Hoggywobbles by Sylva Fae

Hoggywobbles

by Sylva Fae with Saffra Monteiro

My family has always cared for a mad menagerie of animals. Our rambling old farmhouse, up on the Lancashire moors, soon gathered a reputation for being a safe haven for injured, unwanted or just plain weird animals. We had a random bunch of misfits who clucked, quacked, shuffled and grunted their way around the garden until they were well enough to return to the wild. As such, I have always had a soft spot for animal rescues and always prefer adopting an unwanted pet, over buying from dealers. There are so many wonderful places that dedicate their time to rescuing wild animals or unwanted pets, but Hoggywobbles caught my eye because of the fabulous name.

Hoggywobbles is one of the first of its kind – a Convalescence and Release Hospital for hedgehogs – it is run by Saffra Monteiro. It specialises in caring for hedgehogs recovering from illness or injury, right through to fully restored healthy hogs being released back to the wild. Hoggywobbles deals with all aspects of hedgehog care but passes on those requiring acute treatment and medication to larger rescue centres.

Saffra explained how it all started:

From a young age I adored animals of every size and type, but I had a particular love and fascination with rabbits and hedgehogs. What seems like years ago now, I was fortunate enough to help out a local lady who cared for hedgehogs in her home. I learned a lot but then she moved away, so when I found out that I could volunteer at Shepreth Hedgehog Hospital as part of my Gold Duke of Edinburgh award, I was thrilled and super excited! I never stopped asking questions and was always learning. I was taught so much about handling and caring for hogs and helped to deal with some really poorly hogs. Every shift was different and I was involved with every aspect of hedgehog rescue and rehabilitation. Over time I grew in confidence and began caring for a few hogs at home. I worked at the hedgehog hospital for just under three years and was involved with hedgehog fundraisers, over wintering hogs and also giving public talks to the visitors at Shepreth wildlife park.

While working at various rescue centres, I saw for myself that often these bigger rescues had about 60 percent of their capacity taken up by hogs who had been treated and now just needed monitoring and weight gain in order to leave. And so, I created Hoggywobbles, which fills this gap between acute cases and ready-for-the-wild hogs – think of it as outpatients rather than A&E. They still require experienced hog carers at this stage, and close monitoring, but do not require the advanced monitoring they had when on medication.

Hoggy Halfway House

Hogs come to me after completing treatment for illness and injury at other local rescues. We then continue their convalescence progress which involves daily monitoring, cleaning and feeding so that they can gain strength and vital weight before

soft release is carried out and they can be return to the countryside.

Currently due to lack of space and money, I have hogs dotted around my house, outbuildings and garden. In the future I hope to be able to create a proper hospital building, built solely for that purpose. I also hope to expand the capacity for hedgehog patients and form a team of volunteers who will help with the daily running of the hospital.

Hogs come to me for continued rehab, which can take anything from a few weeks to months depending on the hog. Finally, they are given their freedom using a process called soft release. Disabled hogs are sent to secure enclosed gardens. This is a long progress but it is extremely rewarding and I work closely with local rescues so that we can help each other out when needed to get hogs through the system much faster, freeing up spaces for really sick hogs in need. We even have a Hoggywobbles Ambulance service, run by a group of local village residents.

Supporting the Hog House

Local folk have been bringing hedgehogs to Saffra for a number of years now, and they’ve become known as, ‘The Hog House’. So far, Saffra has funded Hoggywobbles alone, however as her venture has grown, so too have the expenses. Undeterred, Saffra set up a Facebook page where she welcomes donations to cover the costs of food and bedding. In return, Saffra’s hogs frequently pose for photos and tell their stories to entertain their fans. There are also a range of useful hoggy related articles and documents on the page under the picture section for all hog lovers to read. Occasionally, Saffra organises sales and auctions through the Facebook page, and even has a children’s book in the works.

https://www.facebook.com/hoggywobbles

Wild Hoggy Help

It has never been more important to help our spiky friends than now. They are now on the official ‘at risk of extinction’ list, so please help us to help them so that in years to come, when our kids are growing up, they know what a wild hog looks like and don’t have to look at books just to know what they once were.

Also, I would like to add that while we at the rescues always try to be positive and encourage people to help hedgehogs where they can. More recently it seems to be a growing problem that some people finding hogs are attempting to care for them themselves at home without any basic training or knowledge of hedgehogs. We recommend you seek guidance from your local rescue, should you have a hog that requires care or medical attention. What you can do is to ensure your garden is hedgehog friendly, giving them a safe place to live. Add exit holes in fences (hedgehog highways), a shallow bowl of fresh water, and meaty food, such as cat or dog food, if you don’t have hedgehog food. For a number of years now, Saffra has been offering a garden inspection for free to local residents who wish to make their gardens more hedgehog friendly. She can advise on what should be changed and added in order to encourage hogs into your space. She can also recommend hedgehog housing and food and provide information on hedgehog highways.

Of course, Saffra’s hoggy services are only of use to those local to Hoggywobbles, however the information, advice and expertise is accessible to all –and there is a huge selection of articles available. If in return you wish to make a donation, the hogs of Hoggywobbles will be most grateful.

Sylva Fae is a married mum of three from Lancashire, England. She has spent twenty years teaching literacy to adults with learning difficulties and disabilities, and now works from home as a children’s writer and illustrator.

Sylva has published several children’s books and also writes a blog, Sylvanian Ramblings. Her debut book, Rainbow Monsters won the Chanticleer Best in Category award. Discover more about Sylva on Mom’s Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/sylva-fae/