Hedgehog Welfare

Hedgehog Welfare Hedgehog Welfare is a charity formed by Janet Peto in July 1993, registered May 2021, No.1194494.

Hedgehog Welfare is a small, registered charity formed by Janet Peto in July 1993. If you have found a hedgehog you think is in need of care please call 07940714830 immediately. Janet started caring for hedgehogs when she found two small hedgehogs – she named Softy and Tiny - in her garden in Surrey on Saturday 27th November 1982. Les Stocker (the founder of St Tiggywinkles Hospital for wild anima

ls) aided Janet in their rehabilitation which sparked the beginning of Hedgehog Welfare. Since then the charity has grown and Janet has hardly been without a couple of hedgehogs in her care. The main aims of Hedgehog Welfare are:

To take in sick, injured, and orphaned hedgehogs, to care for them and return them back to the wild where found, if possible. To encourage the finders of the hedgehogs to care for them, wherever possible, with full support from Hedgehog Welfare including supplying equipment. To support and advise hedgehog carers and vets and to promote good hedgehog rehabilitation. Running courses to help improve the knowledge and standard of care. To promote public awareness of the hedgehog in the wild (and of conservation in general). We take in hedgehogs from as far as Great Ponton which is just south of Grantham, to Retford in the North, as far west as Southwell and as far east as Ancaster.



- We do not collect as we do not have the time or the volunteers.

- We have been known to take in hedgehogs in other areas when other carers are full or have been taken ill but only when we have space.

- We work closely with the RSPCA and local vets in our area. Our “triage nurse” is Sally who checks out the hedgehog and what treatment is needed. We then have many volunteer carers who all work tirelessly to rehabilitate and release our prickly patients. We set a high standard of care, always remembering that the hedgehog lives to different rules than domestic pets. Importantly, our aim is to return them to the wild and care for them accordingly. We are proud members of the British Wildlife Rehabilitations Council. Our charity was officially registered in May 2021, No. 1194494.

Our summer newsletter is out! We’d love for you to support us by having a read!
22/07/2026

Our summer newsletter is out! We’d love for you to support us by having a read!

Newsletters Read our newsletters June 2026 Newsletter August 2025 Newsletter February 2025 Newsletter September 2024 Newsletter June 2024 Newsletter December 2023 Newsletter September 2023 Newsletter April 2023 Newsletter

Did someone say babies….. Just today we’ve taken in 7 that require bottle feeding and a mum with her 4. If a nest is dis...
24/06/2026

Did someone say babies…..

Just today we’ve taken in 7 that require bottle feeding and a mum with her 4.

If a nest is disturbed, make sure you grab mum before she legs it. It makes the survival rate so much higher if babies are reared by their mum. Although Sally is a fantastic foster mum, I’m sure she would like to sleep at some point over this summer!

And as always, keep putting out kitten biscuits and lots and lots of dishes of water!

Thank you!

Afternoon!Wow we’re busy. Baby season is in full swing. We have a few mums with babies and poor Sally (head nurse) has b...
21/06/2026

Afternoon!

Wow we’re busy. Baby season is in full swing. We have a few mums with babies and poor Sally (head nurse) has been up every 2 hours for the past few weeks bottle feeding. She’s a trooper.

Our first bottle feeder of the year, Xander (before and after photo) has today been released.

We’re still getting loads of injured hogs and with this beautiful weather, they’re going to start struggling for food and water.

Continue to leave out water and kitten chicken flavoured biscuits. Thank you!

Wow what a busy few days!So many calls and intakes of disturbed nests, tiny babies needing 2 hourly feeds, hedgehogs in ...
08/06/2026

Wow what a busy few days!

So many calls and intakes of disturbed nests, tiny babies needing 2 hourly feeds, hedgehogs in ponds, starving and dehydrated hedgehogs, injured hogs, RTC hedgehogs.

If you see a hedgehog in trouble, please call straight away. It’s vital they get seen quickly and aren’t left to see what happens. It’s the difference between a quick rehabilitation and release (leading to more space for other hogs) and a long rehab stay and possible death.

Here we have Queenie who took a dip in a pond yesterday and baby Buster who took 3 days to come to us. Fingers crossed for both.

As always, remember to scatter chicken flavoured kitten biscuits and leave out a dish of water.

Thank you! ☺️

Hello fellow hedgehog lovers!Whilst this hot weather is lovely for (some of) us. Our hedgehog friends don’t enjoy it. Th...
24/05/2026

Hello fellow hedgehog lovers!

Whilst this hot weather is lovely for (some of) us. Our hedgehog friends don’t enjoy it. They don’t sunbathe so please contact a rescue if you ever see one laying out. To help avoid heat exhaustion and dehydration, please make sure you keep out a shallow dish of water, make sure any ponds have a ramp and continue to feed a dry, poultry flavoured kitten biscuit as food will be harder to find.

Happy Spring!I hope you’re starting to see lots of hedgies appearing back in your garden. Enjoying the water and biscuit...
15/04/2026

Happy Spring!

I hope you’re starting to see lots of hedgies appearing back in your garden. Enjoying the water and biscuits I’m sure you’re all putting down.

They are spending this time foraging and gaining back body condition after hibernation. Breeding has already started so we are expecting to see babies soon.

Janet is starting to receive more calls daily from all over the country. Sadly we can only take our local ones, however, Janet’s been doing this for a very long time 🤫 so has contacts across the country she can direct people to.

Here are a few photos of recent releases, along with Ronald’s bum. He’s been a long time patient who we hope will finally be ready for release.

Hello from us at Hedgehog Welfare!! Our long term rescue hogs have been enjoying a nice long sleep. Waking up on occasio...
27/01/2026

Hello from us at Hedgehog Welfare!!

Our long term rescue hogs have been enjoying a nice long sleep. Waking up on occasion for a quick snack then back to slumbering.

With all this rain, some of our wild hedgehogs nests will be flooding. Please keep an eye out for any hedgehogs in trouble.

Please continue to leave food out (dry, chicken flavoured, kitten biscuits) in a covered location. When they do wake up they will be very hungry.

01/01/2026

Happy New year! Here’s to another year, full of rescuing our prickly friends!
🦔

Address

P. O. Box 8686
Grantham
NG310AG

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