Volcano View Hedgehogs
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POLICIES

Reservations and Deposits

If you're interested in buying a baby, please fill out the reservation form.

A baby cannot be reserved without a reservation form on file. If we receive a deposit from you without first having a reservation form on file, you will be contacted and have 24 hours to complete the reservation form, or the deposit will be refunded.

After we read over the details of your reservation form, you will be added to the regular waiting list. You will also receive an email with any comments or suggestions based on the answers you gave, as well as recommended resources. If you do not receive an email within 24 hours of submitting the reservation form, please email us directly to make sure it came through.

The regular waiting list functions as a "pool" of people interested in being notified about available babies. People who place a deposit in advance are put on the priority waiting list.

When new babies are 2-3 weeks old, they are photographed and their details are posted under available babies. At this time, the priority waiting list is contacted by email, 1-2 at a time in the order that deposits were received, to make their selections. They may also choose to wait for a later litter. Each person is given 24 hours to respond to this email before we must continue down the list - this is to ensure that everyone is contacted in a timely manner. Even if you do not reply within the 24 hour period, we expect some kind of reply to the email. If you are contacted twice in a row and do not provide any kind of response both times, you will be removed from the priority list until we hear from you again - your deposit will still be valid, and you will be returned to the priority list when you do contact us.

You may place a deposit as far in advance as you want, even if you are not planning to bring home a baby until months later. However, we ask that you provide this information, including a tentative date/month, so that we do not contact you until then. If you do not provide information about a future date when you will be ready, and you respond 3 separate times (approx. 3 months) with choosing to wait for a later litter, you will be placed at the bottom of the list.

After everyone on the priority waiting list has chosen, if there are any remaining babies available, the regular waiting list is contacted all at the same time. Anyone on the regular waiting list can then reserve a baby on a first-come first-serve basis. To reserve a baby, a deposit must be made. A baby can be marked as "pending" for 24 hours without a deposit being placed. After 24 hours, if we do not receive a deposit for that baby, the baby will be made available again.

The deposit is $50 (plus sales tax) and it goes toward the total cost of the hedgehog. It is non-refundable and non-transferable.

If you place a deposit on a baby and then change your mind, the deposit can be applied to a baby from a future litter only if appropriate notice is given. (Failure to show up on the agreed upon date is not appropriate notice, and will result in the forfeit of your deposit.)

Deposits can be made in the form of cash, money order, or Paypal. The Paypal button for paying a deposit through our website can be found here.

Prices and Payment

The base price for a hedgehog is $200.

Occasionally, babies with particularly desirable qualities may be priced higher. This includes facial pinto markings (i.e. split face, blaze, full pinto face, mismatched eyes or ears), flashy high pinto, high snowflake or white, and very dark coloration. Temperament is also considered. For more details about how we decide the additional price for babies with these traits, check out the pricing guide.

When you choose to reserve a baby, we will do our best to inform you if that baby is likely to have a higher price. However, reservations can be made as early as 3 weeks old, whereas exact color and temperament are determined later. The final price will be determined at 5 weeks of age and may be adjusted any time before then.

The $50 deposit goes toward the overall cost of the hedgehog.

Full payment is required before taking a baby home.

We accept cash and postal money order. Paypal is accepted only for deposits. Absolutely no personal checks.

We now also accept major credit cards. This payment method is offered for the convenience of our customers and includes a fee of 2.75%. (Note: if the card does not swipe correctly, and the number must be entered manually, the fee is 3.5% plus 15 cents.)

WA state sales tax (8.7%) is added to the purchase price for all hedgehogs and supplies.

Sales Policies

We will not sell to pet stores or wholesalers.

We will not sell to anyone living in an area where hedgehogs are illegal. (California, Arizona, Hawaii, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Fairfax County, VA, and the 5 boroughs of New York City.) Before we will sell to anyone living in an area where a permit is required to own and/or import a hedgehog, we require evidence of the necessary permit(s) having been obtained or applied for. (New Jersey, Maine, Wyoming, and two counties in Nebraska require permits.)

We will not sell a hedgehog to anyone under the age of 18. Hedgehogs can make good pets for older children or teens - however, there must be a parent or other adult present at the time of purchase who is willing to be responsible for the animal's care, including veterinary costs.

We will not sell opposite sex pairs to the same person, or to people within the same household, or to anyone that we believe might allow such a pair to interact (accidentally or otherwise). We recommend two females as the best choice in these cases, because they are more likely to get along and females from the same litter can be housed together.

We will only sell hedgehogs for breeding to established breeders that we have working relationships with.

Upon purchase of a hedgehog from Volcano View Hedgehogs, you will be required to sign and agree to a sales contract specifying that the hedgehog is not to be used for breeding purposes. (For hedgehogs being sold to breeders, there is a separate contract.) Please feel free to contact us if you would like to see a copy of the contract that you will be expected to sign.

