drinking water

Hi everyone

I was just wondering what water everyone gives their hogs do you just give tap water, filtered or mineral water or doesn't it matter?

I give holly fresh water every morning just tap water but I don't know if she's drinking any it doesn't look as if it's been touched, would she be put off if it tasted different to what she was used to before I got her?

Truffle has tap water and seems happy with it. Don't know if it is just me but I do let the water run for a few seconds before filling any animal dish or bottle with it.

(Truffle doesn't have a bottle before anyone is concerned but the rats do!)

yeah I run it a bit first too, does truffle drink a lot? I'm not sure if holly is drinking enough

I wouldn't say a lot but I've gotten used to what seems to be right for him and he looks happy and healthy. If that were to change then I would start to be concerned but he's a contented chap!

I give tap water too, but leave it to run a bit first. Ody and Emo seem to be fine with it. They don't tend to drink an awful lot, but I change it morning and night, so they have fresh when they get up. As Ody gets up in the day I sometimes change it in the afternoon too, so his never seems to go down much. I;ve seen him drinking though, so I know he does drink from it. maybe, if you have chance one night you could wait up in the dark and see whether she's drinking from her bowl. I'm sure she will be, but I know how it can put your mind at rest to know for sure.

aww he looks really cute

maybe she is drinking enough then I have had her for 3 weeks so she couldn't have gone that long without drinking could she?

yeah thats a good idea I might do that tonight it certainly would make me worry a lot less to know she is drinking

I'm like that myself. I worry over everthing and have only recently stopped staying up till the early hours to watch that Ody comes out and uses his wheel at night, as I had worried that he wasn't get his exercise, as he doesn't like to get up till he knows for sure everyone has gone to bed and the house is silent and dark. I'm content now to give him a little poke before I go to bed so he sees the light has gone off and then check his wheel in the morning. Honestly, they have you up the wall with worry don't they.

yes they do! I have done nothing but worry about her since I got her first she wasn't eating then she was eating but not doing a poo and now it's her drinking. she won't get up till I have gone bed either she does play on her wheel a lot though at least 4 hours a night

I know exactly what you mean. I worry a little less about Ody now, compared to how I did when I first got him (to the point where I paid about £150 in vets' fees, just before xmas the year before last, because he was pooing green). But I think you never really stop worrying. Bless them. They're such hardy little creatures too, and I do think some stuff worries you more than it should, but you're always thinking that one thing you might not worry about could be something serious. I remember panicking so much about the little lump under Ody's chin that I ended up at the vets again, soon after that last visit. Turned out that every little hoggie has one, and while no-one really knows why, they all have it and have normally no problems with it. I think if you're hoggie is exercising she's definitely drinking, as I would imagine that much work requires some hydration to keep going, and without water she'd be unable to find the energy to exercise.

thanks that puts my mind at rest knowing she must be drinking then

I was gonna take her to the vets next week just to check her over to make sure she's ok, I can see why you were worried was ody your first hog?

Yeah, he was my first, so he was like my little precious that I became over protective of. Without having an expert vet available it was even more of a worry, though the two available (after help and advice from Pammie) to me are pretty good with them and willing to contact experts to get advice if needs be. Plus, obviously this site was an absolute blessing, as so many things can be asked or discovered on here and having someone available if you need them is just everything you could ask for. When I've panicked over accidentally cutting the quick of a nail or when Emo was choking on a biscuit, someone was online to help me and advise me. It definitely helps to put your mind at rest a bit.
If you have a good vet it's probably not a bad idea if you get a check up to begin with to be sure all is well, but as long as your hog is looking good and doing well eating, drinking and pooing normally, then sounds like she's fine. One good thing with the vets, I found, is their weighing machine. I have a flat one, which I thought would make things easier, but Ody refuses to sit still on it, so his weight goes up and down as he moves around on it. They have a record of his weight the last time he visited, which was quite a while ago, and I monitor as best I can at home with my weighing scale. As Emo sits in a ball he's not difficult to measure at all. Ody refuses to sit still though. haha

I think it also depends on how big/deep the water bowl is, the bigger the bowl the less it seems to go down compared to a smaller bowl.
I have a bowl that seems to be smaller than others in their pics, but I fill it up everyday and there is always a little bit left in the bottom so I know that he has had enough. But I know what it's like to be anxious over the new family members, especially as they are so secretive!

haha, they really are, aren't they. I've spent several long nights waiting up for Ody, and I know he knows full well that I'm there, because he sits sniffing the air, totally still for ages if I make a noise.

We've been known to sit here in the dark with only the computers on to see what Truffle does!!!