Behavior Very shy piggie

[clmyers31]

I got Teddy as a tiny baby. He was just weened from his mom and possibly a little too soon. He seemed a little under-deveoped. While bonding with him, I had him out of the cage frequently, thinking he would get used to being held. I knew he was a little shy because he would run from me.

I was confident that he would get better as he became an adult. Introduction with my existing pig went very well and they enjoy each other's company. But now that he's an adult he still won't let us touch him in the cage. The other piggie comes up to us and loves to be petted and is easy to pick up.

Once you have him out and holding him he likes it. He gives me lots of kisses and seems very relaxed. But, in order to get him out I have to back him into a corner and he just seems terrified. He's about a year old now. I feel bad for getting him out but he has to come out for play time and cuddles.

I have to admit, he doesn't get cuddled as much as the other because it scares the crap out of him to be picked up. And during floor time, he just finds a corner to hid in while the other is running around and exploring. He seems perfectly content to stay in the cage.

He takes a lot of patience and we've tried getting him to trust us. Does anyone have experience with this type of behavior and do you haven't advice for me.


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[jaycriae]

He sounds very similar to my Theo. I've had her for four years and she still won't let me do more than boop her nose while she's in the cage, but she's very easy to snuggle once she's out. And she's a lazy bones, so she acts similar during floor time, and she's always the last to notice when I put veggies in the cage. (That said, my Odeta didn't used to let me pet her in the cage or pick her up easily either, and with age she's mellowed out a lot.)

My recommendation is just to wait until he's in a hidey to scoop him up, so there's as little chasing as possible. He could become more comfortable being pet in the cage over time, but it'd be over months to years, not anytime soon, and there's no way to determine whether that'll happen.


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