When will my pigs trust me?

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8daysawheek

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Hi, I just adopted 2 boars two weeks ago and they're 5 - 6 months old. One is the boss over the other one and he's actually a little more confident sniffing my finger than the other one.

I've picked them up a few times over the last 2 weeks but a few days ago, I accidentally hurt the meeker one's foot. He was lifting it a little for a day or so but still moved around, acted normally otherwise. He seems ok now.

Now, I'm afraid to even attempt picking them up as they squirm and run.

They come out for exercise, get veggies from my hand and are in the front room with us but I don't know if they'll get used to handling at their age.

I'm not unfamiliar with handling animals as we have 37 rescue bunnies besides our dog & cat. Many of our bunnies have behavioural issues too.

Thanks for any encouragement!:)
 
Most pigs will run when you put your hand in their cage, it is their natural instinct. Mine still run & they're all over 2yrs.

For them to be taking food from your hands is a positive & being in the same room as you allows them to get used to all the noises of your home, they will, in time, associate you with nice things (veggies).
Two weeks isn't very long but with time & patience they will get better tho' they may always dislike being picked up, it depends on the individual pig.
You could put the boys into something to transfer them from the cage ie an upturned pigloo which won't allow them to wriggle.

Talk to them all the time as you pass their cage, they aren't daft, they soon know the voice who brings food & they will respond.

I have a boar who was terrified of humans when i first adopted him, i used to put him in a cat igloo & sit watching tv with him at my side, the igloo gave him the security he needed whilst allowing me to safely familiarise him with my voice & later my touch. He still runs away when ii put my hand in his cage but once out is quite happy to sit & be weighed, stroked & of course kissed. :)
 
Thanks Niki

That's a great idea to put them in something 1st and sit with them. I never thought of that.

What's funny is I make the same sounds as them when they're going 'goink, goink, goink, goink, etc. etc.' I think they like it! As soon as they hear me getting the bale of hay and pulling it apart for our rescue bunnies, they start with all the squeals, etc.

Thanks again for the info!
:)
 
I did exactly that when I first got my girls, I felt so awful that they were (in my case) terrified of me. I had also keep small animals before and still hate the idea that sometmes they are quite frightened of me.

I followed the advice on here, I talked to them, left the radio on for them! I made a point of picking them up every day even for a little while. If I keep it up they both cope really well. However if I miss a day even now after 18 months or so of owning them Honey freaks out and runs round and then sits terrified on my lap.

they do both like being brushed tho, that got me a long way, Sophie just settles down on my lap all ready!

x
 
Food is a great way to tame piggies. If they associate hooman hands with cucumber slices they become much tamer!

If you want to pet them on your lap, why don't you try a cavy cozy? You can make them yourself or buy them. I make them in aid of small animal rescues. You can find my website here: www.cavycozies.com
 
I'm in the situation. I've just today got my two little girls and they seem TERRIFIED of me. I went to visit them once before I got them, and they were fairly happy to be picked up by the girl who sold them to me, and she was obviously happy handling them. Now one of them will let me pick her up, but sits there trembling (I've had her on my lap for about 40 minutes tonight) and the other is having NONE of it.

I had guinea pigs as a kid but they were rescues and really didn't want humans near them, and so we never really tamed them. I don't want my new babies to be like that :(
 
Boofimus said:
I'm in the situation. I've just today got my two little girls and they seem TERRIFIED of me. I went to visit them once before I got them, and they were fairly happy to be picked up by the girl who sold them to me, and she was obviously happy handling them. Now one of them will let me pick her up, but sits there trembling (I've had her on my lap for about 40 minutes tonight) and the other is having NONE of it.

I had guinea pigs as a kid but they were rescues and really didn't want humans near them, and so we never really tamed them. I don't want my new babies to be like that :(
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I'd really suggest leaving them a couple of days to get used to their new home and surroundings before handling them. They will be terrified. Everything will be completely new to them and it will take a while for them to settle in. I find all animals are like this when you first take them home. Guinea pigs can take a while to come round.
 
Thanks Shelley.

They seem to be a bit calmer this morning. I left them in the box they'd travelled in over night, as that seemed kinder than moving them again, and at least it smells of them etc etc. Then about 4am they decided it was time to wake up! I dozed through the frolicking for a little while and then at about 5 I became concerned that the banging about I could hear might be them fighting for space, so even though I hadn't planned to put them into their new cage for a little while (it's all set up though) I put them and the carry box wholesale into the cage. It does make it a bit of a squish in there with their house and two bowls and hay but they've immediately come out and been exploring for the last hour. I think they're only just figuring out their Mum's not there though :(

Still, I'll leave them to roam for a day or two before I try to pick them up again!
 
the first couple of days that i daisy i used to pick her up about 3 times a day for about 5 minutes and give her a slice of veg , then after a few days i used to have her on my lap handfeeding her all the veg and with the other hand either stroking her or gentley brushing her, then after another few days i started putting her in the run and i would get in with her veg and after a few days it got where she would climb all over me etc she loved being handled :))
but even now after 7 weeks she will still sometimes run when i put my hand in the cage but as soon as i put her in her run and i climb in she starts popping as before ive even sat down properly shes climbing on me :)) i found it was just alot of love and patience :)
 
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