Hi Puddle Duck
I suggest you try at the times recommended for cleaning out hog houses. i.e. Spring and Autumn. Not quite so easy these days in Autumn because there seem to be so many late litters, but ideally after hogs finish breeding but before they hibernate. Or maybe safer to leave it until the Spring once hibernation is over but before breeding season begins.
https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/cleaning-out-boxes/
If I were you I would have something ready to put any hogs you might potentially come across in – possibly more than one (by the sounds of things), in case. There might be more than one nest in an area as large as a garage. Then keep any hog/s enclosed with some food and water until nightfall before releasing again. If by chance you disturb a nursing mother, you might need to take advice from your nearest carer, so might be useful to have contact details to hand. You might consider getting some hog houses for the hogs to potentially move into. If you do, it might be a good idea to get them in advance of any clearance of the garage, so that they will already know about them. With a bit of luck the hogs might move out of the garage and into any potential hog houses before the clearance. Alternatively maybe they could move back into the garage if it was all cleared in one day. You might even find you can clear around where any hogs are and leave them be.
Good luck.
