Hi BLT
Don’t worry too much if hogs go missing at this time of year. They could have started hibernating or moved to their favoured hibernating place in the run up to hibernation. Even some females may have started hibernating if they have finished their hoglet raising duties early enough.
I am a bit concerned as to what you mean by ‘grubs’. I hope you are not offering the hogs mealworms, as they are not good for hogs, but they will readily become addicted to them. That is not good as it also limits the variety of food which the hogs eat – if they concentrate on eating mealworms. Mealworms are not sufficiently nutritious for the hogs, which can be especially detrimental in the run up to hibernation and also for growing hoglets because of the inbalance of phosphorous and calcium (which can lead to calcium being leached from the bones – really bad in a growing hoglet). Other insect larvae can also be problematical and it is best to stick to cat/dog food or meaty hog food. Apologies if you already know all that, but now that more people do know about the problems of mealworms, the subject isn’t mentioned so often, meaning those newer to the wonders of hedgehogs may not know about the problem.
Some, at least, of hogs will probably return to their favourite places after hibernation and you may find that that is what happens there. Fingers crossed for a successful hibernation for hogs everywhere.
