Hi Khalif and welcome to the Forum.
I was going to say, if a the bowl was licked clean it was probably not a hog – but most likely a cat which tend to lick the bowls clean. But now the cat can’t get in – perhaps squirrels lick the bowls clean as well! If it was early in the morning, at least a hog would still get a chance to get the food first. Brilliant news that you saw a hog going in there, too.
I’m slightly worried about the noises you say the hogs were making. The female is quite noisy during courtship, but I would hope they aren’t courting at this time of year! That is a sort of rythmical repeated huffing noise which she makes as the male circles her. Is that the sort of thing you heard or did it sound like wheezing or a smokers cough? If so, one of the hogs could have a chest infection, such as lungworm and might need cecking out.
If you are worried at all you could have a chat with your nearest hog carer/rehabilitator, explain it to them and take their advice. You can get details of the nearest ones from BHPS on 01584 890801
Good luck with the hogs. Hopefully they are o.k. But be aware that they might disappear to hibernate soon. Meanwhile, happy hog watching.
