Hedgehogs Confined in Waste at Local Breeding Operation; PETA Seeks Criminal Probe

For Immediate Release:
March 17, 2025

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

A just-released U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report revealed that hedgehogs were held in filthy, waste-filled enclosures at Willow’s Prickle, a breeding facility in Huntington operated by Raegan Graft. In response, PETA sent a letter today to Huntington County Prosecuting Attorney Jeremy Nix urging him to investigate and file appropriate criminal charges against those responsible.

According to the report, on February 10, a federal veterinarian found hedgehogs confined amid a “large accumulation of feces,” including feces that was “caked” onto exercise wheels—which Graft or her representative admitted hadn’t been cleaned since “possibly October.”

“Hedgehogs were kept in deplorable conditions at Willow’s Prickle, where their accumulated waste was apparently ignored for months,” says PETA Vice President of Legal Advocacy Daniel Paden. “PETA is calling for a criminal investigation on behalf of these animals and urges everyone to please refrain from buying any animal from a breeder or pet store, which are synonymous with exploitation and suffering.”

Hedgehogs are solitary, nocturnal animals who would naturally shun human contact. PETA is pursuing charges under state law because the USDA doesn’t render relief or aid to animals during its inspections, and this violation carries no criminal or civil penalties.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Nix follows.

March 17, 2025

The Honorable Jeremy Nix
Huntington County Prosecuting Attorney

Dear Mr. Nix:

I hope this letter finds you well. I’m writing to request that your office (and the proper law-enforcement agency, as you deem appropriate) investigate and, as suitable, file criminal charges against those responsible for neglecting approximately 10 hedgehogs at Willow’s Prickle, an animal breeding business operated by Raegan Graft and located at 999 Warren St. in Huntington. PETA hopes investigators will visit the facility with a veterinarian who has expertise in small exotic mammal health and welfare to identify any animals in need of care and opine on the conditions of and for animals there.

On February 10, a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) veterinarian found hedgehogs confined to seven enclosures which Graft or her representative admitted “had not been cleaned for over a week.” The veterinarian saw a “large accumulation of feces” in the animals’ litter boxes, more feces in “all other areas” of the enclosures, and feces “caked” onto exercise wheels. Graft or her representative confessed that the wheels “had not been cleaned since possibly October,” leaving the animals unable to avoid “coming into contact with” their waste. If you’d like to learn more about the USDA’s findings, please see the contact information for its office here.

This exposure to feces “increases the chances of illness or disease,” according to the federal veterinarian. Accordingly, these findings appear to violate IC § 35-46-3-7 (a) (2), which prohibits anyone from recklessly neglecting animals—including by confining them “in a manner that seriously endangers [their] … health.” The USDA report carries no criminal or civil penalties and doesn’t preempt criminal liability under state law for neglecting animals. Indiana law provides these victims with their only hope for a small measure of justice. We urge your agency to seek it.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Daniel Paden

Vice President of Legal Advocacy