Not petting your pigs - thoughts please.

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Hermes

Hermes

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I love piggie cuddles as much as they next person but for the sake of discussion I was wondering what people thought about keeping pigs in a manner where all their needs are met but they are not handled (i.e. touched/picked up) any more than strictly necessary (healthchecks, nail clipping, exercise time).
 
Guinea pigs don't need to be cuddled, of course. The down side of minimal handling is that when you NEED to handle them (nail clipping, grooming, bathing, vet trips etc.) it is that much more stressful for them if they're not used to it. Problems like lumps and skin disease are also likely to be picked up sooner in handled pigs.
 
I think not petting your pig or any other animal is cruel.
everyone needs love and attention. abandoned babies need to be held every day so they feel human touch. parents get kids pets to teach them responsibility and love to another creature.

a pet would never get use to a person without being cuddled and spoken to on a regular basis, they wouldnt never relax in full and give love back.

looking at my two pigglets, i cant imagine not picking them up and cuddling them .
 
I have 2 pigs that WON'T tolerate handling (Jessie and Rodger) my 3 others seem to love a cuddle!

If my pigs don't seem comfortable with being handled then that is fine by me - i'm more than happy to make their lives special in other ways.

Rodger is that objective to handling that i have to use a cozy to get him out - the only time i can handle him is during bath time as he just freezes (we make it quick and clip his nails at the same time)

I don't believe any animal NEEDS handling - i think that is more a behaviour of humans to show affection.
 
heh i cannot even go to school without giving all mine a morning pat each lol
 
AnnaB said:
I think not petting your pig or any other animal is cruel.
everyone needs love and attention. abandoned babies need to be held every day so they feel human touch. parents get kids pets to teach them responsibility and love to another creature.

a pet would never get use to a person without being cuddled and spoken to on a regular basis, they wouldnt never relax in full and give love back.

looking at my two pigglets, i cant imagine not picking them up and cuddling them .
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Human babies need human contact, guinea pigs need guinea pig contact! If you want your pets to be tame, then yes, you must handle them, but plenty of animals live in the wild and don't miss humans at all.
 
Interesting point, as it's not actually a natural act for them is it?
On the other hand one of my boys is s total lap piggy and will happily sprawl out on my lap and be fussed all day. However this is surely because I have always handled him?
All my pigs are very chilled out and seem to like a fuss and a chin rub but again I suppose this is because they live in my kitchen and I interect with them all the while. However I can't imagine not cuddling them anyway :))
 
well as i go to school still and work part time i cannot have hours of hours with them everyday but the days i can like holidays i cannot imagine not trying to have ever second with them, last holidays my oh got jealous for i had piggy fever
 
I prefer to strike a balance between handling and cuddling - all my piggies get handled regularly to get them used to grooming/treatment/weight checks, but I cuddle piggies only for as long and as much as they like. Their main focus is their group.

I don't feel like anybody/anypig is losing out because my piggies interact freely with me throughout the day, even more so when I sit on the floor with them. Some like Hywel don't mind a pet from me, but you should see the fuss he's creating when on my lap, especially at nail clipping time! I also have some real cuddlers and they get their regular cuddles!

Not all piggies love being held and cuddled. I can happily live with that and not love them any less for it.
 
Yeah mine are all different. Hamish could spend all day on your lap and besides having a wee patch on your trousers life would be great, Arran too loves to veg out on you and go all flat and cuddly. Suilven likes cuddles on his terms but will definately tell you when he's fed up and want's back on the floor please mummy....
Angus is a real wriggler and only just tolerates a bit of fuss now and again. He prefers piggy company and running around causing chaos.

Although I love my cuddles I've had plenty of non-cuddly pigs in the past and as long as they have company of their own kind then they've been perfectly content.
 
I have 5 pigs - a duo and trio

3 of them come up to me when I am near their cage and stick thier noses out, they get chin tickles and ear scratches

1 is totallly disinterested

1 runs away

my duo I have had since december and they are about 1.5 - 2 years old, they get handled for a quick cuddle every other day, get floortime (which they dont seem to like at all as they try to get back in their cage) once per week, they get chin scratches and head tickles daily, and foot baths weekly as they are on fleece and their feet get manky!

my trio are hilarious , 1 stands up at the bars, one just carries on doing whatever she was doing and one runs away squeeling. the one who wants the attention gets a cuddle every night and sits on my sofa, the disinterested one gets a cuddle and a tickle now and again and the squeeler gets picked up during clean outs as she really hates it!
 
Handle with care

I have cuddled my Peruvian nearly every day since he was my pet. If two days go by without this bonding he becomes anxious and whines. Fussing over him with care generates a lovable creature.
 
fudge hates it, crystal thinks I am going to do something to her (and normally am like bathing or putting louse powder on), flash likes it as does minty.

I think saying its cruel not too is a little extreme after all naturally they wouldnt be handled as a cuddle everyday so if you handle them as I do when you can but respecting not to chase them around a pen/cage as they dont like it cos they dont like it, (could be seen as cruel too).

Its vital to examine and handle them regularily as a good husbandry/pet ownership to check for illness and problems but its not very nice to make anyone feel guilty because they dont have lots of lap times. Each of love our piggies greatly, that is evident, but not everyone has the same relationship with their pigs, like wibeke I prefer them to be a happy group together, doing their piggy thing, I dont cuddle mine daily but am able to hold them and do what I need to. They are not wild, they are not timid, they dont like being caught and never have done but are happy to be held (ok fudge does protest), they are happy to come up to me and interact with me so I am happy with how they want the relationship to progress, they dictate how I handle them.
 
piggie-power said:
I have 2 pigs that WON'T tolerate handling (Jessie and Rodger) my 3 others seem to love a cuddle!

