Confirmation Show

A confirmation show is essentially a beauty contest for hedgehogs. Hedgehogs are divided into 20 groups by sex, age, and color and ribbons are awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each category. The winners for these categories will compete for 'Best of class Junior Male and Female' and Best of class Adult Male and Female'. At the end of the show, the 'Best of Class' winners will compete for the titles 'Best of Show Male' and Best of Show Female'. Rosette ribbons are awarded.

What to do before a show:

Bath your hedgehog - Clean all waste from quills and toes, wipe shaving dust off the nose, make sure the ears are clean.

Clip nails - We recommend you do this a day or so in advance so that any nips have a chance to heal.

'Bag Balm' dry ears and rub gently- Get rid of those cauliflower ears, do this several days before the show because you may need to re-apply.

At the show:

Pre-registration is preferred, but we will also have on-site registration. Arrive at the show hall as early as possible within the sign-in time constraints. Our judge will be available to place your hedgehog in the proper age/ sex/ color class. Next, check our schedule to see approximately when your class will be showing. All times are approximate, and color classes will be announced when it is time to go to the table (look to see what class is ahead of you, so you know when to get ready).

Report to the show table when your class is called. All owners will line up at the table holding their hedgehogs. When the judge comes to you, hand her your hedgehog and she will examine it. The judge is looking for a healthy, well taken care of hedgehog that is friendly and sociable. A short muzzle is preferred, full quill coat, and quills should be relaxed. After the judge examines your pet, she will hand it back to you and you will wait at the table until the other participants are examined.

At this point, the judge may dismiss some members from the table or re-examine some hedgehogs. She will then award the ribbons for first, second, and third place.

If you receive a ribbon in your group, you will need to report back to the table for 'Best of Class Junior' or 'Best of class Adult'. The winners of this category will report to the table at the end of the show to compete for 'Best of Show Male' and 'Best of Show Female'.

Junior Handler competition:

Children 12 and under, limited to 20, Free to pre-registered and pre-paid hedgehogs participating in one other event.

This event focuses on our junior handlers and how they handle their hedgehog. Judging is focused on the child, not the animal. Each participant will hold and control their hedgehog until it is time for them to hand it to the judge. The judge will look at the hedgehog as if it is being judged in one of the color classes and hand it back to the junior handler. Participants are judged on their ability to handle their hedgehog and control it from running away/ off the table.

Thanks to this group's sponsor, Ferrets of New England, all junior handlers will receive a rosette ribbon. First Place, second place, and 18 second runner-ups will be awarded.

Because the handler is being judged, siblings may enter using the same hedgehog.

Hedgehog Games:

Hedgehogs entered in the games will report to our 'games room' when they aren't showing. To prevent the spread of germs, we recommend bring your own 11.5" 'giant' size run-a-bout ball. 2 balls and sanitize will be provided to share, but we STRONGLY recommend you bring your own ball.

The 'Hedgehog Games' are a mini competition, and flat ribbons will be awarded to the top three places.

Games:

Flat ribbons will be awarded to the top six finishers in games.

Cactus Crawler

The hedgehog collects points by knocking down the most cacti between two gates.

Go, Speed Racer, Go!

Hedgehog in run-a-bout ball timed on a track.

Worm Wrangler

The hedgehog who finds and 'eats' the most bugs wins. Real meal worms will be used in conjunction with bug cards. Points are awarded for 'eating' (stepping on or touching with your nose) the bug cards. If a hedgehog steps off of a card, they may step on the same card again and points are added up. Points will be totaled by the numbers on the cards they step on, or 5 points if the hedgehog eats a real meal worm. (Bug cards will be placed under a translucent mat to allow for easy clean up, this picture is only a mock-up.)

Hedgehog Bowling

(11.5" run-about ball required) The hedgehog starts on a straight piece of Ham-track and rolls down the lane. When the Ham-track ends, the hedgehog has to keep rolling toward the pins and knock down as many as possible while staying in bounds. You have 1 minute and 30 seconds to knock down all the pins, or until your hedgehog rolls out of bounds. The hedgehog gets 2 runs and the best run will be used to determine the winner. The hedgehog who knocks down the most pins in the shortest time without going off the mat wins.