Pig-Sitting

We are currently baby-sitting our friends' Chad & Bryan's pig, Hampton.  They had some issues with their neighbors and landlord, and decided it was for the better to move into a different place.  While they are looking for a new place and for someone to take over their current lease, they needed someone to watch Hampton.  We agreed in a heartbeat!  We are entering into our third week with the little pig and it has been super fun.  He is a funny little animal, and very smart.  Since I'm home most of the time, he's connected with me a lot (Zak gets a bit jealous, but Hampton loves him too), and is pretty demanding of me cuddling with him a lot.  Sometimes it does get a bit tiring, but then he makes the cutest little sounds and looks up at me and I melt.  He loves to root around on our inner or outer legs, arms, basically wherever he can.  It's funny but after 5 minutes and your arm goes numb, it's a bit much.  He also loves our soft purple blanket, he knows that's the cuddling blanket, because we usually have it on our laps when he's on the couch with us.  If I leave it on the ground while I run Zak to and from school, he'll just curl up with it and sleep.

Hampton also loves the baseboard heaters, oh my goodness.  He will sleep next to them, rub his butt or face on them, he is so funny about them.  I think he just loves to be warm.  Chad told us that about a week before he came to stay with us, Hampton had just figured out that when he or Bryan were eating, it was also potential, possible food for him as well, so he tries to get at our human food when we eat.  We have to use some creative maneuvers, like Zak will wrap him up in the blanket and put that next to him, with his elbow near the entrance.  My tactic is to sit on Zak's chair (he rarely jumps up onto the chair, he is almost an expert at jumping onto the couch) or have Zak hold him while I eat.  Or stand and eat.  As of today, he has conquered going up and down the stairs, if he wants or needs to.  It's pretty funny to watch him pull himself up the stairs and tentatively go down them (pigs don't like their feet off the ground

He is a sweet little animal and it will be sad to let him go in a few weeks.  He makes the funniest sounds, from deep grunts to high-pitched squeaks and squeals.  He's very communicative.  We also love to play chase with him; he loves it as well.  He will even wait for me and look up as if to say, 'Well, are we playing or not??'.  But then he'll hide under the table so we'll stop, and then he'll wait for us to get him again.  When he's on the kitchen floor it's like a scene from any cartoon, his feet will be going a million miles a second, but he can't get traction, it's so funny.  It's been so much fun having him around.  We love our little piggy!  And here are lots of pictures because we don't have kids yet, so I feel justified in sharing twenty pictures of Hampton! 

we tried putting a little baby booty on him (secured with a rubber band), he was not having it; once we got it on, he didn't care but it was a struggle

his favorite activity after breakfast

both hamster and Hampton could care less about the other

doing homework with Zak

Professor Pig

I covered him up in the scarf I was working on so he'd be warm

his little snout is so funny

loves this blanket

this picture just makes me giggle!

coyly smiling

Chad told us that we could put some peanut butter on our finger to give him a treat; he went nuts for it! Such a happy pig!