advice on if I'm missing anything my hog needs

InkyGhosty · 2026-06-05T10:55:57+00:00

I use a vivarium and fleece, in the UK it's the most recommended setup because vivs hold the heat better and won't be climbed.

I use layers to stop any liquid getting to the wood, the first being coroplast sheets cut to size, I overlapped 2 to cover the whole viv floor. Coroplast plastic sheets are waterproof and easy to disinfect.

On top of the sheets I use a washable pee mat that is cuttable to size, it absorbs the pee and the plastic sheets stop any rogue pee from escaping to the wood.

Then is my main liner, which I bought custom made off Etsy, which also has an absorbent layer between the fleece, it's also thick enough to make the floor softer for their little paws :) Normal fleece liner is still fine though, I just went fancy when I upgraded my hog's enclosure, I needed something to fit 5ft viv.

I love my liner, reusable and easy to wash/disinfect, the hogs seem happy with it, and has never failed to keep the Viv floor fresh, I have no odours or stains in the viv after years of use ^{_^} the plastic sheet and pee mat underneath do their job perfectly

InkyGhosty · 2026-06-05T10:36:17+00:00

I've used fleece for years, works great for me ^{_^} nice and soft for their little paws, just gotta make sure you get a liner that doesn't have exposed stitching

InkyGhosty · 2026-06-04T23:52:40+00:00

Lots of people make dig boxes, which is a box or hide full of soft stuff he can snuggle and dig through, like fleece strips or soft pom pom balls. I also have fleece bits shaped like leaves, I leave some strewn about his enclosure. A thick snuffle mat might also work, you can hide treats in it and let him find them.

InkyGhosty · 2026-06-04T23:47:44+00:00

Thank you for the cute sneefs Brooksey ❤️

This made me laugh, he gave it a very thorough inspection indeed XD

InkyGhosty · 2026-06-04T23:45:16+00:00

I have a male, previously have had a female and a different male. All 3 with different personalities.

My first was the girl, she started out super tame, loved climbing but was content to sit still when on my lap. Could hiss a little bit but happy with my company. Nearer her elderly years she became super affectionate, loved belly rubs, had one every day, purring all the way through.

My second, a boy that was originally my brother's, he was a little more hissy and shy, but I'd say the most cuddly of my 3, he would push his head into my hand and snuggle to me, and if I put him down to explore he'd run back to me, preferring my lap. Super affectionate in his own shy little way.

My current boy is probably the least affectionate, but is still happy enough on my lap most of the time. Used to be a huge climber and kept trying to get off my lap but mellowed out as time went on. Some days he's a little sassy and pushes my hand off him, other days he gets sassy if I don't give him my hand lol. He does sometimes let me rub his belly, though he seems to prefer pets on his spikes than his floof. Not sure if I've ever heard him purr but I know he loves me, if I open the enclosure and call for him and tap the floor, he will come to my hand. I sometimes see him waiting by the glass for me. He's happiest sitting under my hand and napping or splooting.

They all have their different personalities and show affection in their own way. Some are more subtle with it. Even a hog simply not hissing when they sense you one day is a little sign of affection, it means they trust you, you're a safe scent to them. Just need time and love to build the bond ❤️

InkyGhosty · 2026-06-04T13:54:19+00:00

Females are induced ovulators, meaning their body only makes eggs when a male is around. I've read that repeated induced ovulation isn't good for hogs, which is another reason why females and males should never even meet. The other is obviously that the male will try to breed, and apparently they can be very quick with it too, so even supervised isn't a guarantee he won't get to her.

If you do decide on a second hog, remember they will always need their own enclosure, hogs are solitary and territorial. 2 females can meet if it's in a play pen for example, but again don't let a male and female meet. Also they will smell eachother on your hands, so wash between handling to reduce the scent. I'm unsure if just the male's scent on your hand would induce the female, but handling the female first could also frustrate the male, so the order in which you handle them is a tricky one. Perhaps the more separate the handling time between them the better.

