[Gpdd] BEHAVIOUR - Biting Piggies

[robyn ferguson]

My two cents on the biting issue:

My piggie Lexie was a bit nippy when I first took her home, as were the two 
rescue pigs i got. I am of the opinion that is worth giving nippy piggies a 
chance as in many cases they are just scared and overreacting. It can 
sometimes help to say NO! loudly when a pig bites and they will soon learn 
not to. Resist the urge to put a piggy back in it's cage when it nips as it 
will learn that the way to get back in its cage is to bite. Spending time 
with the pig just doing normal things (I used to sit with the pig on a towel 
on my lap and read a book) and not trying too hard to pat them before they 
are ready can also build trust and reduce the piglet's panic level. It can 
help to let the pig hide under a fold of towel the first few days while 
he/she gets used to your smells and sounds. Lexie now only nips me when she 
is extremely stressed (like when I had to give her a bath) and even then she 
has progressed to warning nips rather than breaking the skin.
Having said that, many people have found that some piggies just don't like 
to be held. This may be the case with your pig. My rescue pigs had been 
dropped, ignored and manhandled by a small child and took a while to get 
over their bad experiences but they came good in the end.
Good luck with your own piglet. Lucy and Lexie send soothing thoughts by 
piggie telepathy.

Robyn.

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