Hello Tilly And Ginger!

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Lauren83

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They are here and OMG they are so cute! I had no idea they would be this sweet! :love:

I got back with them little over an hour ago, they went straight into a hidey place (but together in the same one, which I thought was promising for them), I left them to it, but just popped in to say hello and Tilly was on the other side of the cage looking guilty by bits of hay that had been pulled out of the hay rack and one of the pieces of carrot I had put in there has been nibbled. Ginger actually seemed the more chilled out of the two when I first put them in, she had a nose around the other side of their hidey hole within about half an hour, so glad to see Tilly has ventured right round to the other side of the cage.

Got a bake sale at my kid's school this afternoon, so will be busy in the kitchen for the next little bit, which is probably I good thing otherwise I would probably freak them out by grinning at them all morning! :yahoo:

Seriously though. So cute.
 
It's so hard to stay away from them isn't it? I'm working from home at the moment & ive hardly got a thing done this past week! Ginger & Tilly sound as if they're getting settled already:)
 
They are the ultimate distraction.
On more than one occasion the kids have set off to school late because we were watching-playing with-feeding the piggies!

Glad to hear Ginger and Tilly are home.
 
Thanks all, mine is a two tier hutch and their 'bedroom' is on the top tier, but not sure how long it will take them to venture up there (have added fleece bottom and railings to ramp to make it easier, but have read that some piggies just won't) so I decided to put a load of bedding hay on the bottom level and Tilly was straight in there!
 
We also have a two tier hutch, and ours started off on the top level. I was so worried that they would never work out the ramp!
It took them varying amounts of time to work out that they had a whole other level, but all of them managed it within a few days.
Now they fly up and down the ramp, and probably spend equal amounts of time on both levels.
 
Glad they got the hang of it swissgreys, hopefully my girl will too in time.

7squeakers, don't worry will definitely be posting photos of my new babies once they are more settled, watch this space! :D
 
Lauren83 said:
Glad they got the hang of it swissgreys, hopefully my girl will too in time.

7squeakers, don't worry will definitely be posting photos of my new babies once they are more settled, watch this space! :D
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Ooh yes please - love pictures of new piggies.
 
Just had my first *moment* with our piggies!

We had had story time in their room earlier in the day, partly so that the piggies could get used to our voices and partly so that the boys could remember that it is 'calm and quiet' around them. Both of them stayed hidden under their hay the whole time. This evening story time though (unfortunately the youngest had already gone to bed) by the second book both Tilly and Ginger came out to have a nose at what was going on. Tilly went back under the hay again pretty quick, but Ginger stayed out and had a wander about the cage and was eating and grooming herself and started making little *chirpy* noises. Even when we stood up to go out the room she dashed back towards the hay but stopped before actually going in and watched us and then decided to carry on with what she was doing.

Was not expecting that on the first night! :love:
 
Sounds like they are settling in brilliantly, and you idea of having quiet activities in 'their' room is great.
You do know that within 2 weeks they will be wheeking at you like mad whenever you enter the room :nod:
 
Looking forward to the wheeks! Ginger has figured out the ramp already, she was up there last night. Tilly was out of her hay this morning and didn't move when I went in, at first I thought she was unwell, but I think she was still half asleep, she moved under the hay when I went to change her water bowl, which leads me to a question.

They have two water bottles on the bottom part of their cage, but I didn't see them use them at all during the day and wasn't sure if they knew how. I didn't want them to then go a night without water so I put a bowl of water in as well, I know both piggies know it's there as Ginger ran through it and Tilly was sat next to it this morning, only thing is, I couldn't tell if any water had been drunk for it or not. It didn't look like it had and no water from the bottles has gone either. How much should my piggies be drinking? When do I need to start being concerned if they carry on not drinking?
 
Where did you get your pigs from? Also what types of veggies are they eating? Most small animals will have encountered a water bottle and know how to use it, and they will not starve themselves of water unless extremely unwell or unable to get any. A water bowl is not the best idea, as they can easily contaminate it with food, bedding, urine, poo, etc. A lot of veggies have high water content and can satisfy a piggies thirst without needing much to drink at all. Just make sure the water is fresh, low enough so they can reach easily, and do not put any vitamins or drops into it as this can effect the flavour/smell and might turn them off from drinking it. I'm sure your pigs are just fine :) new owners worry about everything it's totally normal. I wouldn't worry about it unless they are showing any signs of sickness or depression
 
ok, thank you. I got them from a garden centre, but they get their piggies from individual breeders rather than a supplier (which is why I chose them) so each piggie will come from a different background and I don't remember if I saw a water bowl or bottle in their pen! At the moment I have just got them on carrots (which quickly disappear!). I have taken the bowl out now and will keep an eye, guess it's all part and parcel of being a new piggie mum!
 
Lauren83 said:
ok, thank you. I got them from a garden centre, but they get their piggies from individual breeders rather than a supplier (which is why I chose them) so each piggie will come from a different background and I don't remember if I saw a water bowl or bottle in their pen! At the moment I have just got them on carrots (which quickly disappear!). I have taken the bowl out now and will keep an eye, guess it's all part and parcel of being a new piggie mum!
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If you're really worried cucumber has high water content :) carrots should be fed sparingly as they are one of the more treat like vegetables. Fresh washed romaine lettuce is also a good way to get water into them.
 
Tilly keeps chasing Ginger away, is this normal? They do sometimes sit by each other and seem to talk/sniff to each other and yesterday they were sharing a carrot slice, but every so often Tilly will chase Ginger away if Ginger tried to share Tilly's house with her or gets too close. Tilly is the more nervous of the too, so don't know if she is also a little unsure of Ginger and Ginger is perhaps being too friendly too soon? Or is Tilly sorting out being the dominant one? There hasn't been any biting or scratching and normally the chasing is pretty quiet with just the odd little squeak. Ginger runs away, but normally comes back out and carries on again pretty quick with whatever she was doing. They have a two tiered cage and Ginger has her own hidey place upstairs as Tilly hasn't gone upstairs yet, but more often than not Ginger will be on the lower level with Tilly. I'm confused. Is this normal bonding/asserting dominance behaviour or is this a sign that the two of them won't get along? :no:
 
It's normal dominance behaviour :) as long as it isn't incessant chasing that never lets up don't you worry. As mean as it seems to us, it is not at all uncommon for the Dom pig to chase the other away from food or out of hideys. I have two young boars and my top pig Keiko will chase Milo sometimes but Milo is not at all stressed by this. If you're hearing high pitched squeaks from Ginger it is actually a sign of submission and means she is accepting her role as lower GP. As long as Tilly is still allowing her to eat/sleep/drink all is fine. If the chasing was constant and causing Ginger to be withdrawn/depressed then that is bullying and would require separation. But based on what you've described sounds like normal healthy dominance behaviour
 
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