pbp

Question
My 3 month old PBP for some reason just started out of the blue screaming in the middle of the night. She gets up at random hours a screams. I don't know what to do any more. How do I stop her from doing this? Also I want to move her litter box but when I do try she wont use it she just goes on the floor where it use to be. Please HELP!!!!!

Answer
Piglets grow quickly. Piggy may need more food. The rule of thumb is at least 1/2 c pellets per day per 15 lb of piglet, plus fresh veggies, fruits, grazing time and training treats. But, this is just a starting point and a lot depends on the pig and the food

Weigh your piglet on a scale. Or, weigh yourself, then hold the piglet and weigh yourself again. Subtract the first weight from the second weight, and that is how much the piggy weighs. Piggies often weigh much more than people realize!

Increase piggys pellets, start with 3/4 c per 15 lb of piglet. You can try dividing it into three meals, breakfast, dinner and bedtime BUT be careful. Once piggy gets used to eating before bed, piggy will always expect a snack before bed. On the other hand, if piggy eats before bed, piggy is less likely to be hungry in the middle of the night.

When piggy screams at night, ignore the screams. Do not acknowledge them at all. This will not be easy, and piggy will scream very loudly for a long time. After a couple of nights, piggy will realize that nothing is going to happen and piggy will stop. But, if piggy gets even a slight response for screaming, piggy will continue to scream.

Pigs learn to potty in a spot, not in a litterbox. So, piggy has learned to use that spot. It will be a very very hard habit to break! The only way to do it is move the box and keep piggy well away from that spot. Take piggy to the new location every hour when piggy is awake. Do this for at least two weeks. Pigs learn quickly but unlearn very slowly, so you can not let piggy near the old potty spot for at least 6 months.

I highly recommend the book Pot-Bellied Pig Behavior and Training by Priscilla Valentine, and the video There's a Pig in the House from tophogs.com Both of these resources go into potty training in detail.