How do you do lap time?

georgie.gabel

georgie.gabel

New Born Pup
Joined
Jan 7, 2021
Messages
14
Reaction score
4
Points
55
Location
Tasmania, Australia
Hi everyone!
My boys tend do be a bit on edge during lap time before they settle down. I think that they like being touched because they will purr if I scratch behind their ears, but they seem to be a bit uncomfortable when I get them out. How do you do lap time with your piggies?
 
George has a 'snuggle sack' which he is very fond of.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trixie-368...1&keywords=snuggle+sack&qid=1611300815&sr=8-7
He's big and nervous so it took a while to gain his trust but he lounges in his sack and likes a veg treat and a bare arm in there with him for the warmth. Then he snuggles up 💕
In fact he's so fond of this sack that I started to put him back in his enclosure with it (with a snugglesafe heat pad under - very popular!) and he spends most of his time in there in the day - he even comes out to pee so the sack stays dry for days (although obviously it needs shaking out of an evening - ahem) and this is quite a thing because George has always been quite happy nesting in his own leavings and never bothered about a damp tum. It seems you can teach an old pig new tricks!

Sometimes he's happy on a lap for a while but sometimes he's only interested in the initial veg treat that he gets then he wants to go back to his own house. He started initially to get a bit restless and move around which prompted me to talk to him (in the special voice only the pigs get) which of course he doesn't understand but he did start to come out the sack, look up at me and wonder. Now if he'd had enough he comes out the sack and crawls a little way up my chest and gently nips my clothing. I respond straight away to put him back whether it's been 30 seconds or 30 minutes - and I think that as he's felt like he has some say in the matter he's actually been more settled when we start off.

I've never tried the sack with 2 pigs though!
 
I don’t do lap time any more. Mainly because they now live outside. When I did, I’d wrap them in a piece of fleece and sit them on my lap still wrapped. I always took them out together and with the boys, top pig would eventually want to be sat next to his friend. At that point I usually put them back.

One of the girls prefers to sit beside me, so if cuddle her for a couple of minutes then put her in a cat bed thing I bought for them - with hay in there.

I sometimes put the boys on a towel on the sofa next to me which they enjoyed.
 
We usually lure them into a cuddle sack or bed of some kind with a special lap time only treat so we can avoid cornering them.
 
I have two pigs, one loves cuddles, the other just likes to sit in my lap. For the lap pig, I'll just put a towel in my lap for her to snuggle into. The snuggly one just kinda does whatever she wants, which is usually climbing up to my shoulder, and falling asleep. But having something for them to sleep and snuggle into really helps them get comfortable! Towels, blankets, and snuggle sacks all work great.
 
Some of my boys enjoy lap time, others enjoy sitting next to me. I do whatever suits them best. It's the same with picking them up, some will happily be picked up or walk onto my hand (mostly because they associate that with going back into the cage for food), and others I would rather pick up in a cosy when they need to be handled (e.g. for health checks). I also have one boy who will come over for a gentle scratch but hates lap time, hates sitting next to me and hates being handled lol. And that's fine, it's his personality and we have a happy understanding!
I've had a couple of boys who will purr to let me know they enjoy the attention.
I find that by spending time with them during floor time or in their own environment, you can figure out personalities and they will let you know what they like. If my piggies don't like lap time, I don't force the issue. Got to love the difference in personalities! :love:
 
I thought my bitey hard-nut Zara might be appeased by some lap-time and that we could start to build a relationship that wasn't based on teeth. I know gentle, floofy Louise gives a little squeak of fright when scooped but Zara looks you right in the eye like a Boss so I thought a bit of one-on-one would be a good start. As I carried her round the corner to the fridge to select our bribe of choice there was this awful noise - a husky, agonised cry of despair. It was poor Louise pressed up against the bars, so upset she could hardly squeal. I don't know what she thought was going to happen but I put Zara back straight away. To Louise it was life or death... Zara couldn't give a toss. You gotta admire that attitude! I'm going to have to get them their own sack to cuddle in together ❤
 
We do laptime nightly with the pigs in the evenings... they seem to like keeping a routine up. I have a fleece blankie I used to just lay it on my lap and plunk them on the blanket. I'm lucky that most of my pigs seem to really like lap time... both pigs I have right now will pretty much fall asleep on my knee. Some past pigs were less relaxed about it and preferred to sit next to me, or to only be petted in really specific ways (one only liked nose pats and right behind the ears.) I usually hold pigs alone... out of my original pair, the bossy pig used to get really aggressive with her sister when I tried to hold them both at once, so I've got into the habit of holding one at a time from the start.
 
