PhilthyPhilsMom
Active Member
Cavy Slave
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2010
- Posts
- 20
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2010
- Messages
- 20
I haven't been posting for long so I'll give a short background...I got Phil on Christmas and he was bought from a pet store (Yeah, I know ebtter now). That's important because he had been in the pet store for, I was told, about 6 months before I met him and pestered Hubby until he bought Phil for me. So, I've had Phil about 3 weeks. He is, I think, either a hairless mix or a very hairy hairless. The pet store guesstimated his age at about a year old.
I came here looking for behavior answers and found a similar question but there are enough difference that I wanted to post my own thread. I think I may possibly have the most mellow pig ever. My original question was going to be about wheeking, which he doesn't/hasn't done (pet store said he did when it was veggie time). Then I was reading more and saw someone post about their very calm pig and it seemed a lot like Phil in some ways. He is SO calm. He doesn't run around or popcorn or do anything "piggy". I should say, he is currently a single pig in a pet store cage but I will be working on both things soon. When I reach in to get his bowl to fill, or put in veggies, or just reach in his cage to do anything, he doesn't run for cover. In fact, most of the time when I open his door, he comes right over and puts his front feet on the edge of the door and sticks his head out to greet me. I can easily reach in and pet him or scratch his butt (which he loves and it's SO cute because he purrs at me and stretches out when I do it...anyway). When he's out being held, or for floor time, he doesn't explore much or run around. He's content to sit on my lap or sit by me and get petted.
He's currently eating OxBow pellets, Timothy hay and fresh veggies daily. He's eats like...well...like a pig. Definitely no lack of appetite. He drinks very well. He has no interest in toys but, after reading here (looking for answers how to stop the water bottle from leaking since he was emptying it almost daily) I realize he's playing with the water bottle. His skin is dry and smooth and not crusty and I don't see any nits or lice or mites and he doesn't scratch. His eyes are bright and clear. His poops are well formed little torpedoes. He pees fine (as evidenced by the fact that he pees on me nearly every time I'm cuddling with him). In his cage he has his food bowl, water bottle which hangs on the outside, 2 cat balls with bells and a hasnging bird toy and a fleece Snuggle Sack (for hiding and for keeping warm since he's 1/2 bald).
Basically, Phil seems like a completely normal, very mellow pig. Does it sound like that to everyone else or am I missing something? Oh, and the part about being in the pet store for so long may be important, I think, because it seemed like he was a favorite of at least one person so maybe he was handled a lot there and was used to so many people walking past his cage (aquarium)?
I came here looking for behavior answers and found a similar question but there are enough difference that I wanted to post my own thread. I think I may possibly have the most mellow pig ever. My original question was going to be about wheeking, which he doesn't/hasn't done (pet store said he did when it was veggie time). Then I was reading more and saw someone post about their very calm pig and it seemed a lot like Phil in some ways. He is SO calm. He doesn't run around or popcorn or do anything "piggy". I should say, he is currently a single pig in a pet store cage but I will be working on both things soon. When I reach in to get his bowl to fill, or put in veggies, or just reach in his cage to do anything, he doesn't run for cover. In fact, most of the time when I open his door, he comes right over and puts his front feet on the edge of the door and sticks his head out to greet me. I can easily reach in and pet him or scratch his butt (which he loves and it's SO cute because he purrs at me and stretches out when I do it...anyway). When he's out being held, or for floor time, he doesn't explore much or run around. He's content to sit on my lap or sit by me and get petted.
He's currently eating OxBow pellets, Timothy hay and fresh veggies daily. He's eats like...well...like a pig. Definitely no lack of appetite. He drinks very well. He has no interest in toys but, after reading here (looking for answers how to stop the water bottle from leaking since he was emptying it almost daily) I realize he's playing with the water bottle. His skin is dry and smooth and not crusty and I don't see any nits or lice or mites and he doesn't scratch. His eyes are bright and clear. His poops are well formed little torpedoes. He pees fine (as evidenced by the fact that he pees on me nearly every time I'm cuddling with him). In his cage he has his food bowl, water bottle which hangs on the outside, 2 cat balls with bells and a hasnging bird toy and a fleece Snuggle Sack (for hiding and for keeping warm since he's 1/2 bald).
Basically, Phil seems like a completely normal, very mellow pig. Does it sound like that to everyone else or am I missing something? Oh, and the part about being in the pet store for so long may be important, I think, because it seemed like he was a favorite of at least one person so maybe he was handled a lot there and was used to so many people walking past his cage (aquarium)?
