Appointments At The Shop

Last Updated on April 11, 2017.

Regular Appointment Times

• We understand many of our customers travel several hours to come to the shop and we’re honored for you to make the drive. Our average customer travels three hours to purchase their pet, so we do our best to accommodate travelers.  Saturdays are typically our busiest day but we can almost always accommodate everyone.

• Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are our most popular weekdays.  We set aside Tuesday and Thursday for errands.  We are willing to make exceptions for customers who have time restrains.

• Weekday appointments are typically scheduled for 12:00PM.  We do have some flexibility with appointment times, but both  after school and evening appointments are extremely challenging.
• Saturday appointments are scheduled from 10:00AM to 2:00 PM at two hour intervals.  Saturday appointment times may change according to sport and activity schedules for the children.  Gail does her best to keep appointment times as consistent as possible to eliminate confusion.
• Bribery works if no other appointment times are an option! For weekday appointments after 2PM, evening and Sunday appointments there is an extra $30 so we can get carry out food for the family.  The kids don’t mind mommy working during their time if special food is involved!  I don’t mind if I don’t have to cook!!  The bribery must be paid prior to a visit because we alter our family time for special appointments.  Unfortunately, we’ve had people fail to follow through on their commitment too many times and the family has been left on hold 🙁
• We have babies every week so there is no worry about selling out if you need to wait to make your appointment until you receive a work schedule.
• We do have normal family life so please do NOT to show up without an appointment because we cannot guarantee that we will be available.

• Don’t want to travel so far? Please check out our “Hedgehogs on the Road” meeting places under  Upcoming Events to see if we will be near you!  Want us to come to you?  We need a  place to hold an event and at least six people  that make deposits for the event.
• Whether you meet us at the shop or at one of our “Hedgehogs on the Road” events, we always spend time with our customers explaining proper hedgehog care, handling hedgehogs in ways that encourage bonding and answering questions.

What Happens During Your Appointment

• The first thing we will do when you come is that we will give you an orientation to the nature of hedgehogs and how their uniqueness is important in the way you handle your new pet.
• We do have folding chairs but be prepared to sit on the floor to handle the hedgehog babies. Baby hedgehogs are not afraid of falling and for the safety and comfort of both hedgehogs and humans we sit on the floor while playing with the babies.
• When you reserve a specific hedgehog with a deposit you will have the opportunity to handle that baby and at least one other baby before making your final purchase decision.
• When you do not have a deposit on a specific baby we cannot guarantee specific animal availability or have advance notice of exactly which babies will be available at the time of your purchase.
• We will work with you and give you handling tips and instructions to help you feel confident and capable of handling your new pet.
• Preparing for your visit by reading our information guides will help us focus on your questions when you get here.
• Some of the topics we will discuss include but are not limited to:We do have a Purchase Notes Outline available here if you would like to print it to take notes when you come.
  • 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
  • Optimal temperatures
  • Veterinary care requirements
  • Cages, accessories, and bedding
• Once you select your pet you will then be able to shop for our full line of hedgehog supplies.
• We work hard at providing excellent products at great prices. We certainly appreciate your support by shopping with us.
• It is our goal to get each and every customer off to the best start possible with their new pet.

Length of Appointment

Meet a Hedgehog Before You Buy One

• Choosing the right pet for you and your family is something we take very seriously.
• We hope that you research hedgehogs as pets and understand their needs and what to expect from them before making your purchase.
• It is hard to understand the prickliness of a hedgehog without actually holding one. Meeting a little critter in person before your purchase is definitely recommended if at all possible before actually making a purchase.
• Hedgehogs are still considered exotic pets and are relatively hard to find. Local zoos, animal educators, nature museums or children’s museums might be options to visit one locally if traveling to us is not an option.

Educational Visits at Millermeade Are Welcome

• We often have requests for people to come and “check-out” our animals before putting down a deposit or making a purchase.
• Treating our customers the way we would want to be treated is very important to us and we want all of our customers to know we care about each new pet placement.
• So, we welcome pre-purchase visits. In return, we ask that you respect our time, energy, and talents with your visit.
• When you visit we will treat you just like a purchasing customer and do our best to answer all of your questions, allow you to handle our babies, and share our passion with you.
• You MUST schedule a visit to our shop rather than simply showing up for a visit.
• You will have the opportunity to choose and purchase a hedgehog the day of your visit if you decide a hedgehog is the right pet for you.

Scheduling a Visit With a Purchasing Customer

• The simplest way to come visit our hedgehogs is to schedule a visit while another customer is purchasing a hedgehog.
• When checking on setting up a time for your visit, please let us know if you think you might want to purchase the same day (so we can make sure your potential pet is available).
• You can check availability by looking at this link: Available Animals.
• Most likely your appointment will be the last appointment on a Saturday or sometime during the week when another customer is scheduled.
• Please keep in mind you will have to be flexible with scheduling visits without a purchasing commitment than with a purchasing commitment.
• Even if we do not have babies available for sale, there are times when we can still allow you to see what babies are like and you can purchase a future date.
• We cannot guarantee availability of a hedgehog to take home the same day without a deposit on an animal. We do our best to keep our Available Animals page updated but we receive deposits on a daily basis so our availability is constantly changing.
• Educational Visits are often scheduled in advance to reserve an appointment time outside of the two week time frame of selecting a baby.  Customers are more than welcome to change their Educational Visit status to a specific baby reservation within the two week time frame

Scheduling a Private Visit

• Unfortunately, we have had visitors who took advantage of our time and resources with no real intentions of purchasing a pet from us.
• Operating Millermeade is our career and educating customers about hedgehogs is part of our profession.
• In order to protect our family and our business we now require a $25 deposit to “visit” the shop, that is to be paid in advance.
• By handling a couple different hedgehogs you can make a more educated decision on the perfect pet for you.
• Should you decide to purchase a pet from us, the $25 will be deducted from the price of your animal.
• Should you decide that one of our pets is NOT right for you, you have simply invested $25 into your potential pet knowledge and hopefully had a great up-close and personal experience with some strange animals.
• Again, we cannot guarantee availability of a hedgehog to take home the same day without a deposit on an animal. We do our best to keep our Available Animals page updated but we receive deposits on a daily basis so our availability is constantly changing.