[Gpdd] Behavior: Chirping...

[Michelle Melaragno]

Hi Leah,
	I hope your little girl is starting to feel better.  How old is
she?  When one of my rescue boars started to show some stiffness in his
rear legs, my vet (and other digesters) suggested Metacam.  Merlin has
arthritis, and has some days that are worse than others.  It has helped
him on those not-so-good days!

	Chirping is the best!  Even when one of my guys does it in the
early morning hours (my best sleeping time) I wake up and listen to it
with a smile!  Nothing else can wake me up and make me smile like
that.usually I'm a bear!  Anyway, I have 6 chirpers in my group right
now, and have had others that have been adopted.  Last night, Merlin
started chirping.and I didn't even know he was one of them!  I think
he's not been feeling great, in fact I have really limited his pellets
and most veggies because he had diarrhea.giving him mostly good hay.
He's an older boy, about 5+, and he came in when he was 3 yo, so no
ideas about his past health or care.  When India chirps, I can usually
feel confident that she is in heat!  Mattie is a neutered boar who
chirps on occasion, and will let me walk right up to his cage.  He stops
when I get right next to him, then starts up again as I walk away!
Gretyl was a big chirper until she had her pups.now she leaves that job
to her daughter Taboo.  Chloe is the pig who came in a few months
ago.underweight.couldn't get weight on her.she had a prolapsed tumor
removed from her vaginal wall.on and on and on.  About two weeks after
her surgery, she woke me up one night chirping at the top of her lungs!
Haven't heard it from her since then, though.  I always try to figure
out why they do it.  There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it.
Though, if you look at BB's chirping and a few of mine while not feeling
well or recuperating, there may be a health or hormonal thing to it.  It
would be cool for all of us to really pay attention and document certain
criteria when our pigs do it.maybe we can figure it out!  Anyone up for
it???

Michelle Melaragno
Therapeutic Connections DownEast
Whistle Ridge Cavy Rescue
576 Trapp Road
Auburn, ME 04210
207-783-0742