When you purchase a baby from us, we encourage you to also purchase our quality, handmade hedgehog supplies. These items are designed for your hedgehog's happiness, welfare, and safety and are available at competitive prices. (A full list of available supplies can be seen here.) If you do not choose to purchase a starter kit or the majority of your supplies from us, we may ask for photos of your full setup (cage/enclosure and accessories) prior to the date of picking up your hedgehog. This is to ensure that the minimum requirements are being met, as described here and here. If we feel that your preparations are inadequate, we will request changes - these changes must be made before you will be approved to bring your baby home. This policy is for the sake of the hedgehogs. We are available every step of the way to help you choose supplies and care options that will work best for you, your hedgehog, and your household, and we encourage you to contact us in advance with any questions, so that this requirement does not interfere with your intended pick up appointment.

We have the right to refuse to sell a hedgehog to anyone, at any time, for any reason.
If a deposit or full purchase price has already been provided and the sale is cancelled at the discretion of Volcano View Hedgehogs, they will be refunded in full.

If the sale is cancelled based on clear evidence that the prospective buyer has been dishonest, Volcano View Hedgehogs has the right to retain any deposit that has already been paid. (This includes the intention to breed or to purchase a hedgehog on behalf of someone intending to breed or possession of an opposite-sex hedgehog that was not disclosed in the reservation form.) If the full purchase price has already been paid in such a situation, only the deposit may be retained, and the rest will be refunded. This policy is not intended for our profit, but to help discourage "backyard breeders" or anyone who might attempt to acquire our hedgehogs for breeding purposes without our knowledge or consent.

Hedgehogs as Gifts

We do not advocate animals being purchased as surprise gifts. The intended owner should be present at the time of purchase to have any questions answered and receive instructions about proper care.

However, with that stipulation in mind, we understand that birthdays and holidays can be exciting times to bring home a new pet, as long as research has been done ahead of time and proper preparations have been made for the pet.

We try to schedule our litters to avoid having babies ready to go around major holidays (Christmas, etc) because it is easier for them to adjust to a new household without the noise, commotion, and increased number of people that are typical of the holidays. We can be flexible in regard to these special situations as long as we do not feel that it will be detrimental to the hedgehog in any way. We do our best to adhere to specific dates, which includes holding a hedgehog until a certain date as long as it has been paid for in full, but we will not send a hedgehog home before the age of 6 weeks.

We can provide a "hedgehog voucher" to function as a placeholder if the chosen baby will not be ready to go home by a certain date. This voucher is available at no additional cost as long as the non-refundable deposit has been received. We also sell a wide range of hedgehog supplies that can be purchased at any time, and which can be an excellent method to introduce the "surprise" of a hedgehog to your household before actually bringing a baby home.

To see the supplies we have available for purchase, click here.
For an example of a "hedgehog voucher", click here.

If you are interested in purchasing a hedgehog for such an occasion, we recommend submitting a reservation form and placing an advance deposit at least 2 months in advance. This will give you the best chance of having a baby available close to the desired date.

Once you place a deposit you are guaranteed a baby as soon as there is one available, but the exact timing is not within our control. The success of breedings and the arrival and size of litters can impact these plans.

Health Guarantee

Hedgehogs are guaranteed to be healthy at the time of purchase. If, within 7 days, the hedgehog is confirmed by a licensed veterinarian to be in ill health, the cause of which is clearly attributable to Volcano View Hedgehogs, the hedgehog may, upon written diagnosis from said veterinarian, be returned for refund of the purchase price or for another hedgehog of equal value, the choice to be determined by Volcano View Hedgehogs. Veterinary costs are the responsibility of the buyer.

All hedgehogs born at Volcano View Hedgehogs, from our own breeding herd, come with a congenital health guarantee until the age of 6 months. This guarantee covers any congenital defects or illnesses. (A congenital disease is something that is present at birth, which can be either hereditary or acquired.)
If the hedgehog dies before the age of 6 months, and the cause is congenital in nature, the hedgehog will be replaced at no charge to the original buyer. All other costs, including any shipping and veterinary costs, are the responsibility of the buyer. For this hedgehog to be replaced under the terms of this health guarantee, a full necropsy report must be provided from a licensed veterinarian stating that the problem was present at birth.

This guarantee does NOT apply to: accidental death or injury; any treatable or communicable diseases; illness or injury due to improper care or diet; or anything caused by negligence or abuse. This guarantee also does not apply to any faults or defects that were disclosed at the time of purchase.

Volcano View Hedgehogs is never responsible for veterinary costs.


For an overview of basic hedgehog care, click here.

WHS Warranty

All hedgehogs born at Volcano View Hedgehogs also come with a lifetime warranty against WHS (Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome). If a hedgehog develops WHS, they will be replaced at no charge with a baby from a different line. All other costs, including any shipping and veterinary costs, are the responsibility of the buyer. A necropsy report must be provided from a licensed veterinarian, who has knowledge of hedgehogs and WHS, before a replacement hedgehog is given.

We breed hedgehogs with known lineage, and to our knowledge none of them have WHS in their lines. If you suspect that your hedgehog has WHS, please contact us right away! This information will help us to identify any carriers in our herd, and it will also let us inform anyone whose hedgehog is from the same lines.

