The Potato Patch
Meet The Team!
Meet the Crazy Guinea Pig Lady...
Hi, I'm Hannah. I'm a veterinary nurse (RVN) with a love for all things furry (especially potatoes!). I have always loved all rodents and rehomed my first piggy girls in 2019; Maris, Gwenne & Elfe. Maris was unexpectedly pregnant at the time of rehoming and gave birth to three sow pups shortly after arriving here. One of the pups, Apache, stayed here permanently, creating our very first potato herd. Elfe is now our only surviving original 'potato pig' and still resides here with the rescue residents at around 6 years old. These girls inspired the opening of the rescue, seeing how many piggies really needed help.
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My husband Dan and I built and insulated a large shed in our garden to house our herd in 2020. It is now a small (but perfectly formed) HQ for the rescue, complete with heating, lighting and electrics. Alongside the piggies we also have two lurchers, Nora & Tarka (shed security), two cats, Palico & Onyx (rescue meet and greet), plus our youngest 'guinea pig keeper', our son, Arthur. ​
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My professional credentials include:
- Bachelors degree in Bio-veterinary Science from the University of Lincoln, including a final year study into rehoming patterns and preferences in animal rescue settings (2015)
- Qualified and RCVS registered veterinary nurse (2018) with 4 years of clinical experience
- CertEd qualified FE tutor (2023) in veterinary nursing and animal management with 4 years teaching practice
- Published author (Veterinary Nursing Journal) in Guinea Pig Welfare & Husbandry (2024)
- 15 years collective work experience in animal care settings, including kennels, rescue centres, stables, farms and zoos
We also have a dedicated team of admins and fosterers!
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Vicky is our wonderful Facebook admin, so if you message the page you'll either get a reply from her or Hannah! She started fostering after adopting some guinea pigs from the rescue (what started off as two ended up as ten), and to date has fostered 100+ guinea pigs!​
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Elouise is the Instagram and Website admin, and in her breaks from studying geography at university, she comes home and cuddles the guinea pigs her mum (Vicky) is fostering! Any inquiries to the Instagram page are dealt with by her.
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Dan, Hannah's husband, is a registered zoo keeper and zoo manager!
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Working alongside us is a hardworking group of fosterers. Without these homes, we wouldn't be able to look after as many guinea pigs, so we are incredibly thankful to them!
