Belka and Poof tend to talk a lot when they're being petted during cuddle time. On their own, each pig settles in with a quiet muttering but when held together their voices combine to form a squeaky duet. You can hear their vocalizations in the video above.
Everything started out nicely until Belka got a little too far into Poof's personal space and received a simultaneous headbutt on the nose and warning snap of teeth. Satisfied that she had proven her point, Poof then proceeded to lay her head down on the fleece. No further piggy action occurred until Belka became intrigued by the camera in her face and started to chut inquisitively at the lens.
Knowing her, she was probably trying to determine if it would be a viable snack.
So are those noises good, bad, or neutral? One of my 3 pigs loves to be held, and even begs to be picked up. The other two, however, seem to only "tolerate" lap time. They make noises like Belka & Poof any time you touch them, but if you don't pet them then they are silent. I always thought it was because they weren't handled much by their previous owners so they didn't like it, but maybe I'm wrong!
ReplyDeleteI think it depends from pig to pig, sometimes similar noises will mean different things. I look at the pig's body language to get an idea. Belka and Poof behave similarly to yours (squeaky when touched, quiet when not petted) but they are always relaxed when doing so, in a stretched out or curled up sleeping position so I take it to mean that they are happy and content.
ReplyDeleteRevy on the other hand combines those noises with frantic popping around. She makes it pretty clear that she doesn't want to be petted (she prefers nose scratches) so in her case those noises would not be good.
Perhaps if you give them a small snack during lap time? Regular handling coupled with consistent positive reinforcement could bring them around.. after all, food is the way to a pig's heart!
Oh yes they are open to food 150% of the time! They are pretty relaxed during it - sometimes feet stretched out, sometimes pulled under them, but not head-butting me or fluffing up their hair, etc. Thanks for the tips/comments!
ReplyDeleteBucky and Boomer make cooing noises when being stroked!
ReplyDelete