Thank you Tom and Nic for your help and suggestions, really useful. Tom yes we do have a nature cam which is great although at the moment it’s just capturing giant snails and the odd mouse or moth 😀
We also get an indignant cat sat Godzilla-like on top of the feeding box trying to work out a way to get the food and a fox occasionally. I think I’m going to invest in a couple of hog homes and put them well away from the food as you said, with some straw in and nearby. We’ saw the other hog on cam briefly Friday night which is great although they didn’t venture inside the box.
Houdini (so named because when I rescued him I placed in in a cardboard box with straw food water blankets taped up in the garage till morning he chewed a hole in the box and escaped to romp around our garage all night. Found him curled up in my daughter’s body board bag asleep:D) was eating everything and rubbing his chin/face on the floor I think to scent it which may have put the other hog off . Is that possible Nic re your point about marauding males ? ;D (btw I was advised to catch him and take him to the vet by a local hog rescue .)
Anyway we have thick hedges in the front and back gardens which need to be cut back every year. I always let the guys know that do it to watch out and be careful, but would the noise of chainsaws disturb them and scare them off?
I’m thinking a couple of nesting boxes in the back garden in the little wild patch and food in the front?
Also can they smell the food from a distance ? I’m pretty sure the hogs that visit are coming in the front from the lane where there are lots of hedges.
I do leave 3 shallow bowls of water out front and back every day -rain water from the water butt in the summer and in the winter I melt the ice with warm water and put ping pong balls in it. I will definitely start leaving food out through the winter now you’ve both explained that. Thank you.
I feel I’m over thinking the positioning of both homes and feeding stations a bit but I know they are quite shy and easily frightened so doing the right thing seems important.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences with me. I’m going to try a few things.
