[Gpdd] [BEHAVIOR] SOCIALIZING MY NEW PIGGIES

[Robert and Patricia Oglesby]

Hi there Pam!  and Piglet and Sniffer!

We have two baby girl piggies, too, and are going through the same thing.  I am posting this reply to the digest so that I can learn, too.  I'm not sure this is normal, so I will share our experience and pay close attention to replies.

Our girls are about 3 months old now and we've had them about a month.  One is much more skiddish than the other, even jumping out of your hands if you aren't careful.  We noticed she was more feisty even before we brought her home.  The other one had calmed down some and seems to enjoy being held and petted once she gets in your lap.  They do play together in their box, popcorn, chase around, gurgle and squeak at each other.  When I take them outside, they roam around their pen and will eventually even wander over close to me unless I move.  The kids have been handling them daily and I have watched closely to make sure they are being gentle and making the piggies feel safe.  I don't think they had a scary experience before - they came from a very nice family that worked very hard to educate themselved about good piggie care.  Harry, our older male, is so very calm and docile!  A sharp contrast indeed!  I do know the piggies mother was from a pet store, smallish, and also very skiddish.  The family said she never really warmed up to them.  So, maybe these babies "learned" this behavior from mommy pig?  Their father is not from a petstore and has a very calm, easygoing temperament, but was removed from the cage after birth (because that's what you do to prevent MORE piggies!) so they didn't have much exposure to him.  I have also read that some folks feel that boars tend to be more calm and sows tend to be sorta high strung, so maybe that is what is happening here.  

So, that's what is going through my mind about our piggies.  I was glad to see you post and know that somebody else had piggies that were taking a while to settle in.  Hoping to learn more!

Patricia
Harry, Midnight and Velvet