Advice please!

[CurlyLisa]

Hi

I have had my 2 sows for 5 weeks and they are now 14 weeks old. They will eat from my hand, let me stroke them and always make a noise when I go to feed them and also when I walk past the cage.

The advice I need is with handling them. When I first got them I would be able to hold them on my lap for up to an hour at a time and they seemed to love being held. All of a sudden this changed and for the last couple of weeks they won't stay on my lap for long at all, they seem to just want to run off and one was so nervous that she nipped me as I was putting her back in her cage. I don't know whether to keep trying to handle them or to leave them a while? Any suggestions please? I didn't know whether they could be going through their adolescent stage as I was warned of this!

Thanks

 

[KimberleysWheekers]

Hi

I have had my 2 sows for 5 weeks and they are now 14 weeks old. They will eat from my hand, let me stroke them and always make a noise when I go to feed them and also when I walk past the cage.

The advice I need is with handling them. When I first got them I would be able to hold them on my lap for up to an hour at a time and they seemed to love being held. All of a sudden this changed and for the last couple of weeks they won't stay on my lap for long at all, they seem to just want to run off and one was so nervous that she nipped me as I was putting her back in her cage. I don't know whether to keep trying to handle them or to leave them a while? Any suggestions please? I didn't know whether they could be going through their adolescent stage as I was warned of this!

Thanks

Mine just scatter when I try to catch them. I have to get in the C&C cage and pretty much chase them around in circles until I get hold of one, but once I do, they are quite happy to be stroked, but I only do so for about 10mins. I get teeth chattering after a little while. Or wee'd on!

Getting off of your lap may be them getting more brave. A couple of mine also nipped me when I was putting them back - I think perhaps because they felt a little unsupported and dangling from a height.

I've read some posts saying that it has taken months and months to get piggies used to being handled. I'd keep at it a little bit each day. They are still quite young.

 

[lulu!]

^ that's true, pigs don't become tame overnight
you might find that because they're still young, they'd prefer to explore than sit in one place for long. It's when they get older that they become lazier try putting them in a small run on the floor, give them lots of things to explore (cardboard boxes, tunnels, nests, treats) and just sit with them and talk to them/stroke them occasionally. they'll get used to you and the sound of your voice, and you'll be closer to them than if they were just in their cage.