Sanghi gives us an update on life for her family and their pigs. Poppy is now 4 years old and Podrick is going to be 2 in a month. They both have their own personalities and have destroyed everything they had done to their yard to make it pretty because of the pigs. But it comes with the territory so its okay. Her daughter is now 14 months and she loves to watch all 3 of them interact and grow up together. Now that poppy is 4 her energy level has come down. When they first brought their daughter home she thought that Poppy was getting depressed but then they realized that she was just starting to calm down because of her age. People often wonder what they can do regarding pregnancy and babies and bringing their children into a home with a pig. Sanghi tells us about what they did when they first found out that they were having a baby. For their family they decided to get a second pig so that Poppy had someone else for herself. As she progressed along in her pregnancy she would make sure that the pigs had a chance to snuggle with her bare skin belly so they could feel the baby move. She also noticed that Poppy was getting a little more protective but also more mellow and more careful when interacting with Sanghi. She thinks that by allowing the pigs to be around her belly as her baby grew she thinks they could sense she was pregnant and their personalities adjusted. They brought home some of her swaddles that the baby was in and they let the pigs have that and smell her before they interacted with her. They would allow the pigs also to smell the pack n play that baby was in. After that she would stand behind the baby gate and Sanghi would hold the baby and let the pigs smell her so everyone was still in their safe space but could be introduced. They slowly started to let them smell her feet and adjust. They are still careful to supervise their daughter with their pigs to train everyone to be kind and gentle. They have their visits in small short visits once the pigs are calm. Poppy and Podrick don't mind having their daughter around them in the same space. One issue that they have been having is Podrick will nudge her highchair and tip it over without her in it so now during any time that her daughter is eating they have the pigs in a separate area so everyone is safe. She tells us about how her pigs helped her during her postpartum depression and other challenges that they faced as a new family. Sanghi gives us her best piece of advice for someone who has a pig and is pregnant or is thinking of having a baby.

Sanghi’s Link:

https://bit.ly/yogavinopig0622

Autumn’s Links:

Website:

https://www.autumnacresminipetpigs.com/

Email:

Autumn@autumnacresminipetpigs.com

Educational Membership Group:

https://www.autumnacresminipetpigs.com/support-group-subscription/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/autumnacresminipetpigs/

Facebook:

HTTP://Facebook.com/autumnacresminipetpigs

Mighty Networks:

https://autumn-acres-mini-pet-pigs.mn.co/share/EPW2Ie5isMX4T0Ve

YouTube:

https://youtube.com/channel/UCGue5Kp5AwOXkReCGPUyImA

Stan Store:

https://stan.store/autumnacresminipetpigs

Newsletter:

http://eepurl.com/hDNizT

*** This episode is sponsored by Mikko’s Choice. Mikko's Choice is a small women owned business that provides high quality CBD for your pig. Use code pigpodcast to get 25% off your first order. $5 from every sale is donated to animal rescues. Go to Mikkoschoice.com or email info@mikkoschoice.com for more information.***

Does your pet pig love to graze in the spring and summertime? Most pigs love to be outside. What is there not to love? The sun, dirt, the breeze. There are so many health benefits that our pig gets from being outside. They get minerals and vitamins and it also helps with boredom. SO being outside is really good for a pig. Especially a pet pig that lives in the house. Where we don't want them to be bored and destructive or snippy and wanting to eat all the time. It’s really nice that our pig can spend time outside. When it comes to our pigs spending time outside there are a couple things that we should keep in mind that are going to allow our pig to stay healthy, not get overweight, and not be exposed to things they shouldn't be.

Grazing is great but there are things about grazing that aren't so good.

1) Excessive grazing can cause a pig to gain weight. If your pig is gaining weight due to grazing you can do a couple things, cut back on their pellets and snacks. By cutting back on those they will be able to maintain a weight that is healthy for them.

2) Grass causes bloating and gas. If they are not used to the grass it can cause digestive upset. We can help with this by slowly introducing them to the grass.

