Just as Henry is getting really easy and moving out of his terrible teenage stage (he’s 10 months old now), along comes baby number two! Introducing Rocco, Henry’s brother from the same parents but a different litter.
A surprise email appeared in my inbox from Henry’s breeder, with this wee little piggy looking for a home. How could I resist such a sweet little boy?
We jumped in the car the next morning, and brought Henry with us to meet the new baby. The spotted pig here is Henry’s dad, Oliver.
Baby Rocco snuggled all the way home in the 2-hour car ride, sweet as can be.
Four-month old Rocco weighs 12 pounds and is very sweet and social. Unlike Henry who was terrified when we first brought him home; Rocco settled in with full confidence, following me around like a happy little puppy.
Everyone loves the new baby…everyone except Henry.
Henry’s aggressiveness towards the baby surprised me. He is always gentle and good-natured around the bunnies and chickens, but with Rocco, he has to prove he’s the top pig.
It’s been nearly two weeks, and Henry is slowly getting used to the idea that Rocco is staying. He puts on less of a macho display, and doesn’t beat up on the dog crate as often.
In the meantime, Rocco gets out and about, bonding with the rest of us. It’s going to take some time before I trust putting them together. Henry still has his own space in our master bathroom, while the baby sleeps in a crate in our bedroom.
Brendan - Oh my goodness. Too adorable.
Nicole - Oh my..how exciting! Still waiting for our little one from Lola, hopefully by Oct..Would love to come meet you, your family and critters some day, have lots of piggy questions (and maybe some chicken questions as well 😉
Natalie-Ann Landry - I love all of your pictures, your piggies are very sweet. Although I had to comment on a certain picture when I spotted someone special to me. The picture you have posted of Henry and “Oliver”. Is actually my piggy, Chester. He is from the same litter as Henry which makes them brothers. How cute is that? Jaime was watching Chester for me while I was visiting family out of the country. Chester was extremely excited to have reunited with is brother Henry, he told me alllllll about it on the long drive home. *oink, Oink, Oink.* 😀
Samuel L. Chell - Rocco’s spots suggest some Juliana genes, which is supposed to ensure a smaller pig of gentler temperament. I’m wondering if Rocco came with any projected weight at full-size. (Henry’s dad didn’t look much bigger than Henry. But I remember having a female dog whose pups all outgrew her by a considerable size.)
Samuel L. Chell - Good luck being able to keep both. I’m having trouble getting specifics from breeders re: parents’ age and weight, etc., when giving birth. Occasionally, I’ll see one parent that’s advertised as 3 years or more, then nothing about the other parent except its small size. Also, if breeders keep their pets inside all of the time, keeping it on a strict diet and forbidding grazing, it’s plausible that the pets remain small. How healthy and happy they are is another question.
Goodbye Rocco » FreestyleFarm - […] was our first, and he wasn’t too happy when Rocco came along. It took 3 weeks before I could trust putting them together without a […]