Hilton Hedgehogs

Hilton Hedgehogs We are a hedgehog rescue who treat sick and injured hedgehogs in order to give them the best chance of survival when they are returned to the wild.

We work with local vets to achieve the best outcomes. We are based in the Appleby and Kirkby Stephen area. Hilton Hedgehogs is a hedgehog rescue run by Val and Ed. We have always been interested in nature and had our first hands-on encounter with a hedgehog when we cared for a poorly hedgehog from our own garden through the winter 2023/24, under the advice of an experienced hedgehog rehabilitator,

successfully releasing it back into the wild when the weather improved. Realising that we could make a difference, we did the Vale Wildlife Hospital's "First Aid, Care and Rehabilitation of Hedgehogs" course. Since then, working with our local vets, we've successfully cared for and released several hedgehogs over this summer. Our local vets now keep us busy with a succession of poorly hedgehogs; vets can treat an injury but don't have the facilities to rehabilitate the hedgehog ready for release - which is where we take over! If you see a hedgehog that may need help please contact us via Messenger.

29/05/2026

This little hog (Syd) arrived in the rescue earlier this week seriously ill with a lung infection and strimmer injury. The stress of the injury caused his worm burden to rise and resulted in a lung infection. Until the strimmer hit him he was perfectly healthy, now he’s in our rescue battling for survival. Please check carefully before you strim. We use a strimmer in the rescue and check each area with a garden cane before it is cut. (If you put the volume up on this video you’ll hear him wheezing).

We’ve had a couple of dehydrated hedgehogs arrive in the rescue this morning 🦔🦔 In this gorgeous sunny weather putting o...
26/05/2026

We’ve had a couple of dehydrated hedgehogs arrive in the rescue this morning 🦔🦔 In this gorgeous sunny weather putting out a bowl of clean tap water on the ground will be a lifesaver to hedgehogs and all the other mammals, birds and insects that share our gardens. In our rescue garden I use old ceramic bowls and the dishes that sit under plant pots - nothing fancy but they do the job!

It’s been a busy month at the rescue! Lots of releases and lots of new patients coming in. Our new arrivals are keeping ...
22/05/2026

It’s been a busy month at the rescue! Lots of releases and lots of new patients coming in. Our new arrivals are keeping us busy - medicated baths at midnight, emergency hydration in the early hours of the morning and large quantities of kitten food! In the middle of all the chaos, two of last year’s patients are still asleep! 😁😁

One out, one in! On the same day as Nero headed off to freedom, this very poorly lady came in. She was found struggling ...
13/04/2026

One out, one in! On the same day as Nero headed off to freedom, this very poorly lady came in. She was found struggling along a road in Temple Sowerby, dehydrated, extremely thin and with a huge burden of parasites - you can see from the photos how thin she is, she’s not the beautiful rounded shape that a hedgehog should be. Thank you so much to the wonderful ladies who rescued her. We’ve called her Leia 🥰

08/04/2026

Nero, our handsome dark hog from Pooley Bridge, has emerged from hibernation. Other than a bit of his bedding stuck to his spines, he's looking good! 😀He came to us last summer after being found struggling in the heat, with a fractured leg. His leg has healed fantastically well and he's strong and healthy again. He'll head back home at the end of the week 🥰

06/04/2026

Ron, our little one-eyed hoglet from last year, is also out and about in his new home. Now a large, healthy male, he has found himself a couple of lady friends 😊😊 Thank you so much to his wonderful rescuer, who drove him a considerable distance to get him the help he needed at our rescue and to give him this second chance 🥰

01/04/2026

A bit X rated this one! 😁 Remember Neena? She arrived in the rescue last summer as a tiny poorly hoglet. She was released at a Cumbria Wildlife Trust site and is doing brilliantly. She hibernated well and has now found an admirer - a lovely chap named Spike 🥰 They are spending a lot of quality time together and we are all hoping for the pitter-patter of tiny paws in 5-6 weeks. Thanks so much to the wonderful Nina who rescued her and gave her this second chance.
Video credit - Gary Norman

29/03/2026

George has decided that his check up is over and he’s off to find something more interesting to do….. 😁

Some of our over-winter guests are waking up 😀 So it’s check-up time! These little guys and girls have been in the outsi...
26/03/2026

Some of our over-winter guests are waking up 😀 So it’s check-up time! These little guys and girls have been in the outside runs - they either came to us because they were struggling during the winter or they were treated at the rescue in the late autumn and werent ready to go before winter arrived. A quick examination and a weigh to make sure all is well and then off they’ll go - some of our wonderful release gardens are waiting for them 🥰

We’re so lucky at the rescue to have red squirrels living nearby. These inquisitive little creatures visit the hedgehog ...
14/03/2026

We’re so lucky at the rescue to have red squirrels living nearby. These inquisitive little creatures visit the hedgehog runs frequently to have a nose around. But how can we best support them?
Josh Adams (head of Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s current red squirrels project) is coming to the Murton Institute on Tuesday 31 March at 7.30pm to give a talk about red squirrels, the facts and the myths and how we can help our special residents. For those that are local, why not come along? We’ll be there 😀 It’s £4 for entry (£2 if you are a Fellsider).
Josh’s talk will tell us the do’s and don’ts to help these beautiful little mammals continue to thrive in our area. It would be great to see a lot of people there so we can become better at helping them. See you there! Any questions give me a shout 😀

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Hilton
Appleby
CA166LU

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