Bonding Bonding with pigs who won't eat veggies?

[Lisa Dayringer]

I've had my baby girls for about two months now, and we started the bonding process after they had a week to relax in their new home.

When I got them, their owner said they'd been eating a wide variety of veggies just like their parents. However, they haven't touched so much as a lettuce leaf since they got here. I'm not too overly worried about that, as they do eat their hay and pellets just fine, as well as a vitamin C supplement, and I know some piggies just won't eat them.

However, it has put a bit of a damper on bonding, as one of the main methods is to get them to eat from your hand. I have tried to just use hay, but they don't seem too interested when I'm holding it. So far I've just been doing lap time, but because they aren't bonded yet, getting them in my lap involves a long process of herding them into the cuddle cup. By the time they're on my lap, they're stressed out and none too happy with me. They mostly spend the whole time with their heads buried in the corners of the bed. I've also tried just climbing in their cage and sitting down (they own my entire dining room), but so far they avoid me like the plague.

I know it will take time, but any suggestions for bonding in a less stressful way?

 

[PiggleLove2013]

Pigs need veggies. What exactly have you given them? Most pigs can't turn down a nice piece of cilantro. I would give other kinds of advice but I'm afraid I don't know too much about the situation, since my pigs eat just about anything. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the only thing I can think of is maybe crushing up the veggies and putting it into their pellets. Maybe they'll learn the taste and smell of it and start to eat it. Good luck!

(if none of these work, maybe you can give them rare fruit treats here and there as a bonding method? My pig Furrybottom will go wheek-crazy for apples.)

 

[bpatters]

Are you feeding them veggies when they're in the cage? Whatever you feed them during lap time should be something they already like, at least in the beginning.