Hi Posssetspike
We do seem to hear more often these days of hogs sharing hog houses, but whether they share actual nests, is a different matter. But if they do share a hog house, it doesn’t mean that they are a male and female.
It’s interesting that one of the hogs has been with a hog carer. I wonder whether that could be partly contributing to more hogs sleeping in the same hog houses – that there must be quite a lot of hogs around who have been with a hog carer at some stage. Probably very difficult to find out. In Hedgehogs by Pat Morris (referring to winter nests) it says that only youngsters ever shared nests, and then not for long, but that in captivity they sometimes insist on sharing when other empty boxes are available.
Of course summer nests are probably more short term, so it may partly be a question of availabillity of appropriate spaces for them to sleep – or at least what the hogs considered to be appropriate spaces! These days when more hogs are found in urban areas, there may be a shortage of suitable nest sites.
But generally male hogs have nothing to do with the bringing up of the youngsters and it’s unlikely that they even recognise their offspring. (A female hog can even have a litter with more than one Father). But there are usually exceptions to every rule!