That's a good point @Freela - I've been pondering how to handle a scrap in the sack. George hasn't had a snuggle for a week or so because he's got a new friend Flora and I've been reluctant to split them until she settles in properly. Maybe some sort of blanket 'nest' on the floor next to me so the one on my knee can see the partner and vice versa. We're building up to George's nail trim so it'd be nice if they could be combined because it's normally a proper wrassle! His nails are pitch black and very thick so we have to use a very bright torch to shine through to avoid the quick and the whole thing freaks him out!
 
I prefer to observe them interacting with one another, than make a point of actual lap time! I’m really interested in animal behaviour and I’m currently undertaking a level 5 Advanced Diploma in Applied Animal Behaviour (feline). Although my cat, Priya, absolutely loves lap time, it has to be on her terms and if I pick her up and sit her on my lap, she will immediately jump back down, even if she gets straight back up, within minutes. With our piggies, they all get handled frequently, when undergoing health checks, nail trims and if they are needing medicating or supportive care. However, I don't just get them out for a cuddle, as I feel they much prefer to spend time with their little friends and cuddle them! I love watching a large herd of piggies, as they have definite friendship groups, within the herd and it's so interesting to see how they communicate with one another!
 
Similar to above, at work a lot of our research is carried out by observing animal behaviour. We recently had some Scottish wild cats arrive and they are fascinating. We develop both our animal and equine degrees to have many behaviour type modules as possible
 
Def agree with snuggle sac to pick them up. One of mine sits on a fleece on you happily the other one likes to be covered up, wrapped upin a fleece but has less time as he gets restless and fidgety. Also find he is best if solid something under him like a cushion on my lap for him the be on. Trial and error finding what their indiv preference is, but less direct handling when catching them helps. Mine now walk in the snuggle sac themselves!
For info my snuggle sac was a cat tunnel thing which we shoved a plastic hanger in the creat an opening that stays open!
 
furryfriends (TEAS) said:
I prefer to observe them interacting with one another, than make a point of actual lap time! I’m really interested in animal behaviour and I’m currently undertaking a level 5 Advanced Diploma in Applied Animal Behaviour (feline). Although my cat, Priya, absolutely loves lap time, it has to be on her terms and if I pick her up and sit her on my lap, she will immediately jump back down, even if she gets straight back up, within minutes. With our piggies, they all get handled frequently, when undergoing health checks, nail trims and if they are needing medicating or supportive care. However, I don't just get them out for a cuddle, as I feel they much prefer to spend time with their little friends and cuddle them! I love watching a large herd of piggies, as they have definite friendship groups, within the herd and it's so interesting to see how they communicate with one another!
Click to expand...
I will tell my daughter Priya that you have a cat named Priya... she will probably love that, she is a cat person! LOL!
 
Freela said:
I will tell my daughter Priya that you have a cat named Priya... she will probably love that, she is a cat person! LOL!
Click to expand...
It's such a pretty name. Here is my pretty girl!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0390.webp
    IMG_0390.webp
    18.9 KB · Views: 1
  • IMG_4371.webp
    IMG_4371.webp
    11.4 KB · Views: 0
  • IMG_2472.webp
    IMG_2472.webp
    38.6 KB · Views: 0
  • IMG_1884 (1).webp
    IMG_1884 (1).webp
    27.7 KB · Views: 2
Last edited:
It all depends on what your piggie is happy with. My girls enjoy sat on the sofa on a fleece blanket and nibbling on grass. My old boy Ted used to love to cuddle up on my lap and be stroked. new boy Hectors is a cuddle bug too, lays right out and enjoys a stroke, photos at breakfast today :yikes: excuse the legs
1CE2D237-82BB-462B-8513-40C6466834BC.jpeg
1323053B-E79B-4597-AA2D-5487F58560EF.webp
41E0CA8E-8E79-493D-B8A3-F6EE688C65B9.jpeg
 
I always let my piggies tire themselves out a bit with a run on the floor before lap time, and when they lay down on the floor I scoop them up and sit them on a fleece blanket on our lap. I think letting them burn off some energy first means they are happy to stay longer! I have 2 pigs who will cuddle up on our laps for hours, and 2 who are much more independent and active so I go by their queues but they are all pretty good at letting me know where they want to be!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top