Second floor problem

[Piglet]

Since I've built the second floor, my pigs always stay underneath it because its dark. Its really annoying because I never see them moving about, they're just there! What can I do? Its been 4 months since I got them and they are still quite shy, and building the second floor, they've become even more shy. I don't want to get rid of the second story because I want them to have the extra space.

[dagwellismypigy]

how big is your second level? mine hid under neath of it too but if you lure them out by putting the veggies on the second level and the"kitchen" food and water bottle on the other side they will start moving about more.

[Ly&Pigs]

I just redid my girls cage on Christmas afternoon to make more space. It's a 2x4 with an extra 1x2 on the side and upstairs I have a 1x4 grid loft that curves around from the 1x2 on the bottom and the back of the 2x4. I use the loft as a "feeding station". If my girls want to eat anything they have to go upstairs. They have water bottles on both levels but food only upstairs. At first my girls only wanted to stay up under the loft portion hidden away, but after a few days and some nifty arranging of hidey houses away from the loft (they have a homemade cuddle couch under the loft now) they run all about the cage and don't stay hidden so much. They love running up and down the ramp to go eat.

[Miss Piggy]

With mine I had to stick some hidey houses on the second floor and leave food there for them to eat. I also had to redo the ramp, since the first one made them a little nervous, but the new one I have can fit 2 pigs at a time and they run on it all the time now.

[Piglet]

Hm... The food is on the second level, and so is the hay. I'll put a hidey house up there today and re arrange the cage. The water bottle is also opposite the second level.

[critterlover]

Maybe they need more hidey houses on the main level so they don't always hide under the 2nd level. Also, what worked with mine was to respond to him everytime he wheeked with little bits of veggies, instead of just feeding veggies once or twice a day. Also I sit down with him and hand feed him veggies or hay at the same time everyday and he's become more social.

[Piglet]

Thats quite a good idea. Maybe I should hand feed the snacks and give more of them?

[Miss Piggy]

Yeah just until they start getting comfortable with the second level. Giving them alot of food by hand might spoil them, although sometimes I can't help it. I put there favorite food up there for 3 days till they made a routine of visiting the 2nd floor daily and then I just went back to their normal diet.

[Michellec]

Spoil them? How so? Make them little beggars? I've bene feeding mine veggies by hand to try to convince them that I'm their buddy and that they should come to me, instead of run and hide. Am I wrong?

M

[Piglet]

I took the second level down today. It was annoying that they spent all their time under there. The cage is still a 2x4 so it is big enough.

[mncavylover]

Yeah, I can see what you mean. Perhaps another time.

[dagwellismypigy]

why does it matter? if the pigs are happy you should be too!

[Piglet]

Before the second level they started to get used to me. When I walked into the room they wouldn't run. When I put the second level up they would hardly ever come away from under it.

[Miss Piggy]

Originally Posted by Michellec

Spoil them? How so? Make them little beggars? I've bene feeding mine veggies by hand to try to convince them that I'm their buddy and that they should come to me, instead of run and hide. Am I wrong?

No your not wrong, it's ok to feed piggies by hand. It's just in Piglet's situation they might expect that everytime they come to the 2nd floor when Piglet is around they should be fed food. That isn't necessarily bad depending on how piglet likes to feed them. I just thought they could get spoiled since if they came to the 2nd floor they might start wheeking for food all the time when they have plenty on the ground floor.