Pedigrees

All of our breeding hedgehogs have 5+ generations of pedigree, and their lines are clean of WHS (Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome) and other genetic problems to the best of our knowledge.

As of 4/15/13, we do not include a pedigree with hedgehogs that are being sold to pet homes. Unfortunately there have been too many instances of deceptive, irresponsible individuals trying to purchase hedgehogs for breeding without our knowledge. The decision to no longer provide a pedigree is to safeguard our bloodlines and the reputation of our herd and breeding program.

Hedgehogs being sold to other breeders are the exception and will come with pedigrees.

Pick Up and Visits

We are happy to allow visits if you want to meet some of our hedgehogs, have questions answered, or need some hands-on experience to decide whether a hedgehog is the right pet for you.

However, this is our home, therefore visits are by appointment only. We also require a completed reservation form before scheduling an appointment - there is no obligation to purchase a hedgehog from us. There is a visitation fee of $10 (per household) which is waived if a deposit has already been placed, or if a deposit is placed during the visit.

Please contact us at volcanoviewhedgehogs@gmail.com or by phone to schedule a time to visit.

Please also keep in mind that our hedgehog room may not always be open to visitors. Mother hedgehogs can be very sensitive shortly before and after giving birth, so at certain times the hedgehog room will be off limits because of this. During these times, you will still be able to meet hedgehogs in a different room.

Babies are usually ready to go by 6 weeks of age. Babies may be kept longer if they are smaller than usual, take longer to develop, or for other reasons. The "ready" date will be decided by the time the baby is 5 weeks old and will be included on the "Available Babies" page. If you have reserved a baby, you must arrange a time to pick them up within a week of that date. If you do not contact us within that time, the baby will be made available to others and any deposit made can be applied to a future baby.

We can hold a baby for you longer if necessary, provided that it has been paid for in full. We are flexible, but you must be in communication with us. If you need a baby held past the date of a their 7 week "birthday" (or a full 7 days following their "ready" date, if that date is after 6 weeks old), we will charge a boarding fee of $3 per day ($20 per week).

When you pick up your baby, plan on spending 45-60 minutes. This gives enough time to go over proper handling, a bathing and nail clipping demonstration, and the necessary paperwork. You will be required to show a form of picture ID (drivers license, etc) at the time of purchase.

If for any reason you cannot make it to the scheduled pick-up appointment, you must inform us a day in advance to reschedule. If you do not inform us, and do not make it to a scheduled appointment, we will require a $20 fee to make up for the time spent waiting for you to arrive.

If you arrive more than 30 minutes late to any appointment, including a visit, and do not contact us in advance to let us know, we will require a $10 fee. If you do not make it to a scheduled visit, without any advance notice, and would like to reschedule, we will require a $10 fee to be sure that you intend to follow through.

Returns and Refunds

If you decide that a hedgehog is not the pet for you, we will give a partial refund within the first two months. Please, do not hesitate to contact us if you are considering this. We want whatever is best for the babies we breed, but we might be able to help you with any hedgehog-related issues that could contribute to this decision.

Refunds are as follows:

                0-30 days = 50%
                31-60 days = 25%

Refunds do not include the non-refundable deposit. (For example, a 50% refund for a $200 baby would be 50% of $150.)

After 60 days, we will take back babies with no refund offered. At any time during the life of a hedgehog purchased from us, if you are unable to keep them, we ask that you contact us. We will take them or offer help in the rehoming process.

We have the right to refuse a refund if the hedgehog that is being returned shows signs of neglect or non-congenital illness (unless the necessary veterinary care has already been provided).

Shipping and Delivery

We do ship, to legal states only. We only use United/Continental (preferred) or Delta Airlines - any exception made will be at our discretion.

The flat-rate price for shipping is $300. This includes the price of shipping itself, an airline-approved carrier, bedding, and the cost of driving to the airport. (The cost of driving to the airport is based on the per-mile delivery charge described below, plus tolls)

The prices above apply to United/Continental. If that airline does not service your preferred airport, it will be an additional $100 to cover the cost of a vet certificate (plus gas to/from the vet), which other airlines require.

The cost of shipping does not include the price of the hedgehog.


The total cost of shipping and the animal
must be paid via Paypal invoice before the agreed upon shipping date. The buyer will be responsible for any Paypal fees. The purchase contract also must be completed, signed, and returned in advance.

We may choose to not ship a hedgehog during certain times of the year because of temperature concerns. Days and times for shipping are chosen based on the hedgehog's safety and comfort.

We prefer for babies to be picked up at our home, but we are also willing to deliver within the area of Seattle, western Washington, and Portland. The cost of delivery is $0.50 per mile round-trip, plus any tolls, parking, and ferry fees.

Colors

A hedgehog's appearance can change drastically up until about 6 months of age, and sometimes it will continue to change after that as well. For this reason, we make no guarantee of the color of babies. The color stated on listed babies is a guess, based on the appearance when photographs are taken and knowledge of the parents. If the appearance of a baby changes after they are listed and prior to them being sold, the listing information will be updated, but the corresponding photograph may not be changed.

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