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Cinca Surprise
5-5-02
to
2-21-03
Cinca Surprise was the daughter of
our first two hedgehogs Mr. Paco & Miss Daisy. Not only did that
make her special, the fact
that she was the only survivor of a litter that had miscarried 2 weeks prior made her extra special.
When Miss Daisy miscarried the litter, I took her to the vet to make sure that she was ok and that there were no remaining fetus’s.
The x-rays confirmed that no remaining babies would be forthcoming. On Cinco de Mayo, about 4:00 p.m., I went to get Daisy for
her bath. I picked her up and there was a baby. I have never been so shocked in my life. Thank goodness Daisy had 2 previous
litters so she was a great mom as my husband and I virtually knew nothing about raising babies.
Cinca was our pride and joy. She was so sweet and beautiful. She never quilled and was always a little social butterfly.
We loved her so much. The following fall, we purchased another male and decided to breed them. After Cinca delivered
3 stillborns I noticed the next day that she still seemed to be in labor. I took her to the vet who verified (by x-ray) there
was still a fetus inside. She came out of the surgery like a trooper and was back to her normal self within hours.
The following morning I called the vet before going to pick her up. I was put on ‘eternal hold’ and I was devastated when
I was told that Cinca had died during the night. I have never felt such despair and hurt in all my life. Our baby girl
was gone. It did not seem possible. We could hardly leave the house or deal with the public for weeks afterwards. She was the
little girl my husband and I had never had. It was later determined that Cinca had an aneurism at the site where the fetus
had been removed. Nothing could have determined that would happen nor could any part of her surgery directly caused it.
The only relief we had was that it had been quick and she suffered no pain.
In my depths of grief that day, I went to Yahoo Groups and found two groups that were hedgehog related. I posted about Cinca
and immediately had such an outpouring of love, support and help from the community. That led to my immense involvement
within the hedgehog world. The involvement led me to breeders who encouraged us to try breeding again. We spent a lot of
time educating ourselves and talking to other breeders. Hence, on July 1, 2004, Heaven Sent Hedgehogs became a breeding entity.
The name was derived because of all the hedgehogs born here have been Heaven Sent by Cinca. Each time a litter is born, she is
here in spirit.
We still miss you so much sweetheart, but we now know why you decided to go. We would never have reached out to do and help
so much in the hedgehog community had you not passed so quickly. We would not have met so many neat hedgehog owners; nor would we have become involved in educating young and old alike about how wonderful hedgehogs are. I know this was your purpose for Dad and me.
You remain in our hearts and we will never forget how special a surprise you were.
We love you babygirl.
Love Always,
Mom
that she was the only survivor of a litter that had miscarried 2 weeks prior made her extra special.
When Miss Daisy miscarried the litter, I took her to the vet to make sure that she was ok and that there were no remaining fetus’s.
The x-rays confirmed that no remaining babies would be forthcoming. On Cinco de Mayo, about 4:00 p.m., I went to get Daisy for
her bath. I picked her up and there was a baby. I have never been so shocked in my life. Thank goodness Daisy had 2 previous
litters so she was a great mom as my husband and I virtually knew nothing about raising babies.
Cinca was our pride and joy. She was so sweet and beautiful. She never quilled and was always a little social butterfly.
We loved her so much. The following fall, we purchased another male and decided to breed them. After Cinca delivered
3 stillborns I noticed the next day that she still seemed to be in labor. I took her to the vet who verified (by x-ray) there
was still a fetus inside. She came out of the surgery like a trooper and was back to her normal self within hours.
The following morning I called the vet before going to pick her up. I was put on ‘eternal hold’ and I was devastated when
I was told that Cinca had died during the night. I have never felt such despair and hurt in all my life. Our baby girl
was gone. It did not seem possible. We could hardly leave the house or deal with the public for weeks afterwards. She was the
little girl my husband and I had never had. It was later determined that Cinca had an aneurism at the site where the fetus
had been removed. Nothing could have determined that would happen nor could any part of her surgery directly caused it.
The only relief we had was that it had been quick and she suffered no pain.
In my depths of grief that day, I went to Yahoo Groups and found two groups that were hedgehog related. I posted about Cinca
and immediately had such an outpouring of love, support and help from the community. That led to my immense involvement
within the hedgehog world. The involvement led me to breeders who encouraged us to try breeding again. We spent a lot of
time educating ourselves and talking to other breeders. Hence, on July 1, 2004, Heaven Sent Hedgehogs became a breeding entity.
The name was derived because of all the hedgehogs born here have been Heaven Sent by Cinca. Each time a litter is born, she is
here in spirit.
We still miss you so much sweetheart, but we now know why you decided to go. We would never have reached out to do and help
so much in the hedgehog community had you not passed so quickly. We would not have met so many neat hedgehog owners; nor would we have become involved in educating young and old alike about how wonderful hedgehogs are. I know this was your purpose for Dad and me.
You remain in our hearts and we will never forget how special a surprise you were.
We love you babygirl.
Love Always,
Mom
