Overwintering hog won’t hibernate!

[5sandown]

Hi all, I have 5 rescue hogs overwintering in outdoor hutches. 4 of them are hibernating but one shows no signs of this and is still eating well. I’ve had him since he was 420g and he’s now a very robust 960g. Our network has not been releasing hogs recently due to the very wet weather but he’s now showing signs of being fed up in the hutch with lots of mess every morning. I’d really like to soft release him, despite the weather, but wondered what other champions think about this. Thanks in advance for any comments!

[stef]

Absolutely if you can soft release then please do so immediately.
Causing him stress by caging him when it’s not necessary can cause all kinds of other problems

[stef]

Further to this, did the hog come from your area? It should be released back where it came from

[5sandown]

Hi stef
Thanks for the comments. We’ve decided to soft release him tomorrow back where he came from. I agree entirely that keeping them in hutches too long can undo all the good work. Hopefully he will now become another success story!

[stef]

Great well done

[simbo65]

That’s great news. Keeping all crossed for him to have a good winter.

[Hedgie Lover]

What is a soft release, as opposed to a normal release?

I’ve just got one back from the hedgehog rescue centre (was out at foster in an outdoor hutch) and I picked him up and released him back to my garden a couple of nights ago, as he too was very stressed in the hutch. He is 800g now, was only 430g when I weighed him in November and was riddled with internal parasites.

Apparently, it’s going to be a mild winter, so I wouldn’t worry so much about a 900g hog been released back , I’m sure he’ll be fine.

[5sandown]

A soft release is into an environment where there is some support for the hogs. This may include a hog house, feeding station or just someone leaving food and water out. Good luck with your hog, the mild winter is enabling hogs who are ready to go to be released with some confidence.

[Author]

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