Rescues Fostering tips :)

[4boipigs]

Your foster piggy is absolutely beautiful and doing very well with you. I'm looking forward to hearing continued progress. I have a brand new snuggle sack that is way too large for my piggies. If it would be helpful for your foster pig, send me a message.

I have a penchant for tan and white piggies, even though my favorite, Lily is tri-colored.

Thank you for the offer; I think we will be okay without it for now! We only use the snuggie sack for when they get scared at the vet. Otherwise, all these fleece items they just flatten instead of go inside.

What a cutie! It's a good thing I don't know where you live......I might just kidnap him. I have been in love with Abys for probably more years that you have been on this earth. I have had any other breed (Texel) only once and that was Maya with similar coloring as your boy.

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We are in Texas. Looks like you're in New England.

 

[4boipigs]

Update! He did finally try to bite me. He dislikes his front legs being touched and being touched around his arm pits/shoulders. He whips his head around and nips. It's just a warning, not a full-on bite. He will also kick with his back legs. He did this to me because I wanted to tidy up his nails and I finally got to experience why it was recommended to use 2 people to cut his nails.

I did buy him some Kaytee beds since they were only $5 on Amazon. Unlike the tunnel, he had no fear of the beds. I put one in the cage and he was happy to lay in it.

 

[4boipigs]

I could use some training treat tips!

My precious little boy of course loves his treats. I started to let him have a bit of floor time even tho the rescue said he didn’t enjoy it yet. I’ve been letting him explore and will call him to me with treats and a shake of the treat can.

He is so cute and will come running over to me like a dog to get a treat!! I learned today he also responds to kissy noises and comes running over to that (expecting a treat of course).

I also am trying to get him to accept touch and that requires treats so he doesn’t bite. This is very necessary when it comes to nail trims. Mostly it is a warning nip but he will keep at the biting til the touching stops. With treats his mouth is occupied but he will still verbally complain.

I bought some pea flakes a bit after I got him and I am almost done with them.

Are there other treats I could using that are healthy and okay to feed often? Obviously I don’t want to cause any harm with so many treats. My other boys also have to get some too, but they don’t get nearly as much.

Alternatively how can move away from using treats so much? Is there a better way to train?

 

[ItsaZoo]

You have more experience than I do, but when I trim nails I use something like long strips of frozen corn husk or lettuce. That keeps their mouth busy and they don’t fidget as much.

 

[4boipigs]

I’m considering adopting him…just all that laundry is a pain. Recently I noticed he seems/looks really happy with me. He is a great pig aside from biting lol. He likes floor time, he is friendly and socially (with humans) the opposite of my other pigs. He has gained some more weight and I noticed some coat changes too - thicker/spikier hair down his back basically like a little shark fin.

I did find a good way to restrain him during nail trims. If I hold him in my lap and cover his face with a hand so he can’t move his head, he is not able to bite as easily. Hopefully that doesn’t sound too cruel! Trust me it is not.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

He's adorable. I always think about fostering but I don't have the room. And a big problem for me without the room would be the foster fail. I would end up keeping them all.

Sounds like you're heading down the foster fail path yourself. He couldn't be in a better home.

 

[ItsaZoo]

In addition to a tunnel, I sometimes use binder clips to attach a wee pad on the side of the cage at an angle like a lean-to. Gidget liked liked crawling under these, and she’d give it a flip as she ran through.