Hi ColinA
I think this must be your post that went AWOL.
It seems to be happening more often that hogs are sharing hog boxes. That may be due to lack of suitable nesting sites, or may be because so many more hogs are taken into care over their first winters when they are sometimes kept with others – they apparently find that less stressful. It is normally fairly young ones that continue to share and, given the chance it seems they move into their own boxes eventually.
What you are describing sounds slightly different. But hog boxes are just structures within which hogs can build their nests. If the box is large enough, there is nothing to stop more than one hog building a nest in the same box, in the same way that there might be more than one nest, say, under a shed. If nesting sites are scarce there may be no choice but to build a nest near another one.
It does sound from your description that each has built their own nest. Love it that each had their own preference as to plant material! It seems to me unlikely that two hogs would both give birth in the same nest – although never say never and there’s a first time for everything! But it seems more likely they each have their own nest in the space. Please don’t be tempted to look, in case they have new borns in there.
It may be that they are siblings and don’t mind living in close proximity. When I was studying the hogs round here more carefully, I noticed that some female hogs would tolerate certain other females sharing the same food bowl, but would not tolerate others. The females always were the most regular visitors and more reliable as to timing, so it may be that they retain some connection/recognition with their female siblings/mothers (as they seem to stay roughly in the area where they were born) – but those are just my own thoughts. The male youngsters, I believe tend to disperse a bit from where they are born.
It will be interesting to know what transpires. With a bit of luck you might at least end up with two little trains of hoglets! Let us know.
Good luck and happy hog watching.
