Panicked pig during lap time

[georgie.gabel]

Everyday I take out my boys food a little bit of lap time. I prefer to take them out individually as they are still young and can sometimes become a bit stressed by one another. One of my piggies takes to it well. I get him out, he snuggled up in his fleece blanket, i give him a bit of a brush and some head scratches, then he stretches out and goes to sleep. My other boy however can be very hit or miss. Some days he will fall asleep, whilst other times he will go into a panic, and won’t stop moving or squabbling. Yesterday I took him out and this happened. After I put him back in his enclosure I noticed he had peed. Could he be trying to let me know he needs a bathroom break? how do i get him to go to the toilet during lap time? He also gets worked up if he hears our other piggy eating. He ends up biting at my fingers, chewing his nails, and pulling bits of fabric out of his blanket. Is there a way for me to make lap time consistently relaxing for him? What is causing him to freak out some days? I’ve attached a photo of him sleeping because I think it’s really cute!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Some piggies just don’t like being picked up and held - it may never be relaxing for him. He could simply be telling you he doesn’t like it.

I personally would have them both out at the same time, or sit in with them so they can remain together. They will be less stressed if they are kept together, particularly if they are young. You need to respect their hierarchy and handle the dominant piggy first.

They shouldn’t be becoming stressed by each other if they are well bonded.

 

[Pigwhisperer]

Yes, he is probably trying to tell you he needs a pee! If you consistently put him back every time he does this, he'll realise you've got the message and start to relax.

We had exactly this with Silk. Trying to hold on and calm her down when she "panicked" only got us weed on. Once she realised we understood - even if she'd only been out a short time, if she got very wriggly or started to bite our fingers, we'd put her straight back - she got much calmer and now she just has to put her teeth on my finger to let me know she needs to go.

 

[georgie.gabel]

Some piggies just don’t like being picked up and held - it may never be relaxing for him. He could simply be telling you he doesn’t like it.

I personally would have them both out at the same time, or sit in with them so they can remain together. They will be less stressed if they are kept together, particularly if they are young. You need to respect their hierarchy and handle the dominant piggy first.

They shouldn’t be becoming stressed by each other if they are well bonded.

Thanks! I’ll try taking them out together. When I first tried having them out together they were very young and had only just been introduced, so maybe now they’ll be more settled.

 

[georgie.gabel]

Yes, he is probably trying to tell you he needs a pee! If you consistently put him back every time he does this, he'll realise you've got the message and start to relax.

We had exactly this with Silk. Trying to hold on and calm her down when she "panicked" only got us weed on. Once she realised we understood - even if she'd only been out a short time, if she got very wriggly or started to bite our fingers, we'd put her straight back - she got much calmer and now she just has to put her teeth on my finger to let me know she needs to go.

Thank you! He was a bit stressed today, weed on me, then moved to a different spot and settled. From now on I’ll put him back in him cage or our “hay room” until he’s used the bathroom.