Hi 5sandown
I hope you also read the link, contained in the information in the link I gave you: http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/BHPS-Guidance-For-relasing-Rehabilitated-Hedgehogs.pdf In particular the section about ‘Infectious Disease and Parasites’.
It isn’t only that hogs need to be released, if at all possible, in an area that they know and are familiar with – which is obviously very important for adults and hoglets which were rescued when slightly older – but it also has to do with resistance to diseases, etc. As I understand it, different populations of hedgehogs may build up different resistances to disease and/or parasites. The hoglets you have are likely to have acquired certain resistances from their Mother, however young they were. Whilst it may seem unlikely that they will introduce diseases, etc. to a new population of hogs in a different area, they may be at risk themselves from diseases, etc. which may exist in a new population to which they do not have any resistance/immunity.
Then there is also the complicated factor of how many hedgehogs a certain area can support. These levels are likely to adjust naturally and by introducing additional hedgehogs, where they don’t belong, the local hogs could be put at risk. Which means that by releasing them near to you, rather than where they came from, you could be putting your local population at risk. (See under Ecology in the above-mentioned document). So that if the hoglets cannot be released exactly where they came from, they should be released as near as possible to that site.
Please read all of that document carefully. It explains far better than I can. It is very important for the health and well-being of all our hedgehogs that this message is heard.
Good luck.
