Bar Interaction

piggl

piggl

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Due to our new run setup my 5 year old boar can now interact with my 5 month old + 8 week old boar pair through bars, for around 10-12 hours a day.

The issue is the area the pair have now is much larger, and they aren’t really that interested in poor Winston so i’ve mostly found my old boy just sat staring into the pairs run, almost waiting for one of them to come up and interact with him.
He does go back and forth from lying down and eating hay to looking but I feel sad seeing him just peer into their area.

I’ve also found him with his fur puffed up a few times the past few days and i’m really worried he’s either sick or cold. He seems healthy aside from a squeak he always has in his nose and his slight back pain. He is currently not on pain killers to manage his back pain as we believed it was majorly caused by his you her friend, but now i’m wondering if he may need to be on painkillers full time.
He has a slight hardening in one of his back knees but nothing major.

I also cant take him inside even though it does get really quite cold here, but he has plenty of places to hide and loads of hay to snuggle into.

I just feel really anxious about the whole thing, everytime I want to be happy about the setup something else comes up and makes me really anxious.
 
Your set up is now absolutely fine, I’ve seen it and discussed it with you.
Remember, interaction is more than just sitting looking at each other - he is in the vicinity of other piggies and that is what counts here.
My two single side by side boys are not always looking at each other and actually at the bars.

Regarding any pain, all you can do is discuss that with the vet.
 
I am sorry you are feeling anxious about your set up.
Has Winston been xrayed to see if he has arthritis and how bad it is? I have 2 old boys on Metacam for life due to arthritis.
The younger two are new to each other and will probably calm down and interact with Winston more when they are not so excited with each other.
Have you got some snuggle safes to help keep Winston warm? My arthritic oldies have them in front of their houses on cold winter nights, they are indoors but we turn the heating off at night. I like to have the snuggle safes by them rather than in the house so they can move away from the heat if they want to.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Your set up is now absolutely fine, I’ve seen it and discussed it with you.
Remember, interaction is more than just sitting looking at each other - he is in the vicinity of other piggies and that is what counts here.
My two single side by side boys are not always looking at each other and actually at the bars.

Regarding any pain, all you can do is discuss that with the vet.
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I understand.
It’s just the one sided looking that’s making me nervous.

Thanks for your reply.
 
piggieminder said:
I am sorry you are feeling anxious about your set up.
Has Winston been xrayed to see if he has arthritis and how bad it is? I have 2 old boys on Metacam for life due to arthritis.
The younger two are new to each other and will probably calm down and interact with Winston more when they are not so excited with each other.
Have you got some snuggle safes to help keep Winston warm? My arthritic oldies have them in front of their houses on cold winter nights, they are indoors but we turn the heating off at night. I like to have the snuggle safes by them rather than in the house so they can move away from the heat if they want to.
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I do have snuggle safes but I don’t normally use them until it’s cooler.

Do you just leave them in the open in the cover or do you do something more for it? Because I always thought they were too hard to be used on their own.

I also cant really afford to get an x-ray right now. But he is still showing signs of pain/discomfort or cold, and it doesn’t help that I cant figure out the difference but I do think I will be talking to the vet about potentially daily painkillers.
 
piggl said:
I do have snuggle safes but I don’t normally use them until it’s cooler.

Do you just leave them in the open in the cover or do you do something more for it? Because I always thought they were too hard to be used on their own.

I also cant really afford to get an x-ray right now. But he is still showing signs of pain/discomfort or cold, and it doesn’t help that I cant figure out the difference but I do think I will be talking to the vet about potentially daily painkillers.
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They need the fleece cover on them but they are absolutely fine to just be put in the cage. You don’t need to do anything else - they aren’t too hard to be used on their own.
I tend to cover some hay over mine but only because it seems help hold the warmth in them more.

If his body (his ears) feels warm then his puffing up could well l be down to pain.

Older piggies find if harder to stay warm so use them if it is less then 18-22 degrees in the garage
 
I just put them in in the covers but mine don't sit on them, they are just there to heat the surrounding air really. I have very occasionally seen one of my pigs lying against one.
 
Do they work like piggy radiators?

I just always used to put them under quite a lot of hay in fear they would burn them.
 
piggl said:
Do they work like piggy radiators?

I just always used to put them under quite a lot of hay in fear they would burn them.
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It provides a warm spot should they choose to sit on it (mine sometimes do). They also warm the air very slightly around - they aren’t going to warm up the whole space though.
They will not get burnt on them. The fleece covers stop them coming into contact with them.
They are fine on their own or under hay.
They are one of the safest ways to provide warmth for them - you don’t need to worry.
 
What bedding do you have your pigs on?

I’m thinking about it and I am really nervous about my boys being on fleece all winter considering things can get really damp, and taking them inside isn’t an option anymore so I want to be best prepared.

Winston will be staying on fleece due to his nasal issues and he is only on two bath mats so they are much easier to change out, but the pair are on 5 bath mats which is much harder to change regularly, due to costs and the work needed for it.

My mum is not particularly jumping at the idea since we just spent £80 on brand new bath mats to fill out their cage. What do you spend monthly on bedding?
She’s already not particularly excited about the amount of hay I go through in the winter let alone asking for another expense.

My boys used to be on wood shavings but I know there are more options out there, I am wondering if you would be able to share your opinions on pricing etc. as I know your boys are on disposable bedding aswell.
 
piggl said:
What bedding do you have your pigs on?

I’m thinking about it and I am really nervous about my boys being on fleece all winter considering things can get really damp, and taking them inside isn’t an option anymore so I want to be best prepared.

Winston will be staying on fleece due to his nasal issues and he is only on two bath mats so they are much easier to change out, but the pair are on 5 bath mats which is much harder to change regularly, due to costs and the work needed for it.

My mum is not particularly jumping at the idea since we just spent £80 on brand new bath mats to fill out their cage. What do you spend monthly on bedding?
She’s already not particularly excited about the amount of hay I go through in the winter let alone asking for another expense.

My boys used to be on wood shavings but I know there are more options out there, I am wondering if you would be able to share your opinions on pricing etc. as I know your boys are on disposable bedding aswell.
Click to expand...

Ok, so I have six animals - two rabbits who have a hutch within their enclosure and the hutch is filled with bedding and hay, and then the four piggies (a pair and two singles). - so 4 enclosures to fill.

I use snowflake softchip and then topped with meadow hay.
I buy both the softchip and meadow hay from a local farm so it is much cheaper.

I pay £7 For a 20kg bale of softchip. (i know on Amazon it is £16. One of the pet shops near me sells it for £12-13)
This lasts around six weeks.
I buy a bale of meadow hay for £7.45.
The meadow hay bale lasts anywhere from 5-8 weeks depending on time of year (obviously use more in winter).
I also buy a 15kg bale of orchard hay for eating from Happy Hay co online - £31
The orchard hay is on subscription for every 5 weeks but I’ve usually still got some left over by the time the next lot is delivered.

I love the softchip as it is heavier than shavings so I can sweep the poops off the top, remove wet areas but leave a lot of it untouched each day. in fact it doesn’t always need to be removed fully even after a week particularly in the rabbits hutch and for Wilbur and Hugo’s cages. Dexter and popcorn are very messy so they do need a full removal of all bedding each week.


I have also used megazorb in the past which I really like. I used to get it from Amazon and I only stopped using it because my local farm sells the softchip which is cheaper and bigger.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Ok, so I have six animals - two rabbits who have a hutch within their enclosure and the hutch is filled with bedding and hay, and then the four piggies (a pair and two singles). - so 4 enclosures to fill.

I use snowflake softchip and then topped with meadow hay.
I buy both the softchip and meadow hay from a local farm so it is much cheaper.

I pay £7 For a 20kg bale of softchip. (i know on Amazon it is £16. One of the pet shops near me sells it for £12-13)
This lasts around six weeks.
I buy a bale of meadow hay for £7.45.
The meadow hay bale lasts anywhere from 5-8 weeks depending on time of year (obviously use more in winter).
I also buy a 15kg bale of orchard hay for eating from Happy Hay co online - £31
The orchard hay is on subscription for every 5 weeks but I’ve usually still got some left over by the time the next lot is delivered.

I love the softchip as it is heavier than shavings so I can sweep the poops off the top, remove wet areas but leave a lot of it untouched each day. in fact it doesn’t always need to be removed fully even after a week particularly in the rabbits hutch and for Wilbur and Hugo’s cages. Dexter and popcorn are very messy so they do need a full removal of all bedding each week.


I have also used megazorb in the past which I really like. I used to get it from Amazon and I only stopped using it because my local farm sells the softchip which is cheaper and bigger.
Click to expand...
Is this the one you are speaking about - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Snowflake-...00TIR30GW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
People say it is sharp which makes me nervous but if that amount lasts over a month thats quite good, have you ever bought from amazon?

I have also had a look at auboise bedding but it also looks very sharp - https://www.amazon.co.uk/BW-Aubiose...8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1
 
piggl said:
Is this the one you are speaking about - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Snowflake-...00TIR30GW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8
People say it is sharp which makes me nervous but if that amount lasts over a month thats quite good, have you ever bought from amazon?

I have also had a look at auboise bedding but it also looks very sharp - https://www.amazon.co.uk/BW-Aubiose-Pet-Bedding/dp/B00CMCYZH8/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2RNF6SG75UYY8&keywords=auboise+bedding&qid=1694974236&sprefix=auboise+bedding,aps,140&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1
Click to expand...

Yes that’s the one. No it’s not sharp.
I used to get from Amazon, (I obviously now go to the farm because it’s half the price).

Yes aubiose is also very nice. Not sharp.
I have also used aubiose but stopped because it is more expensive
 
Piggies&buns said:
Yes that’s the one. No it’s not sharp.
I used to get from Amazon, (I obviously now go to the farm because it’s half the price).

Yes aubiose is also very nice. Not sharp.
I have also used aubiose but stopped because it is more expensive
Click to expand...
Did it stink? Theres some bad reviews saying its horrible but then theres also great ones.

Thanks you very much for your help!
 
piggl said:
Did it stink? Theres some bad reviews saying its horrible but then theres also great ones.

Thanks you very much for your help!
Click to expand...

No it doesn’t smell. Just has a similar woody smell that shavings do.

I have tried so many beddings over the years - shavings, aubiose, megazorb, soft chip, finacard….they’re all fine.
No issues with any of them - the thing which has always had me going bag to the softchip is the price at the farm and how long a bale lasts.
 
For Snugglesafes, I don't have mine in the covers. I actually don't know where the covers even are, heh. Mine sit in the base of cuddle cups with a fleece pad on top. Nice and warm, but no chance of them getting a burn from direct contact.
 
Piggies&buns said:
No it doesn’t smell. Just has a similar woody smell that shavings do.

I have tried so many beddings over the years - shavings, aubiose, megazorb, soft chip, finacard….they’re all fine.
No issues with any of them - the thing which has always had me going bag to the softchip is the price at the farm and how long a bale lasts.
Click to expand...
I’ve ordered the softchip from amazon, fingers crossed it works out for us!
 
I've not found soft chip to be hard although I've not used it for a while as I use all fleece now.
 
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