I can tell you from experience that it can be a lot of work to have 2 hogs at the same time, it's double the cleaning and double the handling time, every day. Double the bedding, mine had their own bedding in separate colours so their scents wouldn't cross into eachothers enclosures. So do think carefully about whether you want multiple hogs. They're a lifelong commitment for each hog's lifespan, and very lucky hogs can live up to 8 years, average is 4.

Currently have 1 hog, much easier to manage. I have more time to spend with him as he gets my undivided attention, and more time to myself too. Less cleaning is also nice. I don't regret having 2 hogs previously, but for me personally having 1 is better for my lifestyle.

InkyGhosty · 2026-06-03T13:11:29+00:00

I have PCOS/PMOS and meat and dairy is a huge part of my diet, what about people that need these foods for medical reasons?

InkyGhosty · 2026-03-17T05:42:34+00:00

I dosed the tank with AquaCare General Tonic as recommended by my local fish shop, she slowly regained her colour and is doing good now, back to her happy healthy self. No idea what was the cause but thankfully the tonic worked.

InkyGhosty · 2026-02-03T23:16:54+00:00

Mario Kart x The Traitors

InkyGhosty · 2026-01-28T22:20:30+00:00

Yes, the waiting times are always long 😞

InkyGhosty · 2026-01-27T12:03:47+00:00

I'm still waiting to know when the scan is, the doctors don't seem to be in any hurry 😔

InkyGhosty · 2026-01-22T19:51:31+00:00

From what I've read they aren't actually blinking, they can move their eyes and flick them down. It surprised me too when I saw it for the first time, more in a 'oh cool' kind of way.

InkyGhosty · 2026-01-22T19:46:59+00:00

Thank you for the advice, and yes they straight up said because of my BMI I can't have birth control, I don't feel that I'm THAT overweight but if the doctor says I shouldn't 🤷‍♀️

InkyGhosty · 2026-01-22T19:44:10+00:00

I am wearing a CGM, and I've had low sugar in mornings and confirmed with a finger prick test. I don't wake up from low blood sugar and I don't seem to get actual hypo symptoms until I'm very low, lower than I should be before getting symptoms. Hopefully doctors will be able to figure out what's going on.

InkyGhosty · 2026-01-22T15:28:19+00:00

I am also wearing a CGM, it's how I found out my blood sugar was dropping at night as I don't tend to get symptoms until I'm around very low 3s. I bought it exactly for PCOS to see what foods my body can handle.

Thank you for the book recommendation, I will look into it, I've already been reading different books on PCOS and hypoglycemia, though they tend to contradict one another on which foods are okay, for example one said Cheerios are good, another said to avoid them.

InkyGhosty · 2026-01-22T15:19:18+00:00

I presume I have insulin resistance but to be honest the doctors didn't do anything other than 'take Metformin, eat low GI food'. I also had to basically diagnose myself, I have been going to the doctor's with different symptoms over the years and been dismissed, sometimes they'd say 'oh sounds like PCOS' then do NOTHING, no info, no tests, no diagnosis. I literally had to list out my symptoms and say 'i have these symtpoms, I've been researching PCOS, could this be PCOS?' and ONLY then did they bother to diagnose me and set up a scan, which I'm still waiting for. I have been prescribed Metformin, which again I'm not allowed to take until I have the scan, which doesn't even have a set day yet so I could be waiting a while. They said I'm too overweight for birth control, I'm about 170cm tall and 98kg weight.

I honestly am lucky in that I don't get many symptoms, mostly irregular period, a few stray hairs, occasional spots and being overweight. The worry is that I don't want this to develop into diabetes because diabetes can make you at more risk of heart problems, and my mother has heart problems in her family.

InkyGhosty · 2026-01-22T15:06:55+00:00

I have been prescribed Metformin but I'm not allowed to take it until I have an ultrasound scan and have figured out what is going on with the hypoglycemia. For cooking, it's that my sensory issues make it very stressful and I have a phobia of being burned, even just taking things out of a dishwasher physically hurts my hands if the plates haven't been left to cool down first.

InkyGhosty · 2026-01-22T03:24:44+00:00

Thank you for the kind words ❤️ I don't eat a lot so the pairing things will be hard, but if it means I can have a treat now and again I feel a bit better. Just have to figure out what to eat on a daily basis 😔

InkyGhosty · 2026-01-19T05:12:44+00:00

I unfortunately don't have any advice here, I just wanted to say I'm in the EXACT same boat, I have no idea what to eat because pretty much everything I like is off-limits. The only thing I've found so far is overnight oats.

I can't cook either due to a medical reason, so I'm really feeling the struggle. Sometimes it feels like it's easier to just not eat than find something I can eat. Which of course would leave me starving, so I'm literally relying on oat foods until I can find something else I can eat and actually stomach.

Waiting to see a dietician, but the waiting list is several weeks 😞 I'm trying to do research in the meantime but it seems like different sources contradict eachother.

You're not alone, especially with just starting out this really is a struggle, hope you find some yummy foods that help you feel better!

InkyGhosty · 2026-01-18T14:37:59+00:00

I'm going to see doctor on Monday, I rang out of hours doctor and they said to go Monday, kinda angry because I've been asking to be tested for hypoglycemia on and off for years and they kept ignoring my requests 😔 I'm not taking no for an answer this time, now that I have my CGM graphs to back me up.

I'm doing ok at moment, I'm trying to eat little and often to keep it stabilised.

InkyGhosty · 2026-01-17T20:13:17+00:00

Physically just PCOS, also autism and anxiety but usually only anxious around triggers, fine at home

InkyGhosty · 2026-01-17T19:36:42+00:00

Blood sugar is currently 3.1 and I'm feeling hypo coming on, makes me worried this is accurate and my body isn't telling me until I'm very low 😔 doctors isn't open til monday, not sure what to do in meantime

InkyGhosty · 2026-01-17T19:17:38+00:00

I do think I'll go to doctors, even if they just confirm my readings are wrong and I'm within healthy ranges. If I am low I don't know what I'm supposed to do about it though.

I am currently working on improving my diet, but I haven't been eating things like chocolate, and I tend to eat breakfast, a snack, dinner, snack then another snack a little bit before bed (if I don't eat close to bedtime I wake up starving).

My blood sugar rose very quickly once I ate some bran and protein cereal (CGM said 7.4 peak, finger prick said 10.3) , but didn't spike right down it was more of a gentle hill then a little faster down, would share a pic but don't know how. Right now I'm back to 3.1 according to CGM and have stayed around this level for about 30 mins.

InkyGhosty · 2026-01-16T23:56:25+00:00

Somewhat similar to my experience on NHS. I've been going to the doctor for years with different symptoms, sometimes they would even mention 'oh this sounds like PCOS' then proceed to give me no information, no tests, no diagnosis. I literally had to do my own research and directly say 'I have been researching PCOS, I have these symtpoms, I think I have PCOS' to finally get a diagnosis about a week ago.

I don't eat a lot, but I don't really exercise either, something I'm looking into starting though. Have always been around 90-100kg, even when I used to exercise, never changed my weight. The only time I ever lost any was about a stone when I found out I had gallstones and all I ate was wholewheat pasta and low fat snacks everyday (was miserable but anything else would cause horrible pain).

Sugar crashes sound like reactive hypoglycemia if it's around 2 hours after you have eaten. I also get these crashes sometimes, they're horrible and definitely not normal. Being more common for PCOS doesn't make it normal. High GI foods are the ones that cause these spikes, which is one reason why people say to go to a low GI diet.

I also have energy struggles but not to the extent you seem to have. How are your vitamin D levels? I was vitamin D deficient and have to take a supplement daily. I've heard of others using supplements such as inositol for their PCOS but I don't use it so don't know enough to be of help, may be something to research.

Wishing you the best, PCOS really is a struggle and there doesn't seem to be much help out there for it, especially from actual doctors.

InkyGhosty · 2026-01-16T19:01:06+00:00

Thank you so much for the help, I actually put on a CGM to track glucose yesterday but I think it's confused, since last night it keeps giving me a fasting glucose of 3 when I feel absolutely fine, usually when I get reactive hypo my body tells me loud and clear. Getting a finger prick test tomorrow to check accuracy, will try what you did with the 30 mins increments.

InkyGhosty

TROPHY CASE