Pepperdog
Adult Guinea Pig
I cant believe how far little silver has come since I adopted him last year, he was a lonely boy that had never found a friend and came to live with the three original hooligans after they lost flash back in april last year. He bonded with the girls eventually, a little bit rude with minty but he started to learn how to be a pig thanks to my very confident trio. But despite me handling him, talking to him and getting him used to me, my home and all the noises he spent a lot of time hiding. His natural position was hunched up and looking out from a dark spot in the pen or hutch, running away if something scared him or he thought he was scared.
Him just weeks after I brought him home before he got to meet the girls
always hiding
or alternatively freezing till I moved away
often alone under the ramp or just hoping nobody will notice him
My heart bled for him, flash was nervy when he came to us and the girls brought him out of his shell, but was silver too long alone to be anything other than a handy husboar for the girls, was he destined to be this skitty little boy that just hid and never wanted to be noticed?
Well no actually, it happened all of a sudden just days after losing pepper, the girls were out of sorts because my normal daily routine was different and the place while it had been quiet for months was deathly quiet and so very empty. This little lone squeek started to be heard, it wasnt the usual wheek of fudge or crystal, I know them very well, nor the occasional minty wheek, neither lupin or tyrian wheek for food so this little squeeky wheek was new and coming from silver. He was on his own either up the top section of the pen or if the girls were up there on his todd down stairs, wandering about talking to himself. I thought he was just being weird and silly but what I found out as this became a daily noise, the OH when he fed them in the afternoon would put the food where ever silver was in the pen, he felt as sorry for him as I did and would give him a chance to have food before the hooligans came and scoffed the lot.
Well, he has just gone from strength to strength, I now am woken up early mornings from a demand for his food, if I give him (and the others) hay, he wants veg and wheeks at me after 5 mins, if I give them veg, he wants grass, if I give him grass he wants veg, its so funny to hear him be such a vocal boy after finally it seems unpacking his baggage. He is so happy, he loves his little group of girls and no longer hides under the ramp alone and huddled up, he is out in the open and exploring, foraging and being a pig. The biggest change has been that he now touches my hand, not briefly, I can tickle his nose, ok he is trying to see if I have food for him, but he takes food from my hand which he used to practically wet himself and run away before, and I can happily touch his face with him coming forwards to me like fudge and crystal have done for ages. He is confident because he wants to be heard now, he wants to demand food and yes I have now been completely trained by him to bend to his every whim.
the proof, this photo while it looks normal, he is coming towards me in the picture which he would never do previously, couldnt get another photo after this one as he was then too close, but he came towards me, in the outside run, he was confident to do this not run away or freeze or pretend he wasnt there.
So to anyone with a nervous pig, it does take time and it could take longer than it did with silver, but it is fantastic when the finally come out of their shell and show you their personality, whats more because he was a rescue from terrible conditions, it is fabulous to see that given a happy home they come on, they do improve and they do get used to you.
Him just weeks after I brought him home before he got to meet the girls
always hiding
or alternatively freezing till I moved away
often alone under the ramp or just hoping nobody will notice him
My heart bled for him, flash was nervy when he came to us and the girls brought him out of his shell, but was silver too long alone to be anything other than a handy husboar for the girls, was he destined to be this skitty little boy that just hid and never wanted to be noticed?
Well no actually, it happened all of a sudden just days after losing pepper, the girls were out of sorts because my normal daily routine was different and the place while it had been quiet for months was deathly quiet and so very empty. This little lone squeek started to be heard, it wasnt the usual wheek of fudge or crystal, I know them very well, nor the occasional minty wheek, neither lupin or tyrian wheek for food so this little squeeky wheek was new and coming from silver. He was on his own either up the top section of the pen or if the girls were up there on his todd down stairs, wandering about talking to himself. I thought he was just being weird and silly but what I found out as this became a daily noise, the OH when he fed them in the afternoon would put the food where ever silver was in the pen, he felt as sorry for him as I did and would give him a chance to have food before the hooligans came and scoffed the lot.
Well, he has just gone from strength to strength, I now am woken up early mornings from a demand for his food, if I give him (and the others) hay, he wants veg and wheeks at me after 5 mins, if I give them veg, he wants grass, if I give him grass he wants veg, its so funny to hear him be such a vocal boy after finally it seems unpacking his baggage. He is so happy, he loves his little group of girls and no longer hides under the ramp alone and huddled up, he is out in the open and exploring, foraging and being a pig. The biggest change has been that he now touches my hand, not briefly, I can tickle his nose, ok he is trying to see if I have food for him, but he takes food from my hand which he used to practically wet himself and run away before, and I can happily touch his face with him coming forwards to me like fudge and crystal have done for ages. He is confident because he wants to be heard now, he wants to demand food and yes I have now been completely trained by him to bend to his every whim.
the proof, this photo while it looks normal, he is coming towards me in the picture which he would never do previously, couldnt get another photo after this one as he was then too close, but he came towards me, in the outside run, he was confident to do this not run away or freeze or pretend he wasnt there.
So to anyone with a nervous pig, it does take time and it could take longer than it did with silver, but it is fantastic when the finally come out of their shell and show you their personality, whats more because he was a rescue from terrible conditions, it is fabulous to see that given a happy home they come on, they do improve and they do get used to you.
