[Gpdd] BEHAVIOR Grace's girls

Penny Charlesworth piggyfriends48 at gmail.com
Tue Jan 13 07:19:21 EST 2015


Hello Grace,

I am sorry both for the lateness of my reply ( why gmail hid your post in
the spam is beyond me ) and for the fact that your little girls will not
get on.

It would be lovely to have them all together in one big cage. It is rare
for a group of piggies not to make friends but here are a couple of
suggestions.

Take all the piggies out of the cages and set up a large one - big enough
for every pig to hide if they want to - with completely fresh paper or
fleece and hay so that there is no scent of previous occupants. Now take
them all to the bath and shampoo them altogether in a row.  I always put my
drying piggies in a box of towels with some veg to keep them occupied. This
might give your girls the chance to get to know each other better. After a
bath, they often fall asleep together whilst they dry.

Set up your pen/cage with a hidey for each pig - cardboard boxes full of
hay are good. Put in lots of food in a pile ( if you can get grass this is
good as the piggies are unlikely to grab a piece and run off as they would
with a slice ). Watch carefully and see what happens .Pick a time when you
have nothing else to do but watch. Hopefully they will cooperate or you
might, at least, be able to remove one fighter and leave the rest in peace.
Don't grab one straightaway. Give them time to rumble around and settle.

If you have tunnels or pipes this gives an extra dimension to the cage and
more hidey places.


You could also try putting a drop of two of lavender oil on each rump after
they are dry - about where the grease gland is - the smell will confuse
them. You need aromatherapy oil. Follow the instructions and put 5 drops
into10ml of your carrier oil and then use a syringe to apply a few drops to
each pig.

I wish you luck in your endeavour. Please do keep in touch and let us know
how you get on. With luck, you will have four friends or maybe two pairs or
three and one so that you can reduce the amount of cages/pens.

Penny and the Piggyfriends.



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