Outdoor New Pigges Take Longer To Bond With ? And Tips

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Jojessgaz

Jojessgaz

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hi all ..... just coming up to 3 weeks with my new girls now, things are moving very slow but I can see progress , I try most of the time to pick them up by the tunnel as its less stressful for us all,
where I got them from the lady has over 20 years GP experience and was lovely and very helpful, but she was of the opinion that the tunnel wasn't as good as getting them
used to be picked up, but I still prefer using the tunnel for my own benefit also
I have posted a couple of times as I have had a nip and it put me off a little. I have sat and read for the last 2 hrs as much as I can take in re help and advise and have gone through all the links for new owners, still refer back to it as there is so much to take in. if its ok I still have a few questions ...
1/ a lot of newbies seem to have indoor piggies....... can anyone offer advise on outdoor ones as I cannot spend as much time outside , we have lap time which started at about 5 mins as one is very scared of everything, the other has started moving round and investigating a little more. re the scared one flossy, she seems to be getting worse ?
she used to just sit there now she borrows under the towel and will not eat or anything, I am just leaving her there with food and the odd stoke over the towel but then
the other now comes and joins her? so I put them back then rather than seeing them both stressed. should I be keeping them out longer ?
2/ I will be opening up the two tier hutch to them next week, hoping they have a look downstairs as its too small for them both just on one level, they both jump onto the carrot house so hopefully they will master the ramp, can you have too much in the hutch ? I have taken away the corner litter tray as they were not using it at all just pushing it round so there
was no room at all for them to move around much.
3/ I also took the tunnel away which is in the bedding area they seem to live in for about half an hr after lap time yesterday as tilly the braver one will come out for food and a little nosey but flossy will live in that tunnel all the time and I have to very slowly hand feed or put down a little veg for her or she gets none of it before tilly has scoffed the lot,
taking the tunnel away she moved around the hutch a bit more , probably looking for her tunnel ! I put it back then and she went straight back into it, is this wrong as she clearly depends on it totally now to hide

sorry a little long winded..... everything sounds good reading it, its putting it all into action and doing the "right thing " that's the hard bit ! thanks a lot for any help especially from outdoor owners
 
I'm a piggy keeper of 18 years standing and I still use cosies, tunnels, beds etc to pick up my piggies if I can't pick them up by hand. I don't believe in stressing them out chasing them around and I don't believe it's copping out, either.
I've had indoor and outdoor piggies and all have become friendly and tamer in time. Some are (due to their personalities) easier to bond with than others. My newest girlie is currently living most of the time in a fleece tunnel. She clearly feels safest in it and while she is in it I can easily stroke her head and reassure here I mean no harm. I can also lift her in and out of the cage with ease and she doesn't panic. I don't think that's any bad thing.
Patience, kindness, calmness and bribery with veggies will pay off in time. There are no shortcuts to making them less skittish. As an old hand, I just worry less about it!
 
I've personally never used a cozy or tunnel to handle my piggies. My dominant boar is the cuddliest thing and though he hates being picked up, I've recently learned if I tell him gently that I'm about to pick him up and put him on the bed for cuddles or out for floor time he doesn't run and seems to have adopted a "let's get this over with" attitude. My submissive piggy on the other hand is not as cuddly but is 100% fine at being picked up. He doesn't run at all. Just sits where he is and wheeks if I take too long to put him out with his adopted brother. Bless him he really is so cooperative and never runs or makes me chase him. He even allows other people to pick him up just as easily. The way I see it the more I use my actual hands to handle them, the more used to it and trusting they become as I never let anything bad happen to them when they're in my arms and always hold them securely to my chest. The only advice I can offer is to perservere. My boys live in my room and it only took a week or two before my first piggy was taking food from my hand and letting me stroke him (especially his cute little nose!) everyday regardless of being in or out of the cage. It'll take some time but believe me, the pay out is totally worth it so try not to get discouraged! Also I'm not sure if this has any merit, but I've heard males are more cuddly/brave so perhaps females just take a bit longer? Like I said no idea if that has any truth to it as I've only got boys
 
Yes I heard that too. But that they also needed more space so I opted for girls. Plus my daughter wanted girls! I had a issue last week where I had the hutch doors open and fed the more outgoing one... she eats from my hand most the time...then I had to wait ages for the other to venture over...Finally she came as I don't think she gets much of a look in from the dish but while I was feeding her the other came over and nipped my little finger drawing tiny bit blood. Can I ask your opinon. ..I was informed that poss she was stating her disapproval that I am in her space cos she wold normally nudge the other away...and so just leave the food for them to get but sometimes I find feeding them is the only interaction I get. Lap time is very short still and grass time they don't venture out if I'm about.I do sit alot outside and talk but I'm not touching them
 
Sorry can you clear things up for me? The shy one came over for food, and the more outgoing one nipped you when you were feeding the shy one? If so i would guess that maybe the outgoing one was a bit jealous or territorial over you, or possibly because you were handling food mistook your finger for food itself. My two both eat from my hands happily and they only ever so gently nip at my nails and one stern No usually causes them to stop and go back to munching on their hay or veg. Sometimes nipping is also a pigs way of testing limits with you. My boys never nipped until they were comfortable with me and knew no harm would come to them. Definitely let your pig know that biting is not acceptable but it could also be a "get out" as you mentioned previously, Perhaps make sure there's plenty of other things to chew on as well as piggy teeth never stop growing. My two have an edible house and a log tunnel that they love to bite on as well as a willow ball and empty toilet paper rolls whenever i have them
 
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