Hi all.
I have a young boar who is about 8 - 9 months old named Zen. He is extremely well adjusted...me and him are literally best friends. He LOVES car rides, and being part of a party scene. Being held by new people, even inexperienced handlers don't bother him and he seems to really enjoy the attention. Nothing scares him really, he's actually very inquisitive about everything, and if it does, he immediately runs to his 'safe spot' in the crook of my arm and he's fine. Alternatively, I use him for emotional support as well, as I have severe anxiety and holding him calms me right down every time. Works better than medication!
I realize I got really lucky with him, he's been extremely easy going from the start (got him right after he was weaned), and I haven't had a single problem with him behavior-wise.
However I also know that human interaction alone isen't enough for a guinea pig, especially if, due to working, he still spends much of his time alone. I just want him to have the best life possible!
My friend owns a small herd of female piggies, and the one he recently adopted turned out to be pregnant. She had one baby boy, and he said I could keep him for Zen. He is now 3 weeks old, and it's time he be separated from mom. I just brought him home yesterday and the introduction actually went very well.
Zen is definitely the dominant piggy, and he rumblestruts around quite a bit, but it is interrupted with quite a bit of grooming and ear licking. Some male humping, but not excessive, and it is never challenged or escalated. They even passed the nap test! Not a single nip or bite from either pig.
I put them in the same large cage, with 2 of everything, sans hut (in case they tried fighting over it at night) and by morning they were laying together, no piggy was hurt or maimed.
The problem comes in with feeding time...
The baby pig will not eat pellets, fruits, or veggies, or even his vitamin c tablet. The only thing he will eat is hay, which of course, is not very nutritious, and I'm worried about him because he is already pretty thin.
He will try and eat whatever Zen is eating...but only out of the same bowl/same piece, and even then it's scarcely more than a nibble. If I leave him alone in the couch with me, or in his cage, he just cowers in a corner, refusing to touch any food, even the hay. Yesterday I left him alone for hours and he wouldn't even move. :C
I don't know how to tackle this...he is a very scardy-cat kind of pig, and seems extremely dependent on another pig to do anything...how can I get him to eat on his own, and/or eat anything at all in general?
I have a young boar who is about 8 - 9 months old named Zen. He is extremely well adjusted...me and him are literally best friends. He LOVES car rides, and being part of a party scene. Being held by new people, even inexperienced handlers don't bother him and he seems to really enjoy the attention. Nothing scares him really, he's actually very inquisitive about everything, and if it does, he immediately runs to his 'safe spot' in the crook of my arm and he's fine. Alternatively, I use him for emotional support as well, as I have severe anxiety and holding him calms me right down every time. Works better than medication!
I realize I got really lucky with him, he's been extremely easy going from the start (got him right after he was weaned), and I haven't had a single problem with him behavior-wise.
However I also know that human interaction alone isen't enough for a guinea pig, especially if, due to working, he still spends much of his time alone. I just want him to have the best life possible!
My friend owns a small herd of female piggies, and the one he recently adopted turned out to be pregnant. She had one baby boy, and he said I could keep him for Zen. He is now 3 weeks old, and it's time he be separated from mom. I just brought him home yesterday and the introduction actually went very well.
Zen is definitely the dominant piggy, and he rumblestruts around quite a bit, but it is interrupted with quite a bit of grooming and ear licking. Some male humping, but not excessive, and it is never challenged or escalated. They even passed the nap test! Not a single nip or bite from either pig.
I put them in the same large cage, with 2 of everything, sans hut (in case they tried fighting over it at night) and by morning they were laying together, no piggy was hurt or maimed.
The problem comes in with feeding time...
The baby pig will not eat pellets, fruits, or veggies, or even his vitamin c tablet. The only thing he will eat is hay, which of course, is not very nutritious, and I'm worried about him because he is already pretty thin.
He will try and eat whatever Zen is eating...but only out of the same bowl/same piece, and even then it's scarcely more than a nibble. If I leave him alone in the couch with me, or in his cage, he just cowers in a corner, refusing to touch any food, even the hay. Yesterday I left him alone for hours and he wouldn't even move. :C
I don't know how to tackle this...he is a very scardy-cat kind of pig, and seems extremely dependent on another pig to do anything...how can I get him to eat on his own, and/or eat anything at all in general?
