[Gpdd] Housing questions

Lisa Decesare ldecesar at oeb.harvard.edu
Wed Jan 21 13:21:58 EST 2004


I thought I would offer my opinion on giving piggies boxes, igloos, and 
houses.  I look at it as less giving them a place to hide as giving them a 
place to explore.  I have 4 little sows and they have a large open area in 
my living room.  Luckily for me they don't like the hardwood floor (I think 
it is too slippery for them) so they stay in their compound which is really 
just a large piece of linoleum, covered in newspapers, then covered in 
towels.

Each week I put down a series of cardboard boxes with two or three doors 
cut in the sides.  The pigs love going through them.  I don't think having 
the boxes allows them to stay more timid or afraid of me because while I am 
cleaning out their enclosure they come over and supervise me.  The run 
around, nibble the old newspaper that is being removed and taste the new as 
it goes down.  They run over each towel as it is replaced and, as soon as I 
start putting down the wooden and cardboard boxes they start running in and 
out and around them.   They are crazed.  It is a little pig train going in 
circles, popcorning in and out of the boxes.

Also, they rarely sleep in these boxes and often just sit out on the floor 
of the enclosure or in one of the 2 large cages filled with bedding and 
hay.  They do run in them if we drop something that makes a loud noise but 
besides that don't really run into them if we approach their space.

The boxes also serve another purpose in my house.  Like most of you we give 
our piggies a selection of fresh fruits and veggies twice a day.  Each pig 
gets to choose 1 item off the plate of fresh goodies and then the rest is 
hidden in the boxes and also on the top edge of the boxes so that they have 
to stretch on their back legs to pull the food off the "roof".   I think 
hunting for their food this way gives them good physical and mental 
stimulation.  This is especially important in our house because my husband 
and I leave for work at 6am and don't return till 6pm during the week, so 
they can't get much stimulation from us.

I am sure that all pigs are different, some will probably use boxes as a 
place to hide but I think that they can be great for the piggies.

Lisa D.
Mom to Kisseis, Erytheia, Maia, and Calypso







More information about the Gpdd mailing list