Heather's Hedgehog Hostel

26/02/2025

Chunky is back home! 🏡🦔🥳

This time last week, (with a long awaited break in the weather) we released 12 hedgehogs back into their original habitats.

🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔

Chunky was among them, our long-term strimmer patient, having made a full recovery. 🥰

23/02/2025

We had a brilliant time all round last week making little homes for our prickly friends! 🏡🦔 Loving these designs!

Little Pico was a star too. 🤩

18/02/2025

YOUR VOTE could help us receive £5,000 for the hostel's hedgehogs! 🦔🦔🦔

⏳ We only have 7 DAYS, so please SHARE with as many as you can!

📔 Benefact Group - "To support the incredible work that so many charities do to support animals and wildlife in need, our first special draw of the year will award £5,000 each to 10 charities working in this area."

👇 It takes one minute, only open until Sunday 23rd Feb! Every vote means the world! Click below to vote for us!

🔗 Link: https://animal.movementforgood.com/index.php?cn=1203395&ct=AnimalsandWildlife&i=1739820279-84260.jpg

We could receive £5,000 in the Movement for Good draw.

12/02/2025

CRAFTY PEOPLE! 🧶🪡🔨

We're looking for crafty volunteers who can make and donate hedgehog-y merchandise that we can sell! 🦔

This can be anything - coasters, notepads, jewellery, crochets items - we are open to hear what you can make! 🤩

08/02/2025

Here's how to handle a hedgehog when giving them a bath. 🛀

Logan the hedgehog 🦔 came in to us in Jan 2025 with ringworm. We're giving him a bath with antifungal treatment to help.

He was also quite skinny, which could mean that he got trapped. Thankfully, he's been eating well and has gained 200g since he came into the hostel. 🤩

06/02/2025

📣 As a charity, we're a self-funded organisation.

The hostel is funded by Heather and your wonderful donations. 🤗

Can you support our hedgehogs with £1 today? 🦔🦔🦔

Donate here:
https://pay.sumup.com/b2c/Q5HOGMWS

100% of the money received goes straight into the hostel to rehabilitate and save our vulnerable hedgehogs. 🦔🤒

Contributions of any amount make the world of difference!

05/02/2025

🗓️ Back in November, one of my dearest friends started letting us use their garage space for hedgehogs, so we now have two sites in Chatteris! 🦔🦔

The intakes and special care unit is still at the main address, but some of the more stable hedgehogs can go to 'Site 2'.

This is great for us while we raise the money to buy our own place. We're very grateful to have such good friends and extra space! 🤗

02/02/2025

🦔🥳🦔🥳🦔🥳🦔🥳🦔🥳
HAPPY NATIONAL HEDGEHOG DAY!!!
.. 🤔🤔🤔 "Wait, what's National Hedgehog Day?"

☀️ It's a Roman tradition, where If a hedgehog was seen at the start of February it was thought to be a sign of good weather and a promise of warmer days.

🥶 A no-show from hedgehogs meant winter was sure to continue for several more weeks.

In hindsight, this may not have been an especially reliable method of weather forecasting, especially given that hedgehogs tend to hibernate from November through to the middle of March! 🗓️

They do however emerge from hibernation periodically during these months to change nesting sites, so any ancient weather watchers most likely spotted hedgehogs simply going elsewhere to carry on hibernating. 🦔

In fact, hibernating is a risky business for hedgehogs. Sadly, up to around two-thirds won’t make it through their first winter, especially if food has been scarce.

Their body temperature, breathing, and heart rate drops dramatically (to as little as two beats per minute), and it’s vital that they stock up on enough food before winter to keep them going until spring.

Now you know, it's time to put on a party hat! 🥳

31/01/2025

I absolutely incensed by the two articles on the news last night. Both wanting animals - at risk animals - trampled on because they were in the way of human beings plans. When will it be enough? When will we stop and realise that we have taken enough of THEIR living space? That we SHARE the earth , not own it. Putting some money in a nature pot is not going to reverse the damage you do by wiping out thousands of animal families. Sometimes I'm ashamed to be part of the human race.

31/01/2025

Paula from / PET STOP Market Deeping gifted us with 18 NEW CAT CARRIERS 🫨.

All our drivers, foster carers and volunteers now have proper carriers to transport the hedgehogs around. 🦔

Each box has a 'sponsored by' label on it. We're so grateful for her kindness, 🥰 so please check out her wonderful pet shop! 🥳

29/01/2025

Had a wonderful surprise from a kind gentleman from Manea. 🫨

He used to have an African Pygmy hedgehog called Reggie 🦔 and has donated all of his equipment to the hostel.

Lots bedding and snuggle sacks for the babies and a lovely heated vivarium among other things. Thank you so much xx 🥰

27/01/2025

We picked up the hog house last week forgetting it was transparent... How adorable are they all snuggled up like that? 🦔🦔

25/01/2025

If anyone would like to help us out we could do with some DRIED kitten food at the moment please. 🦔

24/01/2025

🎉 We're part of a pilot scheme to encourage young local volunteers. Know any little ones who'd be interested? 🦔

👇 There's 2 free sessions:

🗓️ 18th Feb - Building homes for Hedgehogs
https://www.familyvolunteeringclub.co.uk/events/building-homes-for-hedgehogs

🗓️ 15th April - Making Hedgehog rescue pouches: https://www.familyvolunteeringclub.co.uk/events/making-hedgehog-rescue-pouches

23/01/2025

🫨 Look how many certificates I have to hand out to my volunteers!!

🎓 They have been busy doing training and keeping their skills up to date!

🙌 The Hostel would not be successful without them, and they all work so hard.

🏆 WELL DONE guys!

22/01/2025

❤️ Thank you for our kind donations of wet food!

❤️ Thank you to Mrs Hubbard for her donations and her wonderful knitted toys for the tombolas.

❤️ Thanks also to the three kind gentlemen in the George Pub in Ramsey who overheard one of our volunteers and made on the spot donations too.

❤️ We appreciate you all ###

14/01/2025

Here's our 2024 Hedgehog Wrapped! 📊🦔

We had a whopping 466 hedgehog come through the doors of the hostel in 2024... 🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔🦔
..with a 77% release rate! (more than 2x the average) 🏆🌳🦔

🤗 This is all thanks to the trustees, dedicated volunteers and the whole community for your valued contributions. 🎉

🗓️ We start 2025 with 27 hedgehogs on our books (11 foster hogs and the rest are located at our garage site). 🦔🦔🦔🦔

🤩 We are so incredibly proud and humbled to have saved and released this many hedgehogs within 2024, and with everybody pulling together, this has been made possible.

Thank you everybody!