My Pigs Hate Grass Time!

[rock_hen]

Hi, my baby pigs who are around 4 months old hate grass time. Yesterday as usual we put them out with various tunnels and hidey holes and left them to it for a few hours. I covered half the run to help them feel a bit safer. As usual they spent the whole time hiding and refusing to come out. When I came to get them out they were in a plastic tunnel and they were covered in poo and wee so they had obviously just sat still for ages not moving :-( I wont be putting the plastic tunnel in again thats for sure! What can I do to help them enjoy grass time? Help! I'm currently setting up their outdoor hutch for summer and ithey dont want them to spend the whole summer cowering in the inside part of their hutch!

 

[Wiebke]

Give them time to get used to the outdoors first; that can take the whole summer if they are very timid. The plethora of strange sounds, smells and air movements that is assailing them can be very daunting and confusing.

I would recomment to provide a hay filled cardboard box or two with some absorbent underlay for them to hide in and which to use as a base for their explorations. If they have got a place they feel safe and that they can always dash to, they are more likely to explore from.

 

[Freela]

It might take them some time. At first it's really intimidating. We got Sundae in the summer and the first several times we put her out, she basically sat like a frozen statue and closed her eyes (either in a 'if I can't see them they can't see me!' mode or because it was bright for her. I've noticed over the years that Sundae is a squinter.) As they get more confident and figure out that the outdoors is basically a salad bar where food grows right out of the ground, they will probably enjoy it, but it may take time to get their confidence up. For the record, Sundae now loves it out there and will claw my arm up trying to go back down when I pick her up to take her back inside!

 

[Flutterby]

Time is a fantastic thing where piggies are concerned. The first time my girls went out this year the youngest who hadn't been out on grass where stock still for a long while until the older girls showed them that it isn't something to be feared. 3rd time out they are running around and munching no problem.