Baby Pig. Now What?

[Robb71]

Oscar is 5 months old and seems to be acting up. He's always had a thing about shoes and shoe laces. He was pulling at them when he was just a couple of pounds, and now, he's become much better at it. He will pretend to be sniffing around when he comes up to me, and then he'll make a quick attack at my shoe laces and then run off. I swear he knows he's not supposed to, but he can't help himself. It's both annoying and funny.

I've been working on a wood shed and anywhere I'm at, Oscar wants to be right in there wth me. He's figured out that he can pull the cord of the drill out of the extension cord and then he can run off with the drill. That was interesting. He's taken off with my hammer and my steel tape. If I chase after him, he runs and acts just like a dog who is playing keep away with a stick. Once I get it back from him, he wants to play some more. If I pretend to ignore him, like I did with my hammer, then he just chews it up.

I'm sure he wonders off into the woods, but there isn't very much sign of it. I've never found him on my game camera pics on his own, but he loves to go there with me when I go for a walk or take out the Mule for a drive.

He plays with Leo, my yellow cat. They seem to be buddies. Leo likes to snuggle with Oscar at night, and I've seen Oscar following Leo around .

I took these pics on Thursday.

Eddie

From the sound of it, he's a real ham.

 

[EE_Bota]

I've been working on a wood shed and anywhere I'm at, Oscar wants to be right in there wth me. He's figured out that he can pull the cord of the drill out of the extension cord and then he can run off with the drill. That was interesting. He's taken off with my hammer and my steel tape. If I chase after him, he runs and acts just like a dog who is playing keep away with a stick. Once I get it back from him, he wants to play some more. If I pretend to ignore him, like I did with my hammer, then he just chews it up.

Eddie

Eddie, what Oscar is doing is not unusual, all hogs will do that too. He will continue to take your stuff. I mean this as a heads-up. Growing up, it was difficult to work around my hogs inside their pens, and nothing could be laid down.

Watch out using electricity around Oscar. I lost a hog like that once. They can be put in an electric fence without much risk, but if they take electric inside their mouth, that can be fatal.

Another lesson from that time...if a hog ever gets too hot, don't actively cool them. Deny water and offer shade, particularly if they are making an abnormal barking noise. Lost one like that too.

Make sure shade can be found, and water is never accidentally denied.

 

[jinman]

Eddie, does Oscar only attack shoe laces of shoes you are wearing? If he goes for others too, maybe put something really hot on them or something really bitter and set them out where he won't be able to resist. If they taste really bad or he gets his snoot full of pepper, he just might be broken of the habit.

Do they make shock collars for pigs?:laughing:

 

[SandburRanch]

Kyle, do you reckon Oscar is going to abandon Eddie and take to the wild, or will he just bring his new family home to stay with Eddie?:laughing:

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From what my old eyes can see in the pics Oscar will have to adopt a family.

 

[JESSE1]

Eddie, have you had Oscar fixed? I don't think I'd want a grown boar hog following me around.

 

[Alan L.]

Can't believe I never noticed this thread. I don't believe a domesticated wild hog is wild at all. This is a very lucky pig. You probably have second thoughts about bacon and ham now.

 

[mud23609]

Humm, my pigs have never been chick magnets. Calves do ok for a couple weeks then not so well. The horses on the other hand work like a charm. A very expensive charm.

 

[Obed]

Eddie, have you had Oscar fixed? I don't think I'd want a grown boar hog following me around.

I've also been wondering if Oscar has been fixed; he may be getting a little big by now. I'm not sure that having a boar hog around is particularly scary. A sow with piglets is probably more of a danger. We had a boar hog named Sunshine that was as gentle as could be. It may be dependent on the boar.

I know that's the case with bulls. None of our bulls were ever agressive but some of our neighbors' bulls were. I saw my dad jump a 4 foot barbed wire fence when a neighbor's brahmah bull got into our field and charged my dad.

 

[EddieWalker]

I never got around to having Oscar fixed. I still think about it and from what I've heard, its still an option. I just keep avoiding it and never follow through when I talk myself into doing it


Eddie

 

[EE_Bota]

I never got around to having Oscar fixed. I still think about it and from what I've heard, its still an option. I just keep avoiding it and never follow through when I talk myself into doing it


Eddie

Jump on that. You don't want Oscar patroling the entire county when a sow is in heat.
What is his current weight?