Using this chart is easy. The left vertical column has the colors. The top horizontal column has the characteristics. All you have to do is match them.
There are 4 charts. Each one seperates the different color categories and has an explanation for each. In order they are dominant colors (including albino),
snowflake colors, white colors, and Algerian colors. Pinto is a pattern and is explained in the dominant color chart.
The information was compiled by Bryan Smith and is used by the International Hedgehog Club. e-mail me at hoglets@hotmail.com if you notice any mistakes I might have made.
Contact Bryan Smith or the IHC if you disagree with their standard.
The dominant hedgehog colors are the basis for every other color. No more than 5% of the spines are to be solid white and the belly fur is to be white.
Pinto and Albinos are also here. Pinto is a pettern that, according to the color standard, "can be distinguished by a total lack of colour on the quills and skin beneath
in distinct patches or spots over the hedgehog's back." To put it another way, a pinto hedgehog has white spots/patches in its spines. Usually they have to be atleast the size of a nickle
to be considered a patch. The albino, although unique because they completely lack coloring of any kind, are stuck in here because they won't fit anywhere else.
| Shoulder Skin | Nose Color | Eye Color | Underbelly Mottling | Spine Coloring | |
| Salt & Pepper | jet-black | black | black | extensive | white, banded by black |
| Dark Grey | dark grey | black | black | extensive | white, banded by black with narrow rusty-brown outer edges |
| Grey | grey | black | black | some mottling | white, banded by black with rusty-brown outer edges |
| Chocolate | light grey | dark liver | black | may be pale mottling | white,banded by dark brown |
| Brown | a pink/grey | liver and black mottled | black with a light blue ring around the outer edges | not preferred | white, banded by a light oak-brown |
| Cinnamon | pink | liver | black | not preferred | white, banded by light cinnamon-brown |
| Dark Cinnicot | pink | liver with pink outer rim | black | none | white,with 75% banded with cinnamonand 25% with pale orange-beige |
| Black-Eyed Cinnicot | pink | pink and liver mottled | black | none | white, with 50% banded with cinnamon and 50% with pale orange-beige |
| Ruby-Eyed Cinnicot | pink | pink and liver mottled | ruby-red | none | white, with 50% banded with cinnamon and 50% with pale orange-beige |
| Champagne | pink | pink with liver outer rim | ruby-red | none | white, with 75% banded with pale orange-beige and 25% with cinnamon |
| Apricot | white-pink | pink | ruby-red | none | white, banded with a pale orange-beige |
| Pale Apricot | white-pink | pink | ruby-red | none | white, banded with an extremely pale orange-yellow |
| Albino | white-pink | pink | red | none | white, with no banding anywhere |
Snowflake coloring is when the hedgehog has spines that are a fairly even mix of banded and non-banded. There are usually 30%-70% all white spines, with 50% being the ideal. They look like they got snowed on, and thus the name "snowflake". All snowflake colorings are a recessive
variation of the dominant colors.
| Shoulder Skin | Nose Color | Eye Color | Underbelly Mottling | Spine Coloring | |
| Silver (recessive of Salt & Pepper) | jet-black | black | black | extensive | white, banded with black. Banding is much closer to the base of the spine, so the animal appears white when spines are relaxed |
| Silver Charcoal (recessive of Dark Grey or the double recessive of Grey) | dark grey | black | black | some | white, banded by light grey |
| Charcoal (recessive of Grey) | grey | black | black | some | white, banded by black with narrow rusty-brown edges |
| Chocolate Chip (recessive of Chocolate) | light grey | dark liver | black | may be pale mottling | white, banded by dark brown |
| Brown Snowflake (recessive of brown or double recessive of Chocolate) | pink/grey | liver and black mottled | black with a light blue ring around the outer edges | not preferred | white, banded by light oak-brown |
| Cinnamon Snowflake (recessive of Cinnamon) | pink | liver | black | none | white, banded by light brown |
| Silver-Cinnamon Snowflake (double recessive of Cinnamon) | pink | liver | black | none | white, banded by light grey |
| Dark Cinnicot Snowflake (recessive of Dark Cinnicot or the double recessive of Black-Eyed Cinnicot) | pink | liver with a pink outer rim | black | none | of the colored spines, 75% are white banded by cinnamon and 25% banded by pale orange-beige |
| Black-Eyed Cinnicot Snowflake (recessive of Black-Eyed Cinnicot) | pink | pink and liver mottled | black | none | of the colored spines, 50% are banded by cinnamon and 50% by pale orange-beige |
| Ruby-Eyed Cinnicot Snowflake (recessive of Ruby-Eyed Cinnicot) | pink | pink and liver mottled | ruby-red | none | of the colored spines, 50% are banded by cinnamon and 50% by pale orange-beige |
| Champagne Snowflake (recessive of Champagne or double recessive of Ruby-Eyed Cinnicot) | pink | pink with a liver outer rim | ruby-red | none | of the colored spines, 75% are banded by pale orange-beige and 25% by cinnamon |
| Apricot Snowflake (recessive of Apricot) | white-pink | pink | ruby-red | none | white, banded by a pale orange-beige |
| Pale Apricot Snowflake (double recessive of Apricot) | white-pink | pink | ruby-red | none | white, banded by an extremely pale orange-beige |
White coloring is when almost 100% of the spines are solid white. The few banded spines should be on the forehead with no more then 10 scattered on the back. Any more then 10, and it is a Snowflake. White colors are a dilute (prime) of the recessive snowflake.
There are a total of 15 possible white colors, but only the 6 listed on the color standard are given in the chart.
| Shoulder Skin | Nose Color | Eye Color | Underbelly Mottling | Spine Coloring | |
| Platinum (dilute of Salt & Pepper) | jet-black | black | black | extensive | white, banded by light grey |
| Silver Charcoal White (dilute of Dark Grey) | dark grey | black | black | extensive | white, banded by light grey |
| Charcoal White (dilute of Grey) | grey | black | black | some | white, banded by black with rusty brown edges |
| Chocolate White (dilute of chocolate) | light grey | dark liver | black | may be pale mottling | white, banded by chocolate-brown |
| Brown White (dilute of brown) | pink-grey | liver and black mottled | black with a light blue ring around the outer edges | not preferred | white, banded by a light oak-brown |
| White (dilute of Cinnamon) *note: the ears are a pale grey | pink | liver | black | none | white, banded by a pale cinnamon-brown |
The IHC Standard explains it better then I ever could, so the following paragraphs are directly from their Color Standard.
"Although the term "Algerian" is commonly used to refer to a species of hedgehog, the IHC also recognizes it as a seperate color category from that of the White-Bellied colours. A hedgehog exhibiting the color traits of an Algerian may or may not exhibit the physical traits (larger body, longer nose, and larger ears). Since the two species have been interbred to produce the domestic hedgehog, the only true trait of the Algerian spacies left is the color as this does not mix with the colors of the White-Bellied species.
Algerian coloured hedgehogs can be easily distinguished by looking at the double banded forehead spines. If there is little definition between the two bands, with the in-between colour being mid-brown, then the hedgehog in question is in the Algerian
color range. If the definition is fairly definite, with white in the space between, then the hedgehog is in the White-Bellied range. This is a far more accurate means of identification then the older method of looking for "cream" or off-white coloured
quills, rather than the white quills of the White-Bellied species.
| Shoulder Skin | Nose Color | Eye Color | Spine Coloring | |
| Black Algerian | jet-black | black | black | cream, widely banded by black with dark rust at the top and bottom |
| Dark Grey Algerian | jet-black | black | black | cream, banded by black with rust edges. Overall appearance is that of rust colored spines |