New pig handling!

SarahBee

New Born Pup
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Hey! We’ve had our pig babies (2 girls) for three days and decided to use afternoon clear up time to attempt handling for the first time. It seemed to go quite well! Sunny-Blossom was quite easy to pick up but Smidge was much less keen. When both girls were picked up and rewarded with dandelion leaves they seemed quite happy and were vibrating which I’ve read is a positive purr?! So happy with our girls!
 

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I hate to tell you this but a vibrating piggy is a very frightened piggy. When piggies purr they don't vibrate like cats do they just talk to you. Keep handling to a maximum of a minute first of all while they get used to you. Three days is not long to get used to a new situation when you are a prey animal. I know you only want what is best for the newest members of your family so here are some threads you can read:-

Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
 
Aw that’s sad. There’s so much conflicting information out there! We did stick to a few minutes then straight back into fresh hay with fresh food. We will keep trying once a day with just a few minutes. Is vocalisation paramount and what we are looking for for happiness and trust? Would you recommend handling from this early on into them joining our family? Or keep just feeding and talking mainly?
 
You need to gain their trust first and foremost. You know you won't hurt them you need to teach them that.

You have to put yourself in their position. They have been torn away from their family and the only home they have ever known and been put somewhere strange with different noises and smells. There are also these huge giants who make loud funny noises so no wonder they are frightened.

I wouldn't handle them just yet, or if you simply must (cos they are so adorable) just gentle strokes for a minimum amount of time. The best way for any prey animal to trust you is with food. A nice juicy piece of grass, a dandelion leaf or a piece of veg. Talk to them soothingly and use different voices for different things such as poo patrol, breakfast time, veg time etc. Always talk to your piggies so they know that something is about to happen. They will soon associate what is about to happen with what voice you are using. Mine soon got the hang of "DinDins" (veg time). Talk any old rubbish they won't care! I talk to mine about what I have done/am going to do. What I bought in Sainsburys anything. Its about hearing your voice and the fact that they get used to it is what matters.

If your piggies run off don't follow them around, take things at the pace of your piggies not at your pace. Some piggies have a higher prey drive than others and will take longer to trust you. Use the piggy whispering techniques that are in the guides I gave you. Some of them may seem ridiculous but they really work!
 
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