My piggles no longer let me stroke them =(

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I've had my boys about a month now, they're around 10 weeks, and suddenly, they won't let me touch them at all :(

Lune is very confident. When I first got him, he would let me stroke him if I bribed him with food, now however, he comes out as soon as I put my hand in his cage, has a nibble and then climbs on my hand(!), but if I try and stroke him or touch him at all he jumps away.

Six is much more shy and won't come out of his hidey house if my hand is in the cage, but he seems to copy Lune. When Lune let me stroke him, Six let me stroke him, now that Lune won't let me stroke him, neither will Six.

They let me pick them up in their cosies, but again, won't let me stroke them.

Any advice would be appreciated :)
 
It could just be a 'behavioural' thing but if I were you I'd just check that they don't have any skin conditions (like mites or a fungal skin infection etc) as this can cause hyper-sensitivity to being stroked/handled.
 
Just a thought but maybe it's where you are stroking them? My girls don't like back strokes at all!
Be patient and start all over again....... pick them up and only do say one little stroke just on their head between their ears and then offer a treat and don't touch again, next time you pick them up do this again..... then after a few times try a couple of strokes at a time.
They do go thru phases of not liking things rolleyes
 
That's normal and expected.

The first few weeks/months of being a pet, baby pigs can be too terrified to move when you go to handle them. A lot of people mistake this for them being relaxed.

Now they've been with you a little while, they'll begin pottering about their home and becoming familiar with it, but when sensing you're coming near them, they be more confident to run because it's their instincts to.

If they're very nervous, give them something to hide under rather than in (this will help you catch them better), and only give them it a few hours a day and for night time. Nervous pigs will stay nervous with houses because they'll know they can get away from you, it's only reinforcing that fear in them.

Hope that's helped you understand what's going on with them. Continue handling and stroking as much as you can but pigs generally don't 'tame up' very quickly, or at all, so you must be patient with them.

:)
 
Thanks everyone, really useful stuff, especially the 'house' thing... I thought I was being nice by letting them have somewhere they knew they could get away from me!

I'll start over and take it slow, I'm just glad I've not done anything majorly wrong :):)
 
span said:
Thanks everyone, really useful stuff, especially the 'house' thing... I thought I was being nice by letting them have somewhere they knew they could get away from me!

I'll start over and take it slow, I'm just glad I've not done anything majorly wrong :):)
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I only say that because of the fact I've had my more confident pigs inside with house/bridges in their cages before, and they've gone back to being very nervous when I've gone to pick them up because of the opportunity of running and hiding away from me.

They sleep on and off during the day and do need somewhere to hide under in the dark to sleep, if they choose, and bridges (or a box without a bottom) are better because you can lift it up above them. Well that's personally easier for me anyway :)
 
It looks they can have mites. If vet rules it out, try slowly. If you are not patient just grab a piggie and cuddle it a lot :))
 
I'm with the grab and cuddle too. Just get hold of one, gently as you can, and get them used to you. You can talk to the as well, let them sniff your hand, that sort of thing. My girls are still wary of me whereas Luigi just sits there and lets me hold him
 
The Vet!

I picked up Six in his cosy and he let me stroke him for a while today... He only got fidgety when Lune started to call for him!

Lune was getting agitated when I tried to pick him up and jumped straight out of his cosy, so I bribed him with some parsley and he let me stroke the top of his head and his side, but not his back.

I have been worried about mites since reading the above posts, so I phoned the vet at lunch who said I could either go in tomorrow for an emergency appointment if I was very concerned, or I could go in on Friday for a check up. I said Friday would be fine, but I'll keep a very close eye on them both.
 
If they've not had a check up since you've had them then it wouldn't be a bad idea anyway, just for a once over and peace of mind. I hope you're not worrying too much though - as others have rightly said, it could just be their nerves or that they didn't like being stroked in a particular place....I just thought it'd be a good idea to rule out mites etc as it seemed that their behaviour had changed since you'd had them and mites can sometimes cause this type of behaviour.

It's very good to be vigilant and pick up on changes though :)
 
It is definitely worth getting them checked for mites. If they're all clear then try chin tickles with your finger. :)
Rocket's a bit shy because of his age ( 16 weeks ) and hates being picked up but can't resist a good chin tickle - I always give verbal cues for everything too so that they know what to expect ( and make sure the rest of the family use the same ones to avoid confusion), it doesn't take them long to learn and always helps if they have problems with their eyesight later on. For example, it only took the boys a few days to learn that " tickle tickle" meant " I'm ONLY going to stroke you - don't worry, no picking up, so relax!" ;)
 
missy said:
If they've not had a check up since you've had them then it wouldn't be a bad idea anyway, just for a once over and peace of mind.
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...exactly what the vet said :) I'm not worrying too much, if they have mites better to treat it now and if they don't well then at least I know and can carry on with operation cuddle :)
 
Took them to the vet who gave them the all clear :))

They're still not too happy with me picking them up and call for each other when separated, but seem happier with me stroking them in their cage, as long as I avoid their bum area!
 
Young babys

When I got my pigs in May this year I had to spend a lot of time on them to make them feel safe with me. First I just held them without stroking and just talking to them. Then, I used treats to make them interested, at first they did not eat anything out of my hand, but soon the girls where eating. Young pigs are scared, but if you let them be they will become shy and more afraid. But be sure to check out if they don't have a skin condition.

Good Luck to you, just be patientx)
 
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