If my pigs don't seem comfortable with being handled then that is fine by me - i'm more than happy to make their lives special in other ways.

Rodger is that objective to handling that i have to use a cozy to get him out - the only time i can handle him is during bath time as he just freezes (we make it quick and clip his nails at the same time)

I don't believe any animal NEEDS handling - i think that is more a behaviour of humans to show affection.
Click to expand...

Basically, this ^^.

Our two don't mind an ear scratch or a quick stroke, but they tend to get fidgety and squirmy if you cuddle them for any length of time. They're ok for essentials like nail clipping, but usually the only time I pick them up is on clean-out day.

I get a great deal of pleasure just watching them explore and watching their little behaviours and habits. They're hilarious pets just doing their thing, I don't mind at all that they aren't fussed for human-pig cuddles.
 
I think if your just going to handle them when necessary then don't get them. I could not go a day without going in and giving gidget attention. I just go in and talk to her sometimes. she runs from me when I go into the cage to get her but when I pick her up and she talks to me and likes the petting. I go in and mess with her cage and she will come out to be nosey. since she is disinterested I only handle her for about an hour at a time now she loves floor time or I let her and bella play on the couch.
 
I agree that by nature, Guinea Pigs would not be petted or stroked etc by humans, nor would any other animal. BUT I also agree that it is important they are used to it enough, not to be scared or stressed out when you do need to handle them - say if they hurt themselves and needed to be helped or, I dunno, their nails needed clipping or vet visits.

I think it depends on the pig as well. I have 14. My 4 granddaughter-pigs all hate being handled. They have been picked up and stroked since birth but they hate it. My grandson-pig (in avatar) loves, loves, loves it! He comes up to the bars and waits to be stroked all over, picked up, carried around sat on my lap and played with. He only asks to go back when he needs a wee, otherwise, he'd be on you all evening!

My 3 piggy-sons all like being fussed as well but not picked up so much. 4 of my piggy-daughters again, don't like being picked up but love being fussed over once they're out on your lap and the other 2 are quite anti-social when it comes to hooman attention. I don't think their previous owners were very cuddly with them at all.

Different personalities, I guess! Same goes for all animals I think, just like us hoomans/ slaves.
 
I don't personally think handling is important. I'd much rather interact with my pigs well they are enjoying themselves, than plonk them on my lap. I find all my pigs are happy to come see me and have a stroke.

x
 
I think a lot depends on the pigs personality.

We have had pigs that have loved cuddles, others who have tolerated them, and one who hated it.

Rose and Martha are very well behaved when handled for nail clipping etc, they just flop and let us get on with it, but they don't enjoy long cuddles, so they just get picked up a few times a week to keep them in the habit of being handled. They have each other for company and snuggles, though.
 
Mine are terrified of me and when I pick them up, whether to hug or to check on them, they freeze and shake. I think it is cruel to put them through that more than necessary. I would love to cuddle them, but that is what I would want, not what is good for them. They interact and cuddle with each other. I check on them, but leave them be.
 
I agree with most said. I am much like wiebke. I have a large group and i do give them plenty of contact on a daily bases but not cuddles all the time. All piggies are different, i admit, all of mine hate actually be caught but some loove a snuggle, others after about 30sec want back home and i respect that. As far as i see, i know my piggies enjoy my company (as the food giver) but i also love to watch them interact and spend afternoons popcorning around their home, they obviously love each others company and the herd environment.

I dont think it is cruel to not cuddle piggies (providing they have plenty of space and company of there own kind). They are not humans and we should not humanise pets, i get very annoyed by it. I do however think that piggies should be handled enough to not be scared for basic health checks, nail clips etc.

Its all about piggies personalities and owners time to give them attention.

x.
 
Mine love to be cuddled, they really relax with me, but are still terrified in the cage, however, one piggy is a real " i will sit for hours!" and one is "here is your piggy kisses and snuggles mommy... now put.me.back!" and i respect that :) Each to their own. If they didnt like cuddles, i wouldnt cuddle them.
 
I have been wondering what people thought about this as I've been feeling guilty for not cuddling my piggies but haven't had the guts to ask. Its not in my nature to cuddle -though my OH is slowly getting me their. I talk to my piggies, give there chins a good rub and other means of attention but i don't feel physically comfortable cuddling anything. On the rare occasion I will let them have some lap time...though they end up squabbling over who gets my shoulder. I'll probably still feel guilty but its nice to know I'm not a bad mum
 
I dont think it is important for them at all. Not unless they are used to it, then its suddenly taken away.

(also, when you cuddle them, its best to do one at a time with boys, otherwise its like your their new terratory, and they have to squable over whos in charge! Thats what ive found anyway..)
 
I have 5 piggies-

1 adores cuddles to the point of her wheeking at the cage to get back to me
1 loves them but likes to be alone too
1 isn't fussed
2 aren't too amused sometimes- has to be on their terms :) x x x
 
Thanks for all the responses, it's interesting to hear all the different views. I don't cuddle my boys everyday but I do talk to them and stroke them whilst hand feeding them their veggies. We also have regular conversations with regards to doors opening and other noises, generally consisting of 'wheek wheek wheek' 'no piggles it's not food'. I probably get them out for cuddles every few days and during the weekly clean out (when my OH does the cuddling). If I have them out they usually get some of their veg then and so are relatively tolerant of beng held and don't mind nail clipping but they don't particularly like being picked up. I'm not convinced that they need to be cuddled but I do think it's good if they are comfortable with handling for the sake of health. :)
 
I have to say, those of you who have piggies that come up to the bars for snuggles, or even for food (and even those of you whos piggies communicate with you) You are all very lucky! :P
 
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