Mentorship
This section is currently under construction.
What topics should mentors cover with their mentees?
Ethical breeding of animals requires more than just putting a boy and a girl together and seeing if cute babies occur. A mentor can help you learn from their experience, to develop a successful, ethical breeding program. Some new breeders may have past experience, such as running a business, wildlife rescue training, or breeding other species, and won’t need as much direct help as others, who may come into the hobby with little prior experience. The following list is not exhaustive, but does cover the main areas in which having an experienced person to help is beneficial.
I. Program goals: What is your goal for breeding? How will you measure that goal?
II. Marketing: Who will you sell your animals to? What market are you targeting? How will you reach your customers?
III. Selecting foundation stock: What qualities are you looking for? How do you know if these animals will benefit your program goals?
IV. Licenses: Will you need any local, state, or federal licensure? How to fill out the paperwork?
V. Husbandry: How to set up your hedgies’ environment. What to feed. Basic care.
VI. Health: Understanding basic health issues. Help in locating a vet that can work with your animals.
VII. Breeding choices: How to choose pairings to work toward your program goal. How to evaluate success of litters, as compared to your breeding goals. How to choose new stock to optimize your breeding program.
VIII. Babies: How to care for moms and babies before, during, and after birth. What to do if babies are rejected.
IX. Networking: Helping you to connect to other breeders, both experienced and new.
X. Resources: Connecting you with science-based information to help improve your knowledge of the species.
Roles in Mentorship
The dictionary defines a mentor as “an experienced or trusted advisor” and the act of mentorship as “to advise or train.”
If you are new to hedgehog breeding, it is very helpful to seek a mentor (or mentors) who can help you learn from their experience, so that you can develop a quality breeding program for your hedgehogs.
Mentorship can mean different things for different people. If you have never bred animals before, you will likely have different questions and support needs than someone with extensive experience raising one or more other species. If you have never developed a business before, you will have different questions and needs than someone who is experienced in developing a business from the ground up. Regardless of prior experience, it is helpful to have a mentor who is invested in helping you to grow your program.
If you are just beginning, it can be hard to know what to look for in a mentor. What is a good fit for one person may not be a good fit for another. The following list of areas and questions is offered to help you decide what things are most important for you to look for, so that you can find a mentor who best meets your needs:
Experience: Experience in breeding hedgehogs comes from a combination of time and of variety of experiences. Someone who has raised hedgehogs for 10 years but only has 2 or 3 litters per year may have less experience with what can go wrong and how to handle it, than someone with 5 years and 100 litters. Are they hands on with their animals, or do they hire others to do the husbandry? Ask your potential mentor how long they have been breeding and how many litters they have raised.
Knowledge: There is knowledge that comes from experience, and there is also knowledge from observation and from education. Ask your potential mentor about how they know what they know. Do they read scientific articles? Do they have any formal animal care training? Do they share and learn from the experiences of others? Are they open to new learning?
Trust: Do you feel comfortable asking this person questions? Do they treat you respectfully? Do you trust their advice? Do you feel that they are trying to look out for your best interest? Does you feel that your mentor trusts you?
Communication: Does your mentor communicate their ideas effectively to you? Are they patient if you ask for clarification? Do you agree on the mode of communication (which can include email, text, video chat, face to face, phone calls, or any other option you agree on)? Do you agree on the frequency of communication? Do you feel like they listen to you and hear what you have to say?
Teamwork: Does the person collaborate with other breeders that you respect and feel will also be supportive of you? Does this person draw on the experience of others in areas where they are less experienced? Do you feel included as a valued member of the team? Do they encourage you to grow your network? Do they create balance or create drama when working with others?
Licensing: If you will need any kind of license for your program, does your mentor have experience with that process, or can they connect you with someone that does? Do they support you in doing things the legal and proper way for the location in which you are operating?
Resources: Is this person able to provide you with resources to help you grow your knowledge base? Will they help you find quality sources of information on topics of interest?
Ethics: Does this person follow ethical breeding and business practices? Will they let you see their set up, so that you know that their animals are receiving ethical care? Do they try to be fair in their business dealings?
Encouragement: Do you feel supported? Do you feel encouraged? If there is a problem, do they help you figure out a way to improve? Do you feel that this person believes in you?
Mentees, the person being mentored, have responsibilities in the relationship, too. Here are some things to consider that will help you to get the most out of your relationship with your mentor.
Honesty: Be an open book about anything that has to do with your hedgehog breeding/business. Your mentor is trying to look at the bigger picture, to help you and your program grow. They can see the big picture and can’t guide you effectively if you are hiding things from them. Times of struggle or mistakes made are not failures, they are learning experiences that your mentor can help you turn to growth.
Respect: Do not take your mentor for granted. Respect their time and respect them as a human being. Disagreements or rifts may happen, so remember that your mentor is human and it’s always a good policy to treat others with the respect that you would like to receive.
Accountability: Do what you say you are going to do. If you agree to do XYZ, then do XYZ. Developing a successful breeding program does require some planning and discipline. Be willing to put in effort in a timely manner.
Active: Take an active role in your learning and help drive the process. If your mentor feels like they are pulling teeth, it will not be a productive relationship.
Goal Directed: Know what your goals are and be open to suggestions that your mentor has about how to meet these goals. If you aren’t sure about goals, ask your mentor to help you develop the bigger picture. If your mentor asks you to track and share data to evaluate goals, then track and share that data with your mentor.
Openness: Be open to feedback. If your mentor is making suggestions or proposing different ideas, ask why if you don’t understand. Part of your mentor’s role is to open your eyes to new ideas and perspectives, and growth is not always entirely comfortable.