6 week old piglet and rootting behaviors

Question
Hello,

I am new to being a piggy mommy and loving every second of it.  But I'm having a hard time finding answers to everything.  I realize that pigs root and I am trying to find out what behaviors you are supposed to teach them are right or wrong.  Right now, our Pot Belly roots at our arms and legs so much that we have bruises.  I am in the process of making a rooting box for her but my main question is, should we let her nudge us with her snout or should we tell her no?  Is that a behavior we should teach her not to do with us?  How do we stop it from happening to us?  My daughter is 8 and the whole time she tries to spend time with her, she is getting nudged with her snout so quality time is a little uncomfortable right now.  Any suggestions would be great!!!  Thanks!

Answer
Piglets "root" at their mother's tummies while nursing. If your piglet is under 12 weeks of age this behavior might be due in part to early weaning. If piggy is given ample opportunity to root elsewhere, such as in a rooting box or even better time outside in the yard, this behavior should almost disappear by the time piggy is 16 weeks.
It's a good idea to discourage this kind of behavior because adult pigs can root quite hard. Push the piggy's nose away, say "No", and direct the pig to root in a blanket. Or, teach her some tricks or give her some toys to keep her busy. Take her outside and let her run off some of her piggy energy.
There's two excellent email lists for pot-bellied pig care. Both are on Yahoo (go to www.Yahoo.com, and choose Groups), one is PigInfoandChat, the other is Potspot. Both are good places to ask questions and learn from many other pot-bellied pig owners.