Is she the "non-handling" kind of piggie?

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

Rocketpunk

Joined
Feb 14, 2012
Messages
36
Reaction score
0
Points
0
I bought Sasha over a month ago from PetSmart. Since then, she has grown by leaps and bounds. She loves her carrots and she popcorns whenever I reach for the timothy hay.

My biggest fear is that I'm not sure how to handle her (pick her up). She does not like to be held, as she always seeks to jump back towards her cave. If I give her even the slightest floor time she dips and runs. I always feel horrible trying to catch her.

She still runs and hides from me into her hidey tube when I am around her, but if I bust out the hay she comes right out and even lets me pet her, nose-to-rump. Any other time, she seems like she fears me and runs and hide. I would never do anything to hurt my sweet girl, but I want her to want me to handle her. Hrm. Any suggestions?
 
My pig Emily sounds like your Sasha. When I got her I couldn't do anything right. We're about 7 months on now and she is improving every day. I find her biggest fear is anything above her. She's a lovely girl when you can catch her, but she shrieks and kicks to avoid being picked up, but as soon as she's on my lap/in her run/having floor time she's wheeking very happily and she doesn't mind being scooped up from my lap, I think she only dislikes the height difference from their cage (which is on the floor) to my arms (I'm normally kneeling). I tell her no pain, no gain ;)

Keep doing what your doing and make sure when you pick her up a treat isn't far off so that she learns that getting attention from you is a good thing. Or you could try picking her up using a cuddle cup, or a towel - I used that trick for a while.

The best thing about pigs like ours is that when they do come round and improve you really see the difference and you realise how lucky you are to have gained their trust.
 
One month is still very early for your little one to get used to being handled. I have had Peronel for four years and she still runs away when I want to hold her but once held she relaxes and enjoys cuddles. Hold your little one everyday and she will get used to it. It can help to give her a little treat of her favourite vegetable while you hold her so she knows being held is something nice.
 
well being friendly when you have hay is a good start you now have her bribery tool. pigs always make decisions based on their stomach if you keep aproaching her with veggies or hay then she'll learn to associate you with food. She'll come around if she's a stock pig then shes only likely to be about 7weeks thats still very young it took maybe 4 months to properly bond with all 5 of my boars and even now ben can still be very feral so dont take it to heart :)
 
Thanks all for the advice. I guess a month is still a little too soon to expect full piggie attention. One question, she only likes carrots as treats. I have tried to get her to eat other things, but she won't. Should I keep leaving them in her cage? They always seem to go all gooey and sticky and I wonder if keeping that stuff in her cage is wrong. Also, is there a chance I can give her TOO many carrots? I usually give her one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening. They are little baby carrots, the size of a woman's pinky. If I try to bribe her with carrots while holding her, will I spoil the carrot as a treat for her? Will she get "burnt out" on them?
 
P.S., I forgot to mention the other treats were strawberries, celery, and apple slices.
 
It's probably a good idea to miss the carrots in the evening, or whenever you have cuddle time, and then she can have them as a treat for being held. Clear away food once it starts going mushy but don't worry about it too much. I often find food that's been 'stored' somewhere and they just don't touch it once it's gone bad.
 
I don't think that sounds like too many carrots (others may say different) My boys get carrot every day, they love them. Have you tried her with other veg? It keeps things interesting if you offer a wide range XX
 
Mine adore cucumber! Also celery, and ground elder from the garden. I try to rotate what I give them, apart from their nuggets and hay which they have all the time, so they'll have sticks of celery, then cucumber and then ground elder throughout the day. All hand fed, apart from cauliflower stalks which I leave for them. I also got them some corn on the cob which I left in and which they've been gnawing on. I occasionally give them some carrot, but not every day.

I've only had them two weeks, mind you, so I'm no expert! :)
 
Mine love spinach, kale, red and rainbow chard, parsley (aka piggy crack), cilantro, cherry tomato's, celery (chopped real small), cucumber (mine only like the peel), green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, turnip greens, bell peppers, radishes, corn on the cob, they LOVE any type of melon, clementine oranges and banana chips.

Also, piggies do really well in groups or pairs. You should look into getting another female to bond with or a neutered boar. I have 3 sows that get along wonderfully and I find they are less afraid when they are together. I have had my girls for about a month, they are 10 weeks and still run from me sometimes, give them more time, I am sure they will come around.
 
Well, I have tried giving her some of these things, but she ignores them. She's ignored celery, apples, strawberries, and cucumbers. They all get mushy and nasty so I remove them from her cage. I know she loves carrots, so that's what I give her. Now that I know she could get sick from too many carrots, I guess I need to get her into other stuff. I read somewhere that celery is just as bad in that it is too fibrous and could lead to stool problems. Should I just stock up on some vegs (peppers, cukes, etc.,) and deny her her favorite carrot treats? Just leave them in the cage until she decides to try them? I'd feel horrible hearing her wheek for me in the morning and me not give her a carrot, but something else she may not like. Hmm.
 
mrs.torres2566 said:
Mine love spinach, kale, red and rainbow chard, parsley (aka piggy crack), cilantro, cherry tomato's, celery (chopped real small), cucumber (mine only like the peel), green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, turnip greens, bell peppers, radishes, corn on the cob, they LOVE any type of melon, clementine oranges and banana chips.

Also, piggies do really well in groups or pairs. You should look into getting another female to bond with or a neutered boar. I have 3 sows that get along wonderfully and I find they are less afraid when they are together. I have had my girls for about a month, they are 10 weeks and still run from me sometimes, give them more time, I am sure they will come around.
Click to expand...

I really would love to get Sasha a companion, but I'm just not sure I can afford a bigger cage. Sasha's current cage is 28" x 17". She is comfortable in it. If I get a second sow, will the two be able to coexist in her current cage? Now that I'm doing research and I realize they are better off in pairs, I feel horrible for keeping her isolated. She popcorns like crazy in the mornings and evenings, and whenever I rustle her hay bag, so I know she's somewhat happy. I feel guilty for getting only one now that I know they should be bought in pairs.

A prompt reply would be helpful, as I feel like going out tomorrow to get her a companion.
 
I Know it seems mean not giving her what she wants but its more mean to let her get poorly. We had a lone piggy for a couple of weeks while we were waiting for our boar and there is such a difference in them when you have 2. With some veggies we have had to just keep trying with them until they get used to them.
 
That cage is way too small even for one pig. You need to look at a bigger cage. The minimum is 2ft x 4ft yours is 1ft5 x 2ft4"
 
Hi. It would definately be a good idea to get another piggy for yours. They also stimulate each other to eat so this might help getting your piggy to eat more veg.

My girls love chicory, parsley, spring and baby greens, baby corn and corn on the cob, cucumber, tomato, the odd grape, pear, apple, brocolli, carrot, dandelions, savoy cabbage, cauliflower leaves and honeydew melon.

Hope that this helps you
 
guinea pig's are prey animals so naturally fear things above them like a predator would be, you'll get there, the way to a piggys heart is definately through his/her stomach ;) so keep on bribing him with veggy's and you're confidence will grow and so will his :)p
 
Well, I should be getting my tax returns within the next few days, so as soon as that money arrives I am going to get another sow and a waaaay bigger cage and then hope for the best. Thanks all of you for the advice.
 
HyperHeavenly said:
That cage is way too small even for one pig. You need to look at a bigger cage. The minimum is 2ft x 4ft yours is 1ft5 x 2ft4"
Click to expand...

As soon as my tax returns roll in (should be any day now), my first priority is to a) find my Sasha a sow companion, and b) get a REALLY big cage.

My own room is rather small (I live in a 3 bedroom house), but I think I can allow floor time, as long as it's supervised by me. Honestly I don't mind sacrificing my own space for a huge cage. I didn't realize how social these creatures are until now.
 
UPDATE!

I got my tax returns and the first thing I did was get another sow and an even BIGGER cage! :-)

They seem to be acclimating well, and I feel a sense of relief knowing I helped both piggies to be happy. Woo hoo!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top