PiperandHazel
New Born Pup
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2019
- Messages
- 2
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Hi. This is my first post on the forum (though I’ve tried posting the same thing on a different forum, but it got archived in less than a day and my question still wasn't answered. I'm hopeful that this one might be a bit more professional)
A few days ago, Piper, one of my two pigs, passed away. Hazel seems like she's doing okay for the moment, but I want to do my best in making sure that she doesn’t get lonely. At first, I was worried that it would be cruel to keep her as a single pig, but since getting a friend for her is out of the question (I'm going to college in a few years and wont be able to take her with me, also my Mum DEFINITELY wouldn't let me get another one so close to me leaving), it’s either keeping her as a single pig or giving her up to a shelter (and I don’t think I could bear losing both my pigs in such a short amount of time). When I did a bit of research online and came to the consensus that it’s okay to have a single pig as long as she gets a LOT of human interaction. Before Piper passed, we kept them both in a two-story C&C cage in a low-ish traffic room(I don’t have access to photos right now, but I can add some later if needed). It’s not like they were shut away in a spare bedroom or anything, (they were in a less used family roof off the kitchen), but now that Hazel’s on her own, I want to have her be a bit more present with my family. We can’t actually put her cage anywhere other than where it is (mainly because if she’s in a more high traffic area, it would be harder to keep her away from the vacuum, which is very loud) so I guess I just want to throw up some ideas and see if anyone has anyone to say.
Most sources said that two hours a day is a good amount of human interaction which to me seems like a lot, but compared to the 24 she spent with Piper, I guess it’s not that much. My first thought was to make sure she gets more lap time, but it’s not really realistic to say I could give up two hours each day to do so. I also considered setting up for floor time in the living room, but I wouldn’t want to frighten her. My last, and kind of “out there” solution would be getting a *shudder* pet store cage (Obviously not full time) and letting her chill in the living or dining room with the rest of the family. It seems like a win-win; minimal mess for us and a sense of shelter and security for her. Obviously, I’d get the cage used so that I’m not giving pet stores any ideas that what they advertise those cages for is okay.
Lastly, even though I really don't want to let her go, I know of a really great pig rescue in my area, and if you guys really think it's best find her a new and loving home with a pig friend, I would. As the quote goes "If you love someone, let them go,"
tldr; I lost a pig and am unsure how to make sure my other one gets the attention she needs. The amount of lap time and floor time recommended seem like a lot of work (but I would if I needed to) and I was wondering if i could have her in a store bought cage for a few hours a day so she can be in a more high traffic part of the house.
I wouldn’t want to try that store bought cage idea unless someone who knows pigs better than me says it would be okay, hence why I’m posting it here. If anyone has any other solutions or tips for easing my mourning pig’s stress, I’d be happy to hear them.
A few days ago, Piper, one of my two pigs, passed away. Hazel seems like she's doing okay for the moment, but I want to do my best in making sure that she doesn’t get lonely. At first, I was worried that it would be cruel to keep her as a single pig, but since getting a friend for her is out of the question (I'm going to college in a few years and wont be able to take her with me, also my Mum DEFINITELY wouldn't let me get another one so close to me leaving), it’s either keeping her as a single pig or giving her up to a shelter (and I don’t think I could bear losing both my pigs in such a short amount of time). When I did a bit of research online and came to the consensus that it’s okay to have a single pig as long as she gets a LOT of human interaction. Before Piper passed, we kept them both in a two-story C&C cage in a low-ish traffic room(I don’t have access to photos right now, but I can add some later if needed). It’s not like they were shut away in a spare bedroom or anything, (they were in a less used family roof off the kitchen), but now that Hazel’s on her own, I want to have her be a bit more present with my family. We can’t actually put her cage anywhere other than where it is (mainly because if she’s in a more high traffic area, it would be harder to keep her away from the vacuum, which is very loud) so I guess I just want to throw up some ideas and see if anyone has anyone to say.
Most sources said that two hours a day is a good amount of human interaction which to me seems like a lot, but compared to the 24 she spent with Piper, I guess it’s not that much. My first thought was to make sure she gets more lap time, but it’s not really realistic to say I could give up two hours each day to do so. I also considered setting up for floor time in the living room, but I wouldn’t want to frighten her. My last, and kind of “out there” solution would be getting a *shudder* pet store cage (Obviously not full time) and letting her chill in the living or dining room with the rest of the family. It seems like a win-win; minimal mess for us and a sense of shelter and security for her. Obviously, I’d get the cage used so that I’m not giving pet stores any ideas that what they advertise those cages for is okay.
Lastly, even though I really don't want to let her go, I know of a really great pig rescue in my area, and if you guys really think it's best find her a new and loving home with a pig friend, I would. As the quote goes "If you love someone, let them go,"
tldr; I lost a pig and am unsure how to make sure my other one gets the attention she needs. The amount of lap time and floor time recommended seem like a lot of work (but I would if I needed to) and I was wondering if i could have her in a store bought cage for a few hours a day so she can be in a more high traffic part of the house.
I wouldn’t want to try that store bought cage idea unless someone who knows pigs better than me says it would be okay, hence why I’m posting it here. If anyone has any other solutions or tips for easing my mourning pig’s stress, I’d be happy to hear them.