Fostering

[Jan-Marie]

I’ve spent a number of years overwintering desperate hogs found out too late in the year and or too small or injured etc found locally by myself and family. I’ve had varying success at this, until the last year when I linked up with a local rescue lady who’s been doing this for years and has the skill set needed to help these little creatures – specialist hedgehog vet really! The survival rate has increased significantly and my rescue contact has been amazing with advice and remote ongoing support. We have been able to take stabilised hogs from her whilst she gets on with the difficult job of nursing what we take her back to health where she can.
We have extended and upgraded our own hog care facilities with the expectation we could be doing this for years to come. we’ve learnt a lot about hogs and their habits and do’s and dont’s.
A typical rescuer tries to house 30-40 hogs themselves year round, with the intention of getting them back to where they were found once well- which isn’t the easiest undertaking – but through sheer love of these creatures and sympathy for their plight, they sacrifice their homes and gardens to be overtaken by boxes and cages and all the paraphernalia that goes with it.
I just wonder if there is more we could do to promote this approach in supporting the rescuers and rehabilitators who really know their stuff when it comes to hogs, but are weighed down by the burden of sheer numbers that mean they cant save as many as they would like to.
Its not just the finances that are restricting here – although that helps in all the obvious ways too.
I see Tiggywinkles have just this month started a promotion on a Fostering approach, asking for volunteers to assist with their wildlife volume overload for those animals that have been rescued and nursed back to health, but simply need some ongoing care for a while.

Appreciate thoughts of similar minded folk on this.

[Sparklez]

Not sure I have a solution as such for you but I got in touch with my local hedgehog rescue to help out and ended up overwintering 2 hogs this winter and have 3 cages ready at any time… I only get the ones which aren’t Ill any more and just need fattening up. I offered to do this to make space as the rescue was full to bursting however I have a pygmy hedgehog at home as well as numerous other animals which I think gave the lady who runs the rescue a bit more confidence in me. My point is maybe ask people who want to help/volunteer if they have the space if they could foster as you do, the hogs who pretty much just need feeding and cleaning each day and a big clean and weighing once a week. And in winter there isn’t much to do at all if they hibernate. I have to say my 2 have just been released 2 weeks ago and I miss cleaning up their mess and getting a little peak if I went out in the evening to check on them =)

[Jan-Marie]

Hi Sparklez,

I know what you mean on the missing them bit – even the special smell they have and the protest poo that they manage to squeeze through the cage doors on occasion and paste over the backs of their hutches.
Its still a privilege really to be helping these little guys!
we have got our neighbours engaged a little more so they understand hogs and how and what to feed etc and putting escape routes into fences, so when we release they have a better environment to be going out into.
Good to know there are more supporters around.
I wonder if something on the Hedgehog street website around Fostering may help promote – as you say – its easy really once they’ve been ‘fixed’ by the special people at the rescue centres.

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