Hi butterfly2honey
Some hogs choose not to hibernate at all. They don’t seem to mind the cold as long as they have access to food and water. I had one continue to visit through one of those very cold winters and another when it snowed. The one in the snow missed a couple of nights when the snow was quite deep, but then he made his way through and continued to visit for the rest of the winter.
The only difference in their behaviour is that they seem to like to have naps between snacks – maybe a chance to warm up a bit – so a hog box (or boxes) nearby, with nesting material outside so they can take it in, is useful. The ‘snow’ hog actually built what looked like a hibernaculum but only used it for naps and occasional day stays – so he obviously had another nest elsewhere to spend the other days.
So I think the hogs there should be ok as long as you provide food and water. Of course they still might decide to hibernate. Females need to put on enough weight after their hoglets have moved on, so are sometimes around quite late.
It’s very stressful for hogs to be in any kind of captivity, so my feeling is it’s best to leave them in the wild and continue feeding them (and providing water all day every day) and keeping an eye on them. The exception to that would be if they were very small hoglets – probably below about 400g to 450g this late in the year. In that case it would be a good idea to take the advice of a local hog rescue who would be more familiar with climate conditions in your area.
Hibernation time is always worrying and is probably the most risky ‘natural’ time for hedgehogs. Sadly not all will survive even if circumstances appear to be positive – and whether they decide to hibernate or not. We can help by providing suitable places for them to nest (i.e. hog boxes, bushes), nesting materials (medium sized leaves, long grasses, etc.) and offer food and water if they choose not to hibernate and then allow those that are big enough to do what hedgehogs have always done through the ages.
Good luck to the hogs there and to all hogs everywhere during hibernation time. Happy hog watching.
