Hi DCL
It isn’t the best idea to clean out a nest whilst a hog is in residence – even if it has popped out for the night to get some food. If you don’t have a camera you might be able to work out if anyone is in residence by placing some scrunched up paper, a twig, or similar in the doorway and see if it’s moved. I would do any cleaning out during the day, then if you find someone there, you can quietly replace the lid and hope the hog hasn’t been disturbed.
Good luck. I hope all goes well.
Some tips re. cleaning out hog boxes: https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/cleaning-out-boxes/
