Autumn Acres Mini Pet Pigs

Episode: 24 / November 1, 2022

Why is Change the Answer to Fear?

Pig’s are creatures of habit. They are comforted when they know what is going to happen. Pigs can become very regimented in their schedule and really hate it when it changes at all. I think a schedule is important but you need to keep their world changing also. In this episode we will talk about why it’s important to keep a pig’s world changing and how to do it.

Pigs do not like change and new things because they are prey animals so they get stuck in their box. Different things are scary to a pig. If we teach our pig that new or different things are not scary, we are giving our pig a gift. We give them the ability to not be afraid of everything new. I have found that when they are young or are new in our home, and we expose them to changes in their daily life, then as they grow to adulthood they adapt to change and are not as afraid of new things. If you have a stagnant environment with your pig they tend to become entitled and bossy. If we can teach our pigs and keep them on a flexible routine we will be teaching them that change is not a scary thing.

How can we teach our pigs that change is safe? How can we put just enough change in their daily routine that it keeps them always guessing and excited? I have 2 ways that i use with my pigs.

The first way is by changing up their everyday items.

Blankets
Food bowl
Area
The way the area is set up

After I clean up their area I set it up differently very often for my young pigs. By doing this I am showing them that it is ok for things to be moved around. I even rotate my outdoor pigs in new areas often.

The second way that I teach my pigs that change is ok is by changing up something that they love and adore. I do not change their food but I change the way that they are fed often. Every morning that I feed Topanga I change the way that I give her food to keep her use to change. Below are some examples of how I feed her.

I put her food in a treat dispensing toy
I may put the toy in a crate or I let her push it all around the basement
I may put the toy in a kiddie pool
I may put her food in the kiddie pool mixed around with all kinds of larger toy balls
I may sprinkle her food in a blanket to make her forage.
I may feed her outside and sprinkle it in the grass.

By changing how my pigs eat their meals I keep them excited about change.

Key takeaway: By teaching our pigs that change is ok and safe we are relieving them of an anxiety that comes with the fear of change and they are able to adapt more quickly.

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