may also begin to fade after the age of one year. There is some confusion in distinguishing between colours derived from the two hedgehog species bred together to produce the African Pygmy Hedgehog - the Algerian and those from the white-bellied hedgehog. Although the two species successfully bred together the colour ranges each had were not compatible and so have not successfully merged.

The physical differences in the two species have however been mixed so an algerian colouring could well have the smaller body, shorter nose and smaller ears typical of the white-bellied hedgehog and vice versa.