How do I get my pigs to be more used to me
- Thread starter Riddles
- Start date
Most piggies don’t like being held. Some learn to tolerate it but most never will. Running away when you’re trying to hold them is a very normal response and freezing when you do get them is a sign they are scared and don’t want to be held. They arent cuddly animals and it is a human construct to try to hold them. It doesn’t mean you aren’t bonded with them, but you just need to ‘speak’ to them in a way they understand.
Do they take food from your hand? If so then that is a huge sign of trust but they may still never want you to hold them.
I have six animals - four piggies and two rabbits. None of them enjoy being handled but all will take food from my hand and will come to me voluntarily for interaction at ground level. therefore my handling of them extends purely to the essential weekly health and weight checks.
They will just about tolerate that to varying degrees but I don’t sit and hold them for cuddles. Instead, I sit on the floor and let them come to me for interaction. They come and take food from me and will have a little stroke. They know I’m not going to try to pick them up and they trust to come to me in their terms.
That is usually the most anybody can expect from prey animals.
The guide below gives information on how to use their language to interact with them
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips
Do they take food from your hand? If so then that is a huge sign of trust but they may still never want you to hold them.
I have six animals - four piggies and two rabbits. None of them enjoy being handled but all will take food from my hand and will come to me voluntarily for interaction at ground level. therefore my handling of them extends purely to the essential weekly health and weight checks.
They will just about tolerate that to varying degrees but I don’t sit and hold them for cuddles. Instead, I sit on the floor and let them come to me for interaction. They come and take food from me and will have a little stroke. They know I’m not going to try to pick them up and they trust to come to me in their terms.
That is usually the most anybody can expect from prey animals.
The guide below gives information on how to use their language to interact with them
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips
fluffysal
Forum Donator 2024/25
As above. Try to take the emphasis off holding them and (from my own experience) you should be less stressed which they will sense. As @Piggies&buns said floor level interaction. Sit on the floor with a fleece blanket on your legs and offer food, herbs are almost always irresistible due to the strong aroma. Let them come to you, be patient and eventually they will be happy to climb all over you and MAY get to like being stroked but let them feel safe enough to sit or lay on you first. It's a long process as they are not the cuddly pets they are marketed as but I promise you the first time one of them curls up on your lap it's absolutely worth the time it takes to get there.