How Routine Husbandry Can Provide Opportunities for

Socialization and Bonding within a Minipig Production Facility