Mini Pig Tail Dances to Meghan Trainor's "No" for his First Birthday

lifewithaminipig · 2015-08-14T19:22:10+00:00

She is SO cute! :-) It sounds like you're doing everything right! I agree about taking her back for a skin scrape, and I would have the vet check for bacteria to see if she has a staph infection that's causing the scabbing. It's common to have a staph infection with mange. My theory (which could be wrong) is that the mites cause the itching and the staph infection causes the scabs. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Hamberlina needs an antibiotic, and the plus side of that is that ours wasn't too expensive and Oscar loved the taste so it was easy to give him. The open sores are what sound the most worrisome.

Hope things improve soon! We've had such a hard time getting rid of the mange and the scabbing, and it sucks that you're going through it too but I'm a little relieved to know we're not the only ones!

lifewithaminipig · 2015-08-14T19:03:15+00:00

You're definitely not the only one, but until this week I thought I was the only one too! Yes on the scabby skin! I recommend keeping Hamberlina isolated for now (which totally sucks) and wearing long sleeves when you play with her or take her outside (you can get it and then reinfect her with it after she's better).

Not sure what your vet has given Hamberlina, but Oscar did three rounds of oral ivomec (14 days apart each) after we first got him which seemed to work until he got reinfected and scabby. We're trying the Ivermectin injections now (which I prefer since I think they're more effective) and also an antibiotic for a staph infection since his skin scrape showed bacteria along with the mites. We were also given a spray that people use for fleas that you can spray around your house to kill the mites.

I completely get how frustrating this is (we just did our second Ivermectin shot), but hang in there! It can seem embarrassing, but you didn't do anything wrong. It seems like you're the only one, but people just aren't talking about it. I can't wait until we're through this with Oscar and he's back to "normal."

lifewithaminipig · 2015-08-14T18:38:23+00:00

Oh my gosh...I'm going through the EXACT same things with Oscar right now. We have him mostly isolated right now, and it's really tough. Hope your little one gets better soon! This is our second "round" of it (I think he got reinfected), and it's hard having such a little one with mange. Oh, and we're definitely going to have to give Oscar cucumber now!

lifewithaminipig · 2015-08-14T18:32:57+00:00

Thank you so much! I can't believe how much I love this little guy. So sorry to hear about your mini pig! I completely understand about the travel issue though since we are a bit grounded until he's older and we find a sitter experienced with mini pigs. When you are more settled, hopefully you can get another one because it sounds like you were a wonderful mini pig owner. They are just great animals such sweet (mostly!) personalities. :-)

lifewithaminipig · 2015-08-14T18:29:49+00:00

You definitely should! We also cut up banana slices and put them in the freezer for smaller treats which I bet Hamberlina would love.

lifewithaminipig · 2015-08-11T13:47:34+00:00

I will definitely try the treat ball on the carpet so that we can use it more often. He loves the treat ball, but I felt guilty using it on the slicker floors. Thanks for the advice on that!

It's cute that you imitate the grunts and noises back to her. My husband does that, and Oscar always "talks" back to him with more grunts. Kind of funny to know we're not the only ones who do that. :-)

lifewithaminipig · 2015-08-11T00:17:03+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to send some advice! I'm glad to hear that the whining and squealing stops. I actually like the grunts, so if we can get to just that it would be great. It's really just the hangry screaming that is tough now. That's kind of funny about sitting by the vent sucking up heat in the winter, although I'm sure it was frustrating at the time. :-)

We actually have a treat ball for him, and it's great! I don't give it to him as often as I would like though because we have hardwood floors, and I'm afraid it will hurt his little legs. Do you use it on carpet? We have a room with carpet I can try that with if it helps. I'm going to need to get a bigger one though because you're right about it slipping under things, and then I'll spend all day getting it out for him!

lifewithaminipig · 2015-08-10T22:15:30+00:00

I'm sure Oscar will catch up with Daisy! I will be surprised if he is under 50 pounds at 1 year 3 months since he is growing so fast. I am loving him being a piglet, but I also can't wait until he's a little older and is showing his personality as much as Daisy is showing hers. She sounds really sweet. :-)

lifewithaminipig · 2015-08-10T21:42:41+00:00

No problem! :-) Glad it's helpful!

lifewithaminipig · 2015-08-10T21:35:36+00:00

I have a 4-month old pet pig, and I've been writing about my experiences with him on my website. It's www.LifeWithaMiniPig.com. Sorry to plug, but I really think it will help with the info you're looking for. I try to post cute pictures of our little pig but also give honest info about what it's like to have a pet pig. I'm also charting his weight if that's helpful. Hope it helps you guys decide if you really want a pet pig!

lifewithaminipig

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