Hi Dizydog
I’m glad to hear you aren’t planning on marking any hogs. It is possible to tell them apart by their markings. Some easier than others and easiest if you actually see them as opposed to on video. Having said that, it is a bit of a mixed blessing and leaves you open to more heartache, because you know who is missing. I keep saying to myself that I should give up trying to recognise them, but don’t seem to be able to help it! I used to do drawings of each one, using the template which is my profile pic, and making notes. That way I have been able to recognise them year after year when they return from hibernation.
Arriving at different times isn’t always an indication of different hogs. I find that some tend to only visit once or maybe twice a night, but others return multiple times. Different foods, could be different hogs. I have found the hogs here tend to stick to what they like – hog food, and if I put kitten biscuits out they just ignore them. So I suppose if you have always offered a selection, it’s possible different hogs may have developed a taste for different things.
The females here, who have always behaved fairly regularly have been behaving a bit randomly this year. So with a hog, you can’t always rely on them having habits and sticking to them!
Good luck with the hogs. Hopefully one of them will produce some hoglets. I have been seeing some suspiciously small hog poos recently, but no sign of any hoglets. Maybe they are born fully able to avoid being caught on camera!
