After arriving home and placing your piglet, carrier and all into the piglet's nursery, allow the baby to come out of the carrier at its own pace. This could take a few minutes to a couple of hours. You can use food to help coax your piglet out. If after a few hours you do not see your piglet emerge from the carrier, it is time to consider taking the carrier lid off by unscrewing the nuts and bolts that hold the top to the base. With an open top your piglet is much more prone to face the new world that awaits.
Allow your piglet time to get to know its new surroundings. Do not overwhelm it with all the family members and friends at once. Try to keep things as calm as possible. Make sure that your piglet feels secure with all the human members of its family before introducing the dog or cat.
To help in the bonding process, you can sit on the floor and allow your piglet to warm up to you. Do not move quickly, be patient. You can use food to encourage your piglet to make the choice to come to you. If you say, "Come here piglet and be my friend" and your piglet is not ready to hear your message, you may be doing more harm than good in the bonding process. Also, keep in mind that to be touched on top of its head and to be picked up is a learned behavior for a potbelly. Baby pigs are born with their eyes open and they are running in short order. Their mothers never pick them up as mother dog or cat does her young. In a pig's encoded experience, the only animal that does do this is a predator. This is an innate instinct for baby piglets.
So, a better approach is to put some food in your hand. Hold your hand out away from your body so that the piglet knows that you have something good to eat. Allow the piglet come to you. In your first attempt to be your pig's friend be satisfied that your piglet will eat from your hand. As it begins to trust you more put your other hand perpendicular to your food hand so that the baby has to go past your non-food hand to eat. While it is eating, gently rub the side of its head and gradually move your hand around its body until your hand is at the top of its head. Give your piglet the freedom to back away from your hand if it feels that it needs to. Just keep holding your hand out for your piglet to return to you so that it can receive its most favorite thing, food. As you gain your baby's trust, gradually move your hand with the food to your lap. Allow the baby to smell you and feel safe with you. Do not push, but at the same time be consistent in offering your friendship.
Due to the prey/flight instinct of the potbellied piglet it is possible that when it is frightened it will bolt from you. If it should get away from you, herd it into a small space that you control. Do not chase your new piglet. Chasing it will only reinforce the idea that you are a potential predator. Your goal the first day or so is to teach the piglet that you are safe, a replacement for its lost herd, and that you will take good, gentle care of it. Normally it takes anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days for this piglet and human bonding to occur. The time is directly related to the character of the piglet and to the skill of the new pet owner.
Remember your baby is looking for security and love. It is actually bonding with you and your family. Your piglet's preference is to be with you. Provide it with the love and security it needs, and it will be asleep in your lap in no time at all.
© Kathleen Myers 2000, All Rights Reserved Worldwide
This is an excerpt from The Complete Guide to the Care and Training of Pet Potbellied Pigs
By Kathleen Myers.
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