How do I begin the adoption, foster or hand in process?

If you are interested in fostering for us, please read our foster carer handbook, found here. All our processes officially begin with our forms, found here. However, if you have any questions before completing any of the forms, please send us an email to chat!

Where are your hedgehogs located?

We have foster carers covering most of mainland UK, so the locations of our hedgehogs varies.

What is your hand in process?

Once we have received your form, we will get you matched with a foster carer nearby. They will contact you to organise the hog coming to them. We generally ask that folks travel to the foster carer to hand in their hog, however we do understand that this is a really difficult decision often due to changes in circumstance, so it may not be feasible for you to travel to a foster carer. If so, we will work together to find a way for the hog to come us, whether that be meeting part way or a foster carer coming to you instead - don’t worry, we take everything on a case by case basis and figure something out!

What is your adoption process?

Once we have received your form, we will send you our care guide and go through the different parts of the adoption form with you. Please don’t worry if you don’t have any knowledge of hog care yet - we will work through everything with you to ensure you’re ready to adopt a hog! We also ask for clear photos of your set up including a piece of paper with your name and the date to ensure they are recent photos.

Once your form and set up are approved, we will match you with a hog based on your requirements, experience and location. If you’d like to adopt one of the hogs you are matched with, we ask for a final adoption form and an adoption fee to ensure we can continue to do our vital work. You’ll then be put in touch with the foster carer looking after your new hog and will chat to them to organise bringing them home!

We do ask that adopters travel to the foster carer to collect their hog, however we can make things work if the distance is too far or not feasible for you to travel, so just let us know!

Once your new hog is home, our Adoption Support will be in touch to check if you have ay questions - just because they have been adopted doesn’t mean our support ends, we’ll always be there for all of our hogs and their lucky humans!

How long does the adoption process take?

This is difficult to answer as it depends on many, many factors such as whether you have a suitable set up ready to go, whether you are able to travel to a foster carer and how strict your criteria for adoption are.

Can I reserve a hedgehog at the start of the adoption process?

No, we don’t match hogs with adopters until their form is fully approved and we have seen complete set up photos. This is to prevent adoptions falling through and leaving hogs without homes if other adoption applications would have been suitable. However, we are happy to chat about hogs we have available and if we have someone in mind for you, we can keep you posted!

Can I foster if I have never owned a hedgehog before?

We only accept foster carers who have previous experience with hogs. If you apply to foster without hog experience, we are more than happy to turn your application into an adoption application and you can of course apply to foster again in future!

Can I adopt my foster hedgehog?

Of course! Although we do encourage you to view fostering as a stepping stone to their forever home, sometimes their forever human turns out to be you! We just ask that you complete a final adoption form and pay the usual adoption fee.

Will I be given equipment for fostering?

We sometimes have equipment we can send to foster carers, however this shouldn’t be relied on and we do generally ask that folks provide their own set up for fostering. We will of course cover any food, bedding and medical costs for your foster hedgehog while they are under our care, provided you have checked this with the Rehoming Team first.