Pigjes' Pigs Piggadice part Pee ... oops, Three!

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pigjes
Cavy Comic

Post   » Sun Nov 08, 2015 5:08 am


Never thought I would be using sign language with a pig. Glad that Plucky and us communicate well, we developed a basic kinda sign language to communicate. She does hear when we talk close to her ear, but that is only when we pick her up. I swear she can read lips too for the stuff she used to respond to in the past! She became rather deaf after ovarian cyst surgery (my FIL too after his surgery). Piggies are so smart!

Had to use a zip tie structure for the water bottles, as Yiyi developed a new hobby: dragging them out of their socket for fun. Took a few attempts to discover who did it and how. We already suspected her, as she is a prankster and seemed not too far from the bottle when it happened. Then saw her do it, she did not even drink, but yanked the bottle out and popcorned for making it fly. Silly pig!

Yuyu is much more attached to me after treating her abscess. It has healed well. She is also barely running away anymore since.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Nov 08, 2015 7:47 am


How interesting! Can you give a couple examples of communicating with her?

C Cole-Chakotay

Post   » Sun Nov 08, 2015 9:35 am


I agree, piggies are much smarter than they get credit for.
I love reading about your girls, Pigjes.

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pigjes
Cavy Comic

Post   » Sun Nov 08, 2015 10:39 am


Thanks.

A few examples:

When I want her attention, I tap on the fleece next to her. She can feel the vibration, turns around and then looks at me.

A syringe is shown to let her know that meds time is coming up. She then usually lets her being picked up easily.

I raise my head and ask: what do you want? She then scurries off to the drawer where an item is stored, or to the corner of the cage close to the fridge (needs no explanation, lol), or goes to the water bottle, hay, pellets, or green oats, raises her head and looks at me to make clear of what she wants.

If there are fresh vegs, we gesture to come, which she responds to with a loud burrrrrr and a fast run to the place we point at to get them. This spot varies, as it keeps them curious.

When she asks for fresh vegs, we point at the clock and raise our arms in vain. She gets that and veers off for about 15 minutes, lol, making a new attempt.

Maddy_harper

Post   » Sun Nov 08, 2015 3:56 pm


aww so sad but cute... Not many people would have taken on a pig with any health issues even blindness or defness. people dont see past the disability i am afraid.

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snowflakey
E's Moriarity

Post   » Sun Nov 08, 2015 5:39 pm


That is pretty awesome, pigjes!

Pippipig

Post   » Sun Nov 08, 2015 9:56 pm


My girls don't even understand spoken English. They have very selective hearing.

Maddy_harper

Post   » Mon Nov 09, 2015 1:34 am


chock only understands what he wants to hahah think he has a bit of selective hearing goin on too. he likes the sentence good boy. Salad time. Thats followed by a lot of wheeking so i know he understands that one. He doesnt like the phrase bad pig though. He usually gets that one for trying to eat the carpet. Naughty piggie! He knows his name too ever since i could hold him in one hand. That was a long time ago now. People dont understand how bright pigs are unless they have them them selvs. people are amazed when i tell them just how bright pigs are. Its like living with a yung child in your house. Thats what i think anyway.

missmeliss

Post   » Mon Nov 09, 2015 6:54 pm


I ask Milton, every day before leaving for work, "Milt, do you need anything?" if he's good (food bowl and water full, plenty of hay) he will "pop" his hut up. If he does need something, he will SCREAM at me until I get it lol.

Pippipig

Post   » Wed Nov 11, 2015 12:21 pm


They scream for food. I tell them that they need to wait because it's 4AM. They scream for 2 more hours until I get up to feed them.

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LS in AK
Upside-down & Backwards

Post   » Thu Nov 12, 2015 12:19 am


I must admit I have selective hearing, myself. One of my girls has been screaming at me since I rescued her from animal control over a year ago. At first, it was ear-shattering wheeks. I attributed that to a general lack of attention from any prior owner -- unless she blew out their eardrums (maybe why she kept ending up at animal control?) Now, after some corrective action, I get much tamer but still very shrill little *maybe it is treat time now?* screeches, which are usually rewarded, but not during my sleep time. Those inquiries are politely ignored until I am ready to move off the couch. She knows just to try again a bit later, and eventually I will get up and reward her behavior, but not until I am good and ready to start my day.

pigjes, I can't believe I've been missing out on all your videos! I discovered them recently on the last thread, and I am in awe of the fun accommodations you put together for your girls.

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pigjes
Cavy Comic

Post   » Thu Nov 12, 2015 2:34 am


In 2004, I was advised on another (ex-) forum that constant wheeking for fresh vegs was too stressful, so to only feed them when they are quiet. As they lived close to the fridge, they just screamed for vegs all day. It worked like a charm.

Even more fascinating: one pig taught the next, so it only had to be taught once. If they wheek now, there is something wrong, so we go and check, unless it's the brief and quieter "Hi, you are back home" after we have been out all day.

Must say they all developed a series of non communicative ways to grab our attention, lol, it differs slightly per pig. For example, Kooky used to wave at me like a dog with her paw, Bubbly scratched the fleece like a bull, lol. Most of them sit by the cage wall, right on top of the drawer they want you to access or close to the direction of the fridge, on their butt and give us the stinging eye stare, lol.

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