Fussy eater?

[Dizzydog]

I haven’t actually spotted any hogs in the garden for the second year running now, but I know they’re definitely visiting. I leave water and cat biscuits out every night in the feeding box, but this year especially they are rarely touched, although the bowl gets shoved around. Have also often put down jellied poultry cat food with the same result. I know that whatever we give them is merely supplementary to their natural diet, but the hogs used to love these foods, judging by the clean bowls every morning, so I’m a bit puzzled as to why things have changed. Any ideas, please?

[Nic]

Hi Dizzydog

There seem to be some hogs who scorn eating the food that’s offered and prefer what they find for themselves. I have one who visits at the moment. It forages on the lawn and unfortunately under where the bird feeder is during the day – although I don’t think much is spilt from that, it has a very large tray. But I put a bowl of kitten biscuits down right where it normally forages and it went very close but completely ignored it. A few feet away there is more food which other hogs enjoy, but not that one. So maybe the hogs you have there are similarly self sufficient.

But if the bowls were previously very clean, are you sure cats weren’t eating it because they tend to lick the bowls clean whereas hogs will often leave a little bit.

[Dizzydog]

Hi Nic.
Our feeding box is like a maze inside, and it would take a seriously double-jointed cat to get to the food, so I think it was previously being eaten by the hogs. We have another box set up as a nesting box, and the hogs have been using it on and off this year for sleeping in, so at least they’re still around and, as you say, probably just preferring to fend for themselves when it comes to eating.

[Author]

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