Hi simbo65
Yes, mummies are probably having babies and hogs are certainly taking part in the usual courtship ‘dances’. They can go on breeding all Summer and as long as the males are around. (Here the males tend to disappear in September.) That’s why there are often small autumn hoglets around, which need help for overwintering.
It’s thought that if they have one litter, they probably won’t have another, although some may if the first one was early enough. But, if a litter fails for some reason or the pregnancy just doesn’t work out, or they don’t become pregnant, they will probably try again. They are not thought to be the best of breeders and by no means all of the courtship ‘dances’ will result in mating, let alone hoglets. Then there is apparently a fairly high mortality rate among the young ‘urchins’ (which is what the tiny babies are called – presumably because their white spines are reminiscent of sea urchins) That means that any hoglets that survive to become independent are extra special!
