CAMP SKIPPING PIG  SANCTUARY

'Lil Willie arrived February 29, 2004. He and two other older pigs had been given to a parrot rescue that was not able to care for them. Willie was about a year old and we became his 5th home in that short period. The breeder he came from was in the habit of "weaning" her piglets at about two weeks of age in the mistaken belief that they'd stay small on a diet of cows' milk and dog food and make better pets. In fact early weaning is harmful and those piglets often have much trouble adjusting to different situations, people and animals. They are insecure and can become difficult, as they may be snappier because of their insecurities. The poor diet doesn't offer the proper nutrition for healthy growth. As a result of the early weaning and being in many different homes, Willie has great difficulty trusting anyone, is very high strung and nervous, and can be a bit snappy if he feels someone is being too familiar with him. He especially doesn't like anyone reaching above him to pet his head and shoulders. Because of (and despite of) this bit of a "handicap" Willie has given us countless laughs when he (in our opinion) overreacts to different situations. He basically acts like a person who runs screaming from the room, waving his hands over his head. If he physically could, he'd do just that. One instance that comes to mind is when Sassy arrived. She is a quiet, gentle little girl and we decided that she and Will would make a good pairing as roommates. He's basically a "chicken" and she is totally non-aggressive. The process to get them acquainted was simple. They had adjoining box stalls with a narrow aisle that connected the doorways. Each pig would have its own room, but they could mingle as they wanted. We figured that over a few days they'd become friends and settle in together. Sassy arrived in January after having been a house pig, so she required a heat lamp in her hut. Willie was acclimated to the normal barn temperature and was happy in his hut with his bed of hay and blankets. We watched as Willie warily scooted (streaked) past her in the narrow aisle and chuckled when he screamed if poor Sassy even glanced his way.  When she joined us for a scratch near his stall, Willie decided the time was right to check out her quarters down the way. Right after he sauntered in, Sassy figured she'd see what he was up to and followed him through the door. Poor Willie spun and came tearing out, lost his footing doing the hard right turn, and went flat on his side, legs still flailing and screaming for all he was worth. When he got his feet under him, he continued his terrified flight to his hut and hid inside. Sassy, who hadn't made even one threatening move for him (she actually never got closer that a few feet), peered out her door with a puzzled look. Due to Willie's suspicous nature, the get acquainted period took much longer than it would have with another pig, but after discovering that Sass had better quarters that included a heat lamp, he decided to risk a move over to her pen. During the course of several days I kept finding his green blanket in the aisle and would return it to his hut, figuring that he'd been wrapped in it as he got out of bed and dragged it accidently. In reality, he was trying to move in with Sassy and was taking his blanket with him. When I finally understood what he was up to I moved it for him and he cautiously settled on the opposite side of her hut, being careful that she was snuggled in for the night and sleeping before he went to bed, and that they never touched. He kept his back to the wall as tightly as he could. Over an extended period he began to feel more at ease and they actually would snuggle up. Finally he had a friend he could count on! But.....then came Spamlet. Spammy arrived in March and was so obese that he was blind and deaf. We moved him into Willie's former stall and figured that eventually the three of them could room together...Willie the Wuss, ever patient and gentle Sassy, and poor blind and deaf Spamlet who couldn't do a lot of damage if he tried. After a week or so the stall doors were left open again and the three were allowed to mingle and get to know each other. It wasn't long before we discovered Willie standing alone in the aisle one night after chores, facing his old stall, head hanging and whimpering soft little squeeks. My first thought was that he was sick, but I quickly realized that Sassy had moved out on him and settled in with Spamlet. Willie's happy little world was shattered and it took some convincing to get him tucked into his hut without Sass, who shamelessly made her choice clear. Spamlet was the new man in her life. Willie was too afraid of Spamlet to try to share the hut with the two of them and he dejectedly settled back into the single life in a room of his own, though they mingled during the day. Eventually we decided to try combining Willie's group of three with Alix, Mitchell and Joy, all of whom are pretty easy going. Sassy moved into bed with Alix's group and left Willie alone to settle in with Spamlet, who was now alone. (Did I mention she's shameless?) At "tuck in time" Spam and Will shared one bed and blanket and the other four had a bed around the corner. At some point Spamlet decided he'd, too, move in with the others and left Willie alone once again. At this point Willie still sleeps alone while the others snuggle contentedly. He still can't bring himself to try to join such a large group. Liberty was added to the group and all moved outdoors for the summer. They have a large summer shed to share, but Willie would prefer to sleep outside rather than share with a group, so he has a small hut of his own. He also prefers to take his meals alone rather than in the group. I hope to find him a new friend in Red Wind, a gentle, special needs female. She's very sweet, and if she can stand his initial screaming panic attacks, I think they'll be a happy couple. However, if there's a fence between them he does a lot of threatening and posturing, bristles erect, chomping and foaming, acting like "Mr. Tuff Guy". Despite the act, when one of the girls DID jump the fence one night, Willie reverted to  "Willie the Wuss" and ran and hid in his hut once again, peering out and whimpering. We love him despite his issues, and though it's probably rude to laugh at his insecurities, we can't help ourselves. His life is like a soap opera. Poor Will.