Purchasing A Hedgehog From Us

What Millermeade Farms Has to Offer

• Millermeade Farms is a team effort of myself, Gail Dick, my husband, other family members, and my employees.

• I am a professional breeder.  I love and enjoy animals and I have chosen to make this my livelihood.  Some hedgehog breeders are hobby breeders and simply breed for the love of their hobby.   There are other breeders who breed only as a means to the end and do not enjoy the customer education or quality care aspect of their job.  I have help from my husband and employees so that I can focus my time and attention on you the customer as well as my children.

• My knowledge and experience with both hedgehogs and sugar gliders has been gained through years as breeding experience as well as through formal education.

• Our customers have driven and flown from across the country for our unique buying experience.  We will sit down together on the floor and play with and handle several animals.  I firmly believe that hedgehog handling is best learned by experience and practice.  It is not easily learn by reading, watching a video, or by verbal instruction.  Certainly these options are valuable when shipping is the only option. 

A good comparison to handling hedgehogs is learning to knit.  You first have to have the basic concept of how to hold the needles, where to put the thread and how to make a stitch.  You can certainly read a book, watch a video, or have someone give you instructions over the phone but certainly you will learn more quickly and get better and faster results by watching someone and having someone guide you in person.

• You will be given LOTS of information throughout the buying process.  My knowledge and experience is included in the price of the animal.  I would certainly love to help every hedgehog owner out there in any way I can but I simply don’t have enough time in the day.  I don’t frequent chat rooms, lists, or blog because I have chosen to devote my time and attention to my customers and my family.
• We offer cages, food, and supplies at reasonable prices so that you and your pet can get off to a great start.  We certainly appreciate your business when you choose to shop with us!
• We hope that through browsing our website you our confident that we will do our best to offer our time, knowledge, experience, quality animals and a positive buying experience.  We also hope that you find that having the opportunity to see different animals and select the animal that is right for you is another reason to go out of your way to buy from us.

About Our Babies

• Our babies are almost always six to eight weeks old when they go to their new homes and I do everything possible to produce quality animals. 
• We use quality food, caging, and bedding as well as use our human resources to provide quality care. 
• Our diverse bloodlines come from across the country and we keep detailed records of our animals that can be traced back many generations.
• We visually inspect every animal and we give you every opportunity to inspect your new pet as well. 
• We do offer a six-month congenital health guarantee as outlined on our www.critterconnection.cc Policies Page.  I believe health, longevity, and illness are a result of several factors including environment, stress, diet, genetics, and veterinary care. I do my best to offer a health guarantee that is fair to our customers and is also fair to me as a breeder.

What to Except When You Come to Millermeade Farms

• When you come to Millermeade Farms you will have the opportunity to choose the hedgehog that is right for you.
• We will sit down on the floor in our critter room and we will play with three to four hedgehog babies.  You will have a chance to see different personalities and the uniqueness of each animal.
• I will give you lots of handling tips and instructions and you will practice holding, petting, and picking up your new prickly pet.
• Preparing for your visit by reading our information guides will help us focus on your questions when you get here.  Whether you have one or two questions or a whole list of questions, I will take the time to make sure you are fully prepared to care for your new pet.
• Some of the topics we will discuss include but are not limited to:
• Hedgehog senses and how their senses play a part in the way they like to be handled
• How to pick up and hold your hedgehog
• How to understand hedgehog “language”
• Recognizing the time to pet and how to pet your hedgehog
• What hedgehogs eat in the wild and the correlation to captive hedgehog diets
• Not all foods are created equal
• Optimal temperatures
• Veterinary care requirements
• Cages, accessories, and bedding

Making an Appointment

• This first thing to do when scheduling an appointment is to figure out what will work best for you.
• We are a home-based business so that gives me lots of flexibility but since I am also a full-time mother of three and wife I do sometimes have family commitments that prevent me from having set business hours.
• Weekdays are generally best and most Saturdays are fine as well.  Evenings are sometimes available but are a little more hectic with supper and bed times for the children.  Sundays are generally reserved as family days for us.  We do understand that Sundays are the only days some families can travel.  We can make Sunday appointments but there is an additional $10 charge.  This additional cost is used to compensate my family with something fun like pizza or ice cream J 
• Deposits are required to reserve animals.  It is best to reserve animals if you have limited time you can travel or if you want to reserve an animal for a specific date.  More deposit information can be found on our www.critterconnection.cc  Policies Page and under our hedgehog specific Policies page

What to Except When You Meet Us at a Show

• Some of our customers choose to meet us at a show as a matter of convenience. 
• Either my husband or I will do our best to give you the time and attention you deserve.  However, the very nature of the show does prevent us from giving you the same handling and buying experience you would receive at our home.
• Shows are great ways to meet us and see hedgehogs in person before you buy but we do recommend coming here for the best buying experience.
• Before planning to meet us at a show you will want to verify that we will be attending that particular show. 

Preparing For Your New Hedgehog Purchase From Millermeade Farms

• The most important thing you can do before your hedgehog purchase is to research these unusual pets, to be certain hedgehogs are right for you.
• We suggest you print and read the available care guides several times prior to your appointment to pick up your hedgehog.  Please jot down any questions and bring your questions with you to your appointment.  We want to make sure you are completely prepared to care for your new pet.
• Please bring a box or small animal carrier (large enough for a small guinea pig), and a small towel or blanket for a comfortable ride home.  We also have carriers available for purchase if you would like to buy one here.
• We prefer cash payment, but “Critter Connection” can accept credit cards under some conditions.  We are sorry, but we cannot accept personal checks.

 Other Policies

• Our hedgehog specific policies are found on our Policies page. These include:
• Pictures
• Color requests
• Breeding Stock
• Pedigree and Birth Certificate
• Shipping
• Reserving babies
• Terms of Payment
• Costs to Expect
• Millermeade Farm’s general policies are found at www.critterconnection.cc under “Policies”.