Hi Hettihog
I agree with Annker about putting some of the food nearer to the feeding station to start with. The hog may have been looking in the normal place and found nothing there.
However, I have found, over the years that there are certain hogs who just don’t like going into boxes. As well as the boxes, I have a perspex type sheet balanced on 3 litre flower pots, with bricks on top, to deter the cats. This arrangement seems to be acceptable to those hogs who prefer to eat out of doors. Despite the pots they still have multiple escape routes.
Having said that, I had a non-hibernator this past winter who didn’t like boxes, but I managed to persuade it to go into a box by gradually moving the food nearer and nearer each day and then into the opening corridor, etc. This was a bit of a necessity at the time as I was trying to outwit a persistent cat and a rat and try to make sure the hog got sufficient of the food. I would normally cater for them eating outside if that is what they prefer. But I would give your feeding station a bit more of a chance, if I were you – moving some of the food gradually closer.
P.S. not quite sure what you meant by the frenzied mating – if you mean the lengthy courtship circling and huffing, it doesn’t always lead to mating. But the gestation period is about four and a half weeks. You might be lucky.
