Baby pig care?

[librarychick]

So I'll be picking up a rescue baby pig today. Someone found her in a box...all the info I have is that she's supposedly female, red, and fits in one hand.

I'm guessing (because of the 'fits in one hand' bit) that she's a very young baby. Because of this I have a few questions.

Should I put her in with my two females? Will they 'auntie' her and help her learn things? I know you usually quarantine, but would it be worth the risk for a young baby to have role models?

If not I have a very large petstore cage I'll keep her in temporarily. Do I need to do anything to baby proof it? Will she be able to squeeze through the bars? I don't think she should since it's a fairly high-sided cage, and the bars are about 1 1/2 inches apart, but I'm just not sure so I figured I'd ask to be safe.

I'm not sure if I'll be keeping her for good, but she'll be with us at least a month so I'm sure she's healthy. If she really is a she then I might be keeping her, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up about it.

 

[SurfingPigs]

You can probably put her in with the females, but I wouldn't do so if your confidence in her sex translates to "she's supposedly female". If you aren't 100% sure, take a picture of her genitalia and post it here.

Older pigs will generally take well to younger, smaller pigs, but you need to do introductions properly, not just drop her in the cage with them. If the baby is female, this is probably a good idea to put them together after quarantine and intros. For the mean time, the petstore cage will suffice.

If there is anything you're unsure of, please ask, many of us have first hand experience with babies. Other than that, all I have to say is good luck getting rid of her... those tiny ones will grow on you quickly! They're just too cute.

 

[librarychick]

Thanks for the info! I havent seen her yet, that's why I'm not sure she's female. If im unsure I'll definatly be posting pics.

I was wondering about the quarantine, should I still do it or should I put the baby in with my two right away so she has rolemodels. I do have another cage, so if its a boy or if you think I should do a quarantine I can I'm just not sure which would be better.

 

[SurfingPigs]

Who currently has the pig?

If the pig isn't coming from a guinea pig rescue that has already done quarantine, you should quarantine. If the pig is sick, not only will she likely infect your other pigs, but she could be bullied due to her illness.

 

[librarychick]

I answered an ad on kijiji (like craigslist) about a baby pig someone found in a box. Shes not with a rescue.

I'll make sure to quarantine her.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

You could also take her to a vet for a check up.

If the baby is very young I might chance it and put her with the females right away. After you make sure she's a female, of course.

 

[librarychick]

Thanks for the replies. It looks like I won't be getting her though. I guess they found another home.

 

[sillylittle]

I'm sorry, that's terrible...

 

[librarychick]

I got a call today and now i have the pig! There's pics of her in my post in the general section.

So should I leave her alone for a few days, or should I be snuggling her for a bit everyday?