Question
piglet
I want to start off by saying that you are amazing with the great pig advice you give. I was wondering if you could help me. I have a 3 week old micro mini piglet. I noticed that he likes to nibble or chew on random objects. I was not sure if I should get a chew toy, but I wanted to get something that would not be bad for him. Also he likes to play by taking his nose and pushing up my hands, arms, etc. I was wondering if you could give me any ideas on certain toys and or games that would be appropriate for him? Thank you so much!
AnswerPiggy moms wean their babies at 8 to 12 weeks, so your baby is very young to be away from his mom. Like every baby, he learns about his world by putting things in his mouth. Safe toys are things like balls and paper bags (fun because they make noise!). Sometimes baby pigs like to play with toys made for cats, puppies, or human infants. Make sure the toys don't have small things like buttons that could be pulled off. Avoid rawhide toys, these can cause all sorts of digestive problems.
The nose-pushing is an instinctive nursing behavior. This is the kind of motion baby pigs make when they nurse. This behavior should drop off dramatically when piggy is about 12 weeks old, and stop completely by the time baby is 6 months old. In the meantime, it's ok to let him nose on your hands and arms, but don't let him do feet or ankles. Piggies see nosing at feet an ankles as a dominance behavior, and it can quickly escalate. If you don't want him nosing on you at all, teach him to nose into a stuffed toy.
Start harness training as soon as possible. Piggies also enjoy trick training. Trick training really isn't about the pig learning tricks, it's about learning to communicate with the pig and the pig learning to follow commands. Harness training is easy when piggies are young, and once they learn, they never forget. The best kind of harness is one that fastens on the back from underneath, so piggy does not have to put his head through anything. They are available from Ross Mill Farms rossmillfarm.com and Pig Tails Rescue pigstuff.com
I highly recommend the book Pot-Bellied Pig Behavior and Training by Priscilla Valentine. Pris really understands how pigs think and why they do the things they do. It's available from Amazon.com.
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