Super skittish pig; taming and nail trims

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Coco-Pepe Mom

Post   » Mon Sep 18, 2017 12:13 pm


I have two rescue pigs that I got in June...so they have not been with me for very long yet. I have been working with them to trust me and to be ok with being held. One of them, the alpha, is really good; never bites, likes to snuggle, OK getting her nails trimmed (as long as green peppers are involved) and has come along really well.

Her bonded cage-mate is a different story; she's so very shy and skittish it has been difficult working with her. She squeaks for me and loves being fed with her "sister" at veggie time...and loves being hand-fed the tassels from their hay. But, she does not tolerate being held or even petted more than the occasional nose pet while peeking out of her hidey. I read about holding them gently until they calm down, but she just gets more agitated and hyperventilates the longer I hold her. Yesterday, we attempted trimming her nails for the first time (the vet did it about 6 weeks ago, so they were getting long). She was petrified (even in a little burrito blanket wrap) and squealed unhappily as we trimmed her hind legs. She will not even accept food as a bribe during trimming (or even lap time). After the hinds, we tried the front feet and she bit me (poor little gal, so scared) so we decided to end the trimming and get her fronts another time.

Any advice for us? I am being patient and hoping she will come around, but also being realistic that she just may never trust humans or being handled after her first home (we don't have much history, just that she's very scared). Any suggestions, tips would be helpful - love these two and want to provide a happy and (mostly) fearless existence for them.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Sep 18, 2017 1:12 pm


Use two people, try a variation on this handhold:
handling.html

And try covering her eyes. The eye covering thing has worked for some techniques of hand feeding and I'm wondering if it might help you calm her down. For the "variation", I would see if you can get over a counter and set her back feet on the counter (the trimming person would hold and trim them individually) and use your other hand to gently cover her eyes. Talk calmly.

I don't know if this would help but it might be worth a shot. Let us know!!

JX4

Post   » Tue Sep 19, 2017 12:54 am


We have a few strugglers when it comes to nail clipping. We have one person wrap the pig in a towel and cover their eyes with part of the towel. Then the second person clips their nails. They still struggle, but we get it done with far less stress and fireworks than without the towel.

Coco-Pepe Mom

Post   » Tue Sep 19, 2017 3:36 pm


Thank you for the suggestions. We did try holding her, keeping one leg to the side with a finger and she was not receptive to that. Next time around we (my husband and I) will try covering her eyes to see if it will calm her down.

I have probably not handled her as much as I could be, just because she seems so traumatized by it. I will work on more general handling as well, to see if it helps in time for her next trimming. Thankfully, she has nice straight pink nails with visible quicks. My gentler pig has gnarly black nails that curl all over the place if you don't keep 'em trimmed.

Any other suggestions with taming? Thanks so very much!

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