Sourcing
We prioritize primary sources in this order:
- Peer-reviewed veterinary literature (PubMed, Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine)
- University extension services and accredited veterinary school resources
- Direct consultation with our reviewing veterinarian
- Direct experience from owners with at least three years of hedgehog ownership
We do not cite other pet blogs as sources for medical or factual claims. Forum posts may be referenced as owner consensus but never as evidence on their own.
Veterinary review
Every article in /health and any article making medical claims in another hub is reviewed by a licensed exotic-animal veterinarian before publication. The reviewer’s name, credentials, and review date are disclosed at the top of the article.
We re-review articles when:
- A reader, vet, or breeder flags an error or new evidence
- A material change in the underlying research is published
- Three years have passed since the last review (rolling audit)
Citations
Factual and medical claims include inline citations linking to the source. Citations appear in a numbered list at the bottom of the article, formatted with the source organization and a permanent link.
We do not link to paywalled sources unless no open alternative exists. When we do, we summarize enough of the evidence in the article that the reader doesn’t need to follow the link to understand the claim.
Recommendations
We recommend products only when at least one of these is true:
- The editor or a vetted contributor has personally used the product
- Strong owner consensus across at least three independent communities supports it (and we say so explicitly)
We will recommend against products that are commonly sold but that we know to be harmful or substandard. The pet-store starter cage is the classic example. We’d rather lose an affiliate sale than ship someone home with a too-small cage.
Corrections
When we publish an error, we fix it. Material corrections are timestamped at the top of the affected article with a brief note describing what changed and why. We do not silently edit. If the correction changes the article’s recommendation, we say so clearly.
To submit a correction, email hello@myhedgehogcare.com with a link to the article and the issue.
What we don’t do
- Generative-AI-written articles. Every piece is researched and written by a human.
- Sponsored content disguised as editorial. Sponsorships are clearly labeled and do not influence our recommendations.
- Republishing other sites’ content with a rewrite.
- Inflated word counts to game search rankings. Articles are as long as they need to be and no longer.
Conflicts of interest
The editor does not own, breed, or sell hedgehogs commercially and is not affiliated with any breeder, veterinary practice, or pet-product company. Where contributors have relationships that could influence their writing, those relationships are disclosed in the article byline.