Since this is Oscar’s first winter, I have been eagerly anticipating his very first snow. We have had plenty of rain this winter and even an ice storm, but I’ve been impatiently waiting for some fluffy, pretty snow. I knew Oscar wouldn’t love snow since it’s cold and wet, but I was so excited for him to see snow and experience it for the first time. A few days ago, we finally had some light snow falling, so I quickly put Oscar’s coat on him and we headed outside.
I was hoping that Oscar would at least be curious about the snow, but he just wanted to go back inside. Between Oscar’s hatred for anything cold and anything resembling water, it didn’t take him very long to decide that he didn’t like snow. I grabbed some Cheerios on the way outside so that I could get a few pictures of his first snow, but he turned and ran back inside as soon as the Cheerios were gone.
The funniest part about Oscar’s short time in the snow is that he kept trying to dodge the snow flakes. He hated the snow falling on his face and, even worse, the flakes occasionally landed near his eyes. When they did, he ducked his head each time in an attempt to avoid the snow, as if the flakes were slowly attacking him. In the end, he wasn’t really sure what the snow was or what it was trying to do, but he knew he didn’t like it.
I was secretly hoping Oscar would like playing in the snow or would at least be curious about it, but he really hated it. Even so, I finally got the chance to see him experience his very first snow, and it was fun watching him dodge the snow flakes. He might not like snow, but he sure looked cute with his coat on while the snow flakes fell around him!
Aww, the photo of him dodging the snowflakes is so cute.
Thank you! I love that one too! It shows exactly how he felt about the snow falling on his face. 🙂
I am worried about my mini Piper . I know it’s only fall but I keep thinking ahead to winter where she will not be able to play outside and bide her time with rooting and laying in the sun ! I am going to purchase a coat for her to wear so maybe she will attempt to go outside but she doesn’t even like rain so I doubt the coat will help. She is trained to go potty outdoors also. I have to litter train her and she is 6 months now . Will I still be able to train her to go indoors? And any suggestions for inside toys ? I am also making her a rooting box . I have a lab she is best friends with but takes her busy ball all the time . Thanks !
Hi Kelly! In my experience with Oscar, things do get a little more challenging in the winter. Oscar’s outdoor rooting keeps him stimulated and content when the weather is nice, but he hates the cold and rain (like your Piper) so I have to get a little more creative in the winter. My best advice for dealing with boredom in the winter is to get some treat-dispensing toys for Piper to play with. Oscar’s favorites are the IQ treat ball and the Bob-A-Lot; here’s the link for those: http://lifewithaminipig.com/toys-for-mini-pigs/. Other good options are ball pits and special rugs made for pigs to root around in. I am also always trying to think of ways for Oscar to stay entertained during the winter, so one day I had a little bit of applesauce left in the single-serve plastic cup and I gave that to Oscar to get the rest out (supervised of course). It was a bit messy, but it kept him entertained for a little while.
As for potty training outdoors when it’s cold, I find I have to keep an eye on Oscar when it first gets cold out each year. He hates going out in the cold, so he can get sneaky and try to quietly go inside to avoid going out. If he does have an accident, I take him straight outside anyway so that he doesn’t learn that going inside keeps him from having to go outside in the cold. Other than that, we haven’t had too much trouble. We leash him and take him out, and he goes as quickly as possible and then runs right back in. He also has a coat for winter, so I think that was a great idea for Piper! Another thing that might be helpful is that we have floor heat vents that Oscar likes to nap in front of, and that honestly takes up a big chunk of his day when it’s cold. So, if you have any type of heater Piper can lay in front of, that might help with some of her winter boredom as well. Hope that helps!