I'm a first timer and I just brought home a 5-month-old boar on Monday. Currently both him and I are still adapting and adjusting for each other, so I hope I can get some advices if I'm doing it correctly or not.
From the pet shop he has been living (for 2 months) with paper bedding, so until today I'm still using the paper bedding before slowly changing to fleece + towel bedding. Every morning and evening I will pick up the peed paper bedding from the cage for new bedding (coz there's a bit of the smell from the pee), and putting his poops and peed bedding into his food tray where his hay and pellets bowl are (slowly starting the potty training). I'm not sure if this is a good idea for always putting my hand into the cage to change the bedding but I talk to him and doing with small + slow gesture from startling him. But he's still jumpy and ran into his hidey hut I build for him with every little sound from the surrounding (eg: whenever there's anyone walks past or door closes outside my room).
Behaviour:
Starting the 3rd day with me I noticed that he does the popcorn-ing whenever I refill and change his food. I hope it's a good sign? And I noticed that he starts to come out and eat even though I'm sitting near at his food area. Last night for the first time I tried hand feeding with his favourite Vit C pellet outside the cage, he did come and eat but he dashed off when he bite my nail. >.< Things felt bad for me when I tried to put my hand inside the cage with the hay, he started the teeth chattering and followed by the cynical yawn. What should I do? Seeing this, this morning I only added in more food into his food area and didn't go pick up his peed bedding afraid I might piss him off again. But he did come and eat while I was sitting there.
Food and diet:
He eats and drinks well (and poops well) ever since he's with me. But he has never fed with fresh vege, only hay and his pellets. Can I start trying with fresh veges?
Bonding with me:
I only brought him out once and put him on my lap for a little dry bath with a little bit of combing. It was a good lap time for me but he didn't show any interest but keep looking at his cage. What else should I do to enhance the bonding?
From the pet shop he has been living (for 2 months) with paper bedding, so until today I'm still using the paper bedding before slowly changing to fleece + towel bedding. Every morning and evening I will pick up the peed paper bedding from the cage for new bedding (coz there's a bit of the smell from the pee), and putting his poops and peed bedding into his food tray where his hay and pellets bowl are (slowly starting the potty training). I'm not sure if this is a good idea for always putting my hand into the cage to change the bedding but I talk to him and doing with small + slow gesture from startling him. But he's still jumpy and ran into his hidey hut I build for him with every little sound from the surrounding (eg: whenever there's anyone walks past or door closes outside my room).
Behaviour:
Starting the 3rd day with me I noticed that he does the popcorn-ing whenever I refill and change his food. I hope it's a good sign? And I noticed that he starts to come out and eat even though I'm sitting near at his food area. Last night for the first time I tried hand feeding with his favourite Vit C pellet outside the cage, he did come and eat but he dashed off when he bite my nail. >.< Things felt bad for me when I tried to put my hand inside the cage with the hay, he started the teeth chattering and followed by the cynical yawn. What should I do? Seeing this, this morning I only added in more food into his food area and didn't go pick up his peed bedding afraid I might piss him off again. But he did come and eat while I was sitting there.
Food and diet:
He eats and drinks well (and poops well) ever since he's with me. But he has never fed with fresh vege, only hay and his pellets. Can I start trying with fresh veges?
Bonding with me:
I only brought him out once and put him on my lap for a little dry bath with a little bit of combing. It was a good lap time for me but he didn't show any interest but keep looking at his cage. What else should I do to enhance the bonding?