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Post by rocky on Apr 24, 2015 18:49:01 GMT
Hello my most favourite piggy experts!!!!
I'm starting to try to hand feed our piggies. I'm sort of doing OK and I get all excited like a two year old when they come get food from my hand. I'm just wondering if I'm doing it properly. It's not really rocket science, I hold some of their favourite treets in my hand and they come get it. I do it when they are in their house (cage, we call it their house), should I try it when they are roaming free also? Should I do it every time I clean their bowls? Also I'm in the process of switching them from water in a bowl to a water bottle, they go to the bottle now. Should I just remove the bowl and its done or should I keep the two for a while? I'm sort of afraid that they will dehydrate if they don't have their little water bowl. When we are home I just take the bowl out and give it to them when we let them roam free and when we go to bed. I guess I'm just as a mother hen for our piggy boys as I am for my human boys.
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Post by Bean on Apr 25, 2015 8:48:36 GMT
I do it when they're out roaming too, it really helps build up trust. But if you're just starting then getting them to come from one end of their house is a great start.
I also find making a particular noise when you have veggie treats to offer really helps - mine's a kind of clicking noise and whenever they hear it they start wheeking and run up to me - very cute!
Animals are pretty good at sniffing water out so I expect they'll get used to the bottle quickly. Just put it near their food bowl and they'll probably gravitate towards it without thinking. There's no harm in having both for a period though if you think it might give them the chance to explore it while they still have their usual method available.
Sounds like you're having lots of fun with them!
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Post by 3piggles on Apr 25, 2015 15:58:39 GMT
When my pigs had floor time, I put a line of small pieces of treats in the area where they always went, and it led to me, sitting cross-legged on the floor, with more small pieces of treats. Maybe mine were more greedy than other pigs, but they followed the treats right to me, and were happy to take the treats from my hand. I didn't try to pet them, just let them take treats from me. It seemed to work. You said they are using the bottle just fine, so I would remove the bowl. Bowls catch everything that gets kicked up in the vicinity, and foul quickly. If there's a part of the cage where you can't put a bottle, such as a loft, try the bowl there. Nothing wrong with being a mother hen
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Post by rocky on Apr 27, 2015 13:37:17 GMT
We were home all day on Saturday so I took the opertunity to take away the water bowl all day. It hasn't gone back in their house, they are doing great with the bottle. I find the one we have really big and that there is a lot of wasted water when I change thier water everyday. Plus its a plastic bottle I would much prefer a glass bottle. Now that we do the hand feeding everyday and everybody in our family does it our piggy buddies seem to have taken us into their little clan and they wheek at us everytime we walk by their house even when they have fresh food! They are cute little dudes!
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Post by 3piggles on Apr 27, 2015 14:26:14 GMT
I have indoor plants, and use the left over water to water the plants. My plants love my piggies, even if they don't know it I would do glass bottles, if they were readily available. I don't think the algae problem is as bad with glass as with plastic, as glass is easier to clean. I have too many plastic bottles to not use them until they are useless, and they don't break down very quickly. Great that the piggies have totally adapted to the bottles, and to taking treats from all of you. Both are good signs that they are settling in very well
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Post by rocky on Apr 28, 2015 13:25:23 GMT
Watering my plants with my left over water never came to me. Thanks for the great idea! I also took my piggies to our local pet store as they offer "mani pedis" there. The young boy we got our pigs from (they were "rescues" at his place since he only has girl piggies and he doesn't want babies since he finds pregnanciees on older girls too hard for them and to dangerous for them) works there, he did thier "mani pedi" and was pleased to see that they are now a healthy size and not under nourished. Don't worry when I say "mani pedis" they didn't come out with nail polish on their little claws, they just got a clip and a filing so that they aren't so sharp. We all love our little boys. I think that my hubby who was dead set against having animals in the house is the one who is most in love with them, he takes the fact that they have peed multiple times on him as a sign of affection! Personally I would rather not getting peed on.
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Post by 3piggles on Apr 28, 2015 17:55:59 GMT
I do my own mani pedis, and know exactly what you mean. I'd like to get them done professionally, but no one around here does them, at least no one I trust. It's great that your hubby loves the piggies. Mine is still not at all keen on being peed on, but he loves to talk to them, pet them, give them treats, etc. Pigs try not to pee on people, though we can't tell if they have to go, when we pick them up. They usually give some sign of restlessness or displeasure that means they really want to get down, so they don't pee on us. Try watching their behavior when you hold them, and see if you can note the change in behavior. It could keep you both a lot dryer
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Post by Bean on Apr 29, 2015 8:34:21 GMT
When we brought Rocky home, I took her out of her carrier and gave her a little stroke on my lap before I put her in her cage. Immediately, she did a massive wee right in between my legs - I looked like I'd wet myself (which the kids found hilarious)! I had to have a shower as well as change my clothes. She's never weed on any of us since, but she definitely knows how to make an entrance!
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Post by 3piggles on Apr 29, 2015 20:59:27 GMT
Lol! Way to go, Rocky
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Post by Bean on Apr 30, 2015 8:12:19 GMT
Those aren't the words I used haha!
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