They're here... but they are very shy!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Morrigan
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Morrigan

My girls arrived on Saturday afternoon! :D They are beautiful: the smaller one of the two is almost completely ginger with an agouti patch on her face. The second girl is larger and tri-coloured, black, white and ginger with most of the black on her face :smitten: I've named the ginger girl Amber and the tri-coloured girl Flora :smitten:

On Saturday I pretty much left them alone to settle in and just made sure they had plenty of hay to hide in and fresh food. They both came out tentatively and nibbled at some veg, but they are very shy.

Sicne then I haven't really seen them unless I've peeked out from the window (they are outdoor pigs). As soon as I go outside they zoom into their bed and hide under the hay. I put my hand in for a while earlier and Flora - the braver of the two - said 'wheek?' and came to sniff my hand, but soon dashed back in. I'm loathe to reach in and grab either of them, but I would like to bath them soon (they have never been bathed). Any tips on how to get them to trust me / cope with bathtime and claw trims?

Thanks :)
 
Spend as much time as you can around them, talk to them gently and encourage them to take veg or herbs from your hand. Get down to their level so you dont look like a giant. I think outdoor piggies wont get as tame as indoor piggies as they havent got constant household noise and human contact, but try picking each one up and just have some lap time for 10 minutes at a time with a little treat. Let them get used to that before you clip their nails/bath them as that could scare them more!
Good luck :)
 
Ahhhh, can't wait for pigtures.

Lovely names too :smitten: :smitten:

Congratulations :)
 
Thanks to all for your replies :smitten:

Lavenderjade, I thought the same about making sure they are settled before I bath them. I was worried about traumatising them completely but at the same time, I wasn't sure how urgent it was that they were bathed asap as they haven't been bathed previously... if they are OK to wait a little while though I'll work on making sure that they know I'm OK first :smitten: I suspect Flora will be quite easy to win over, but Amber is very timid.
 
If they are just a bit grubby, I would wait. It is only necessary to bath them straight away if they have lice or a fungal infection.
I recommend you get some shampoo from gorgeous guineas in for when you do bath them. Also, get a soft brush and once they are happy on your lap, you can give them a brush which helps their fur no end. Are they long or shorthairs?
 
I would wait for a while, seeing as they're outdoor pigs. Indoor pigs get used to stuff far faster than outdoor pigs, and they are more able to cope with trauma. I would take them inside for long periods of time so that they can get used to you. Once they are completely comfortable with you, then you can give them baths.

If they aren't long-haired pigs then they only need bathing every three months, you know...
 
Thanks again everyone. They are both short-haired. I checked them over when they arrived and they appear to be in good health (no obvious skin problems I mean) so I'll hold off on the baths. I guess it's just been on my mind as a few people mentioned that it would be neccessary to bath them as part of a care routine and it's something I would never have thought of before I started doing my piggie care research! :) I brought some of the Gorgeous Guinea shampoo (I went for the Lemon, Tea Tree and Lavender one) in preparation for them arriving so it's here and ready when they are :)

Lovely squishy pig Flora came out to take a dandelion leaf from me last night :smitten: Amber still isn't convinced so I've held off trying to stroke her and am just talking to her quietly when I go in to change their food and bedding etc. She's less food orientated than Flora so won't come out for a dandelion yet but I'm sure she will in time :smitten: They are such a gorgeous pair :smitten:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top