In a secure garden
Every now and then we get an animal that cannot go back to the wild but is not a candidate for euthanasia.
In some circumstances we would welcome rehomers to take and look after these hogs permanently, however there are a number of conditions to this and you must be able to meet all of them. We will not consider people who think they are going to get an unusual pet.
All of our hedgehogs have been brought in by members of the public, sent to us by a vet or referred to us by other rescue centres. As such, they all have problems and that can range from injury to disease. We spend a lot of time and money getting them better so you will understand that we are pretty choosy about who we hand them over to.
What does rehoming entail?
First and foremost it requires somebody who loves wildlife, no matter what, and who can provide a safe, secure environment with food and water every day for rest of their lives.
We do not send out sick hogs to rehomers but there are occasions when a hog relapses for whatever reason. You would be required to monitor for any conditions and report back when any untoward signs are seen, returning the animal to us if necessary
You are not left on your own to cope, we are here 24 hours for the hogs and will always take your phone call unless we are too zonked to hear the phone. Thundering on the front door usually gets the desired result.
What you will need
A completely secure, escapeproof garden. These animals cannot cope in the wild but they need as near normal an environment as possible to live in. You cannot keep one in a hutch, small run or cage so please do not ask.
No children who think they can take the animal to school for show and tell nor bring their friends round to play with it.
A realisation that this is a wild animal, needs to be kept wild, and cannot be picked up for cuddles and kisses.
A committment to feed and water every day and provide RELIABLE cover if you go away. These animals will not find enough natural food in your garden. They need your backup.
A dry, warm house to live in and hibernate in if they so choose.
A feeding station to keep food dry and prevent other animals from eating it.
A committment to monitor the animal at least weekly and report any problems as soon as they arise, returning it to Hedgehog Bottom or another suitable rescue immediately.
We can advise on any other concerns you may have.
Please note:
We will not release an animal to anyone who thinks it’s a good way to get rid of slugs. Hedgehogs are not slug killers. They will eat them but only as a supplement to other things. A permanent diet of slugs and snails will make the animal extremely sick as these can give them lungworm.
If you use slug pellets and other pesticides in your garden, or have rat traps, bait boxes etc around you cannot have an animal for rehoming.
A suitable, safe, secure garden is:
Surrounded by brick walls, fencing with concrete footing and no gaps, or fencing that goes down at least 18 inches into the ground.
Wooden fence panels do not make a garden secure, hedgehogs can dig.
Gates must be solid and the bottom no more than an inch from the ground. Even adult hedgehogs can squeeze under surprisingly small gaps.
Gates need an automatic closer and must not be propped open for any reason.
Ponds must have sloping sides or some other means of escape if the hog falls in.
All holes, drains, pits, and trenches must be covered at all times.
Plastic sacks and bags must not be left lying around.
There must be native planting in the garden to provide cover and natural food for the hog. We will not consider a concrete/gravel/decking wasteland.
If you believe that you can meet all these criteria, have thought about the committment involved carefully and are willing to make changes to your property to provide a suitable habitat then please get in touch using our contact form giving as many details about yourself and your home as you can. We always give priority to local homes, within a 20 mile radius as it is easier for them to get the animal back to us or our vet quickly if needs be.
Please give as much information as you can about your garden and attach a recent photograph.
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Tue Aug 20, 2013 5:47 pm