3) We need to watch out for toxic plants in their grazing area. You will need to take a look around at the plants in your yard and gardens and make sure that they are not toxic to pigs in any way. And if they are toxic you need to keep it away from them. It is also a good idea to keep activated charcoal on hand. Activated charcoal is a binder so it binds to the toxins and it can save a pig's life.

4) Remember that worms and other parasites can be picked up from grazing so a regular deworming schedule is needed. This will help with internal parasites. We also need to consider external parasites like ticks. If you live in an area that allows free range birds they will help control ticks but you can also dust their belly and legs with diatomaceous earth. I also have tick and mosquito repellent sprays that are all natural that I spray them with.

5) Pigs can easily wander off while grazing so it's important that we either keep our eyes on them or have them in a fenced in space.

6) Your pig should have access to water at all times if it is hot outside. They should also have a shaded space to get out of the sun.

7) There is a fungus that grows on red clover and this fungus produces a toxin that stimulates the salivary glands and will result in excessive drooling.The thing to do is to keep them off the clover in the spring time because this is when this fungus grows.

Autumn’s Links:

Website:

https://www.autumnacresminipetpigs.com/

Email:

Autumn@autumnacresminipetpigs.com

Educational Membership Group:

https://www.autumnacresminipetpigs.com/support-group-subscription/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/autumnacresminipetpigs/

Facebook:

HTTP://Facebook.com/autumnacresminipetpigs

Mighty Networks:

https://autumn-acres-mini-pet-pigs.mn.co/share/EPW2Ie5isMX4T0Ve

YouTube:

https://youtube.com/channel/UCGue5Kp5AwOXkReCGPUyImA

Stan Store:

https://stan.store/autumnacresminipetpigs

Newsletter:

http://eepurl.com/hDNizT

Amelia currently lives in Northern Canada in Quebec. She has always been an animal lover in fact her first word was dog instead of mom or dad. She has always been drawn to animals. Her parents saw that she was always drawn to animals as a child. She grew up having ADHD and animals helped her calm down and control her emotions better. She grew up with chickens and rabbits and eventually turned into a hobby farm. She ran the hobby farm and it was the beginning steps towards what she has now. Now, today she runs a sanctuary for farm animals. They have criteria to accept farm animals on the sanctuary which are, handicapped animals, animals in need who have been neglected, and animals that need emergency care. Their goal is to take in animals in need and to be able to offer them a loving, stable home for their entire life and then to use a select few to reach out to vulnerable people in their community to offer emotional support visits to lift their spirits.

Amelia is also a teacher in an indigenous community in her area and her school is very open to letting her bring the baby animals into class so they can be fed their bottles throughout the day as needed. Amelia tells us about life as a teacher and how she has been able to incorporate animals into the class to teach her students lessons about kindness and acceptance and also about responsibility. She also tells us how her sanctuary came about and major challenges she came across with the sanctuary but how she was able to overcome it. She ends the episode with how the sanctuary is today and what her and her animals are up to these days. Amelia shares her goals for the future of the sanctuary. She tells us about her 3 pigs and how they are doing now and that she is about to get a 4th pig. If you would like to help Amelia click her links below and get her name out there.

Amelia’s Links:

Website:

https://la-petite-fermette-du-mieux-etre-105161.square.site/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/lapetitefermette1

Autumn’s Links:

Website:

https://www.autumnacresminipetpigs.com/

Email:

Autumn@autumnacresminipetpigs.com

Educational Membership Group:

https://www.autumnacresminipetpigs.com/support-group-subscription/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/autumnacresminipetpigs/

Facebook:

HTTP://Facebook.com/autumnacresminipetpigs

Mighty Networks:

https://autumn-acres-mini-pet-pigs.mn.co/share/EPW2Ie5isMX4T0Ve

YouTube:

https://youtube.com/channel/UCGue5Kp5AwOXkReCGPUyImA

Stan Store:

https://stan.store/autumnacresminipetpigs

Newsletter:

http://eepurl.com/hDNizT