30/09/2026
🦔 Would you like to become a Foster Carer for Hogamammas Hedgehog Rescue? 🦔
We are looking for reliable, committed people who would like to help some of the hedgehogs in our care move on to the next stage of their rehabilitation.
Foster caring is a hugely rewarding experience, but it is not something to be undertaken lightly. These are wild animals, and caring for them comes with a real responsibility to provide the correct care, monitoring and environment throughout their stay.
🦔 What does fostering involve?
Depending on the individual hedgehog and their care plan, fostering can include:
• Regular cleaning of their accommodation
• Daily monitoring and health checks
• Regular weighing and recording of weights
• Feeding and changing water
• Administering medication where required
• Monitoring behaviour, appetite, faeces, activity and general condition
• Providing daily/regular updates to the rescue
• Keeping accurate records in line with our rescue protocols
• Following the individual hedgehog’s care plan and instructions
• Preparing hedgehogs for their eventual return to the wild
Full training and ongoing support will be provided. You will not be expected to know everything before you start.
However, we do need Foster Carers who are able to communicate reliably with us and follow instructions. Accurate record keeping and regular updates are an important part of the role.
📍 Where are we looking?
At present, we are looking for Foster Carers ideally within approximately 10 miles / a 20-minute drive of Hogamammas in West End, Carnwath.
This is important because hedgehogs may need to return to us for checks, treatment or veterinary appointments, and we need to be able to provide support quickly when necessary.
If you live outwith the area you are welcome to register your interest and we will add you to our books for fostering as the rescue develops.
🏡 What type of fostering could you provide?
Fostering can take several different forms, depending on the hedgehog’s stage of rehabilitation.
1. Indoor fostering
Some hedgehogs require indoor accommodation while they recover, gain weight or complete treatment.
They would normally be housed in an appropriate rabbit/hedgehog hutch in a quiet room, with an electric heat pad where required.
The room would ideally be maintained at approximately 16–20°C and should be quiet and suitable for the hedgehog’s needs.
The room must not be accessible to dogs, cats or unsupervised children.
We also need to consider hygiene and biosecurity, so Foster Carers must be able to provide a suitable environment for a wildlife patient.
2. Garage, shed or outbuilding fostering
This can be suitable for hedgehogs who are being acclimatised to outdoor temperatures, or for those who may need to overwinter before they are ready for release.
The accommodation must be secure, weatherproof, protected from extremes of temperature and have a suitable source of natural daylight.
Daily cleaning, monitoring and weighing will be required.
3. Garden pen or secure pen in a garage/outbuilding
Some hedgehogs may be ready for more space and freedom while still requiring protection and monitoring.
This could involve a secure garden pen or suitable pen within a garage, shed or outbuilding, with an appropriate nest box, hedgehog house or rabbit-style hutch.
4. Secure garden fostering
For hedgehogs who are at the final stage of rehabilitation, a secure garden may be appropriate.
The garden must be 100% escape-proof, including against digging and climbing. Walled gardens can be particularly suitable, although other gardens may be considered if suitable adaptations can be made.
The aim is to provide a safe environment where the hedgehog can practise natural behaviours before returning completely to the wild.
🐾 A few important things to understand
Our hedgehogs are not pets.
They are wild animals and, ultimately, every hedgehog coming through Hogamammas will have a care plan aimed at returning them to the wild whenever it is safe and appropriate to do so.
They are naturally shy prey animals, and although fostering provides a wonderful opportunity to see these incredible animals up close, their welfare and right to behave naturally must always come first.
Fostering can also be messy! Regular cleaning is an essential part of the role and there can inevitably be some smell associated with keeping a hedgehog indoors.
❤️ We are looking for YEAR-ROUND Foster Carers
We are particularly looking for people who can commit to fostering throughout the year.
Hedgehog rescue does not stop when autumn arrives. We need reliable Foster Carers who can support the rescue through the quieter periods, winter and the busy spring and summer seasons.
You don’t need to be available 24/7, but you do need to be able to incorporate the daily care and monitoring required into your routine.
🏠 What will you need?
For some fostering situations, you may need to provide a suitable rabbit hutch or other appropriate accommodation. Unfortunately, Hogamammas is currently not in a position to provide every piece of equipment required for every foster placement, so this is something we will discuss with you before you commit. We will
Do our best to provide as much as possible.
We will provide training, guidance and support, and we will always discuss the individual hedgehog’s requirements with you beforehand.
📝 How to become a Foster Carer
If you think fostering could be something you would enjoy and could realistically accommodate, please get in touch.
We will ask you to complete our Foster Carer application and provide some information about your circumstances and the type of accommodation you could offer.
There will be online training and an initial discussion/interview before anyone becomes a Foster Carer.
Please make sure you can commit to responding to the application process. We are a small rescue, and we simply don’t have the capacity to repeatedly chase incomplete applications.
Being a Foster Carer is a commitment, but it is also an incredibly rewarding way to make a direct difference to a hedgehog’s rehabilitation. 🦔💙
If you think you could provide a suitable foster environment, please get in touch with Hogamammas Hedgehog Rescue for more information.
Must be 18 or over:
Please tell us:
📍 Where you are based
🏡 What type of accommodation you could provide
🦔 Whether you could commit to year-round fostering
⏰ What your availability is like
🐕🐈 Whether you have other animals
🏠 Whether you have a suitable rabbit/hedgehog hutch or enclosure
We can then discuss whether fostering could be suitable for you and the hedgehogs in our care.
Thank you for considering opening your home to a hedgehog in need. 🦔💙
Where there is a huff, there is hope. 💙
