Handling problem - getting worse ?

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Mon59

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Hi,

I have posted on various subjects related to my 4 sows. They are around 6 months now.

Most have been answered very helpfully but there is a new problem related to handling/daily checks.

They started off quite nervous but were eating from my hand and removed for checking and nail clipping . I'm not too concerned about lap time but they were coming out almost daily and getting small treats. Even my wife was helping although she is not a big fan and all seemed to be improving.
nothing has changed and they are eating well, but getting them out is becoming a real chore in the last 2 weeks. Even the tamest two run around and hide when they ‘suspect‘ they are being removed. Terrible screeching and wriggling .

I nearly dropped one tonight outside the cage which would have been a disaster as the shed door was open. My fault for not locking the door.

To get them out I have to catch them, transfer into a snuggly , then open the door with one hand and lock it behind me because there are cats and foxes around My garden. All a bit of a performance.

just wondered how to regain trust? no obvious cause or rough handling..

I do try all the recommended ‘nice‘ catching methods but lately end up chasing them around before giving up .

any help please?

quite fed up to be honest and worried that I can’t check them properly.
 
Is there any chance you could house them inside? I do think they often become more tame as they get used to being with humans for a greater part of the day and see humans as part of their group. I think most piggies will run and hide while being approached to be picked up because it’s their basic instinct as a prey animal. If they are fine to handle once caught then you are pretty well there. Some love human company while others are more happy just being hand fed/stroked on their terms, they are individuals.
I fully understand if you can’t, you have other pets, allergies, etc but I think you would find them much easier to catch and spend time with 😊
 
:agr:

Put a pet carrier into the cage and herd them into it, not chase but encourage them along in the right direction. Perhaps use hides or a piece of cardboard to create a wall so they can only go that one way.

The thing is, the more the wiggle and complain about being handled actually, and it may not seem like it, means they trust you enough to tell you they don’t like it. Piggies who sit still and don’t make much fuss are often the most scared.
The fact they don’t like it means it is obviously harder for you to get the things you need to get done, but I found with my two boys (who never liked handling) that it was just a case of being quick but careful and never trying to do all of it at once.
 
That is a good point actually.

They were indoors temporarily and seemed much tamer. They have definitely returned to the wild !

The trouble was hay Everywhere even if you hoover daily which cannot be helped. I have slight arthritis developing in my hands and although quite confident, the nearly dropping incident was what worried me. I thought it would get easier and easier.

My previous 4 pigs years ago were a joy to handle . So calm and quiet. I also have a very dominant girl who doesn’t hurt the others but seems to ‘stir things up ‘

I thought I was being kind getting 4 with a large cage but sometImes regret it .
 
Do you go and just sit out with them in their shed?
Being indoors does obviously help them get very used to being around people and it if of course so much easier and convenient, but having that similar effect outside is still very possible provided you are spending plenty of time out there.
Mine live in my shed and of course it’s not as easy when you need to be getting jobs done in the house but I set aside time to just sit out with all my animals.
I only mention this as you said on other posts that you don’t have space for them indoors.

As I said, if you catch them directly into a carrier, then there is no need to transfer them to anything. Just pick them up from the carrier.
Piggies will not like being picked up by hand directly from their cage.

If space is your main issue for them not being indoors (of course you mention the hay everywhere too), but you would prefer them inside, (i know you have a c&c cage as we have discussed that they aren’t warm enough outside in a shed/garage) c&c cages can be stacked, so perhaps if having them indoors is your preference but to save space, then splitting them up into two separate pairs in two separate but a stacked c&c cages may be an option. It can feel a shame to split up a herd, but provided they are in a pair then it’s fine
 
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Ok. The main concern is not checking them daily ? I can never get all 4 out daily but I do sit with them for 2 hours total every day.

it’s good that they are so active so I’m not complaining, but I wanted some reassurance on how to balance daily checks with not stressing them (And me).

The breeder I got them from had 12 at least in an open shed with separate hutches and they did seem to be a calm herd.

surely I am not the only one with a bit of a feisty mob ?. They have no obvious stressing factors and are very well supplied with fresh hay and coriander.

interested in similar stories …. ?
 
Mon59 said:
Ok. The main concern is not checking them daily ? I can never get all 4 out daily but I do sit with them for 2 hours total every day.

it’s good that they are so active so I’m not complaining, but I wanted some reassurance on how to balance daily checks with not stressing them (And me).

The breeder I got them from had 12 at least in an open shed with separate hutches and they did seem to be a calm herd.

surely I am not the only one with a bit of a feisty mob ?. They have no obvious stressing factors and are very well supplied with fresh hay and coriander.

interested in similar stories …. ?
Click to expand...

We all have similar stories. I wouldn’t think there are many who can pick them up without any fuss etc. What you are describing is what most of us will experience. Piggies don’t like being picked up and while some may get used to being handed but not all will. They are prey animals after all.

My own two boys used to be a nightmare but they have got better as time went on and particularly now they are older . They learnt to associate walking into their carrier with going into the lawn run so that part became easier. Once I picked them out of the carrier was when the fidgeting started. Dexter has a slightly higher tolerance for it and I could get a bit more done with him in one sitting (except hair cutting, he still hates that). Popcorn will sit still for a very short time and as soon as he sees the door to his hutch, or as I’m approaching the lawn run, he will struggle and want to get away. He is much harder work to handle and it has been four years - it’s never going to get better, he isn’t going to suddenly start sitting still and enjoying it.

I think maybe if you are comparing the way your previous piggies were with these ones then this is why you are thinking that your current piggies are being feisty. What I am reading is your current piggies sound like perfectly normal piggies in that as prey animals they don’t like being handled.
None of this is abnormal. It’s not something which needs to be fixed. It is just their normal behaviour - they may learn to enjoy it in time (an by time it may be years) but equally they may never become any different.

Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips
 
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It’s the daily checks of mouth, bum and fur …

as they are young should I just not worry ?. They do all groom and no diarrhoea or lameness or mange Or dribbling.

Thats what I wanted advice on ?

the flip side is missing something worrying…
 
Obviously the health checks need to be done so you need to get hold of them the best way you can. As I say, herding into a carrier and then picking them up from the easiest way, even if it isn’t easy!

You don’t necessarily need to pick all four of them up every day for checks. A lot of the time a visual check of the piggy and the cage is a good indicator. I would not try to do all four each day, or ar least don’t go in with the expectation of picking all four up. Just aim for a more in-depth check on one, or two maybe. But do a visual check on them all. That way each piggy will be more checked twice a week anyway.
Once a week, weigh them all. It doesn’t have to be the same day - itll be easier to remember if it was, but they can all have their own weigh day. Have a white board and record book so you can keep track of who needs what done on what day and then a book where you write all their weights and the date of that weight.

I do a visual check on mine (both piggies and both rabbits) without them being picked up every day - check eyes, ears, no obvious cuts, no wetness around the mouth etc.
Checking bottoms is done regularly but I don’t necessarily pick the piggies up to do it (Except in summer with the flystrike risk, they are definitely being picked up to be moved into their run twice a day so I combine moving them and their checks). I tend to distract with food, give a head stroke and gently lift their front end up enough to see that they are clean at the back end - but mine are in the top half of a two storey hutch so when I crouch down i am already at the right height. It’s good enough to be able to see any obvious and immediate problems. Any diarrhoea or anything would likely be spotted in the hutch as soon as I went in thereby alerting me to an issue before I even went to a piggy and therefore causing me to do more thorough checks.
Even if it is not a time when I am going to actually sit with them ie first thing in the morning when I’m about to go to work, I still wait watch them for a few minutes. Provided they both come out for their breakfast with vigour and are running about, chances are all is well. I know that’s not definitIve but it is a way of alerting to any serious and immediate issues without having to touch them.
A more thorough check is done a couple of times a week.

Daily Care Guides
 
Well . I have tried something..

the C&C is easy to divide in half so I have the two sisters together and the other two in the other half. They complained while I did it but settled down very nicely this morning.
so easier to catch and still plenty of room. They have been touching noses through the divide so not cut off.

also one of the sisters has always liked an afternoon nap, and she was always being disturbed so that fixes that !

also easier to clean out as they can retire to their tube .

let’s see ?
 
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