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Post by bazookagoof on Aug 25, 2016 0:43:12 GMT
He's been eating his food, although he's ignored the little chew block I put in his cage to keep him occupied. (Oscar chewed his to pieces already.)
Since I've been home, he's been in his pigloo. He emerged only to snag his snacks and duck back inside, so no new pictures for now.
It's still not quite too late, so I'm having Vicki take each one out for lap time. (She will wash her hands between handling them in observance of the 20 day quarantine.)
I'd like Murphy to get accustomed to more personal treatment, as opposed to whatever he had to go through previously. (Although he was more active at the shelter, he's subdued in his mannerisms for now.)
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Post by Bean on Aug 25, 2016 6:48:23 GMT
Sounds like he's settling in well - giving you all the once over and sussing out the lay of the land before he starts making any demands! Good to hear he's still managing to pop out for his snacks - when you find out his favourites you can indulge in a bit of bribery when you have him out for laptime and brainwash him into loving people!
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Post by 3piggles on Aug 25, 2016 15:29:57 GMT
All of the pigs I've had, before they were with the other pigs in a herd, were iffy about snacks they hadn't had before. Morty was the only one who came totally prepared to eat anything, do anything, meet anyone and generally have a great time doing it Murphy will come around in his own time, and in his own way. They are all different. Just be patient with him while he gets settled in
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Post by bazookagoof on Aug 26, 2016 2:06:08 GMT
Latest news is that Murphy is spending more time out of his pigloo when I come in the room, but he tends to duck inside it. Occasionally he'll sit like a statue, watching me. I try not to make any sudden moves so he won't get startled. He's easing into it, as he does come scurrying when it's snack time in the afternoon.
This brings me to something else I find amusing: Each piggie's personality during feeding time.
Oscar: Always frantically clawing and stretching at the cage door, enthusiastic and impatient.
Deo: Relaxed and never in a hurry, sauntering out of his pigloo and chattering his teeth if he felt he was not being given proper respect. (he was Boss Pig!)
Theodore: Looking back on it, he was a lovable, lumbering oaf. He'd be in his pigloo and realize it was snack time and would come crashing out as fast as he could.
Murphy: This guy hides in his pigloo and when it's snack time, he suddenly appears. I never see him approach, and he's as silent as a ninja. I'm feeding Oscar and abruptly Murphy's by his own cage door, as if by magic.
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Post by 3piggles on Aug 26, 2016 20:41:43 GMT
I love your take on their differences. I currently have one who dances and stretches out over the edge of the condo, and one who sits their quietly, and just waits her turn. Zippy would lie in the door of his pigloo and stick out his nose, with his mouth open. Most of mine have been calm and willing to wait for the treats. I guess they all knew the treats would come. Murphy sounds like a typical wild pig. If he were in the wild, he would stay in safe, protected places where he could see the world around him, and judge the danger of any move he wanted to make. He can turn the pigloo, so he can get a 180 degree view of his surroundings from a safe place. Stealth would serve him well, so he could get from point A to point B without alerting the predators. He probably knows exactly where the closest safe shelter is, in case something goes wrong. They are very good at staying alive, and he's practicing everything in his arsenal of survival instincts He's a smart one Morty was the lumbering oaf, and I loved that in him. He was the least concerned about safety or getting treats of any pig I've had. I can only figure he was born into a safe, loving life
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Post by bazookagoof on Aug 28, 2016 1:36:02 GMT
Morty was the lumbering oaf, and I loved that in him. He was the least concerned about safety or getting treats of any pig I've had. I can only figure he was born into a safe, loving life Sometimes I have catchphrases I say to certain pigs; in Theodore's case I would always say "Hey, glad you could put in an appearance!" whenever he would stumble out, looking like a stoned rock star. (I forget if I mentioned it elsewhere, but Theodore's face reminded me of David Bowie during his Ziggy Stardust days, and the long hair trailing from his butt only accentuated that.) Another tiny observation: I caught Murphy popcorning tonight! I gave him a braid of fabric for him to chew on, but apparently he buried it in his hay earlier and forgot about it. I dug it up and re-offered it to him, and he went wild with it, grabbing it and whipping it around. Of course, as soon as I got the camera he had stopped, but I saw him popcorning around his cage. Yeah, I think he's gonna like it here.
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Post by 3piggles on Aug 28, 2016 20:17:42 GMT
YES! Popcorning is great Sounds as if he's coming around fabulously, if he can get excited about playing with a toy I love the stoner description, lol
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Post by bazookagoof on Aug 29, 2016 2:26:15 GMT
YES! Popcorning is great Sounds as if he's coming around fabulously, if he can get excited about playing with a toy I love the stoner description, lol Theo would just come flying out of his pigloo and seem to be unsure of where exactly to go, unlike Oscar who is always focused like a laser on where the treats are coming from. Hence the stoner description. Murphy is also wheeking loudly on occasion; we went out today as a family and came back a little late, about an hour past their regular snack time and when Vicki went into her room Murphy let out a loud WHEEK! He's also wheeking randomly, and it sounds vaguely like Deo. Apparently he's already settled in. (I accidentally dropped his carrot at his feet and he completely missed it, so I had to grab it and re-offer it to him again. He's a bit of a clown. I think he's kind of a blend of Deo and Oscar.)
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Post by 3piggles on Aug 29, 2016 17:02:19 GMT
Wheeking is definitely a sign of having settled in. Wheeking calls attention to them, so they won't wheek, if they think they're in danger I'd say he's definitely at home with you Noodles has become more vocal lately. Usually Oodles did all the talking, and whining, and complaining. They've also started using a lot more connected sounds, so they're getting more conversive. I think living right in the middle of everything we're doing has involved them at an increased level, and they are participating more.
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Post by bazookagoof on Aug 30, 2016 1:50:09 GMT
He's wheeking a bit more today, nothing loud, more soft chirpy sounds. I often see him sitting in one corner behind his pigloo, or standing up trying to see Oscar.
I'm going closer to his cage, but not trying to pet him yet- he's still a little jumpy. He'll run to his pigloo, and I don't want him to be alarmed. I'll pet Oscar and perhaps he'll take notice.
About 13 more days of quarantine!
On a side note, I don't think he's drinking any water at all. His water bottle doesn't seem to change. I'm not too worried, as he's eating all his vegetables.
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Post by shades on Aug 30, 2016 7:29:21 GMT
All good news. Don't worry about the water bottle. It's taken our pigs almost a year to get the hang of how to use it. Give him a bowl of water in the meantime, but be ready to change the water often.
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Post by Bean on Aug 30, 2016 7:35:50 GMT
Popcorning, wheeking and chomping away - it all sounds good to me!
The wetness of the bedding usually demonstrates they're getting enough fluids, even when the water's not going down!
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Post by 3piggles on Aug 30, 2016 19:44:50 GMT
I've changed wet bedding, when they didn't seem to be drinking anything. He's getting all the liquid he needs, or he couldn't be wetting the bedding. It all sounds good to me
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Post by bazookagoof on Sept 1, 2016 1:54:14 GMT
We just changed the bedding again, and it's pretty wet in some areas. Fortunately, it's pretty dry in his pigloo area, so it's nice that he knows where to go.
Speaking of pigloos, I've noticed something and I wonder if it's a gender thing: I've seen a few females sitting atop their pigloos in various shelters I've visited, but have never seen a male do this.
Oscar would run around his cage and jump on top of his own pigloo, but only to launch himself in the air. He doesn't do this anymore, but it was hilarious when he did. Otherwise, no other pig I've owned has ever climbed atop their pigloo.
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Post by 3piggles on Sept 1, 2016 16:48:58 GMT
I've seen pigs do it, and sex didn't seem to be a factor. If anything, curiosity was the motivating factor. From atop the pigloo, they can see a lot more than they can from the floor of their cages, especially the store bought cages with the 4" plastic base, or any cage with a solid bumper around the cage to keep bedding and poos in the cage. I've never had a pig sit on the pigloo, but I've always had lofts the pigs could use, and they use them constantly. I have clear bumpers on my cage, so the pigs can see everything that goes on around them. They still use the lofts. I think creating a landing big enough for them to feel safe jumping onto it, will encourage them to jump up onto the landing. It's great exercise for them, and it adds space to their environment.
The first store bought cage I bought came with a loft that Dallas and Zippy used endlessly. It had a short ramp, but they jumped on and off the loft. I removed the ramp. There was enough space under the loft to serve as a house, so no need for other pigloos taking up space in the cage.
I have lofts at each end of the cage, and have whenever possible. Morty used to do zoomies from one loft the to other. Oodles is a great user of the lofts, and since I moved the pellet bowls onto the lofts, Noodles is also on the lofts regularly. Keep the lofts about 6" off the floor, and there's no need for a ramp or railings.
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Post by bazookagoof on Sept 13, 2016 1:49:30 GMT
I took the boys out for grazing (I know it was only 19 days, but the weather was perfect and I didn't think one less day would make a difference.)
It went all right for about 20 minutes as the two of them grazed without noticing each other. Murphy really enjoyed himself outside, and of course Oscar is an old hand at this sort of thing. He found his spot in a box and went at it.
Murphy decided to explore and found Oscar, and the trouble began. Lots of snarling and puffed-up fur. Oscar for the most part wanted to be left alone, but defended his turf.
It was a bit weird, because it was 50/50 constantly- Oscar would give a little, then retreat no more and held his ground. Murphy would be sent scurrying away, then find his courage again after a few minutes.
At one point they were extremely close, and both of them made those purring warbling noises, as if it made no difference anymore.
Then another clash ended up with them facing off and both of then leaped into the air- Murphy did some impressive 180-degree flips, but ended up losing a tiny bit of fur. No blood was drawn, and when I put them back in their cages. they spent the evening snarling at each other.
I'm not worried too much. This is familiar territory.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Sept 13, 2016 8:52:28 GMT
Oh dear just a bit of a bad patch then hunny, we all have them Hugs Jo xx
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Post by Bean on Sept 13, 2016 9:03:13 GMT
Sorry it wasn't besties at first sight, but as you say, it's nothing you haven't dealt with before. The over-excitement caused by discovering a new fellow pig for the first time can be quite overwhelming, so if they have plenty of opportunity to communicate from their separate cages (I'm sure they'll get bored of snarling at each other eventually?!) that'll hopefully reduce the strength of that reaction next time.
Glad you're getting decent grazing weather for them again anyway - bet they're enjoying it!
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Post by 3piggles on Sept 13, 2016 19:11:35 GMT
That's the problem with changing locations. They are very territorial, male and female, and each location change moves them to a new territory. If they're alone, no problems. If there's another pig there, it's all about dominance. It never stops, just isn't necessary when their in their own territories. It sounds as if they are both willing to fight for dominance, and neither is going to back down. I'm glad you managed to stop it before blood was drawn. That must have been a cool sight.
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Post by bazookagoof on Sept 14, 2016 1:56:17 GMT
That must have been a cool sight. It reminded me of The Matrix, when Neo and Agent Smith are fighting in the subway tunnel and they're floating in mid-air for an instant. Were I not so concerned with them hurting each other, I would have tried to capture it on my camera. We probably have a few more weeks of relatively good weather, so I'll get them out when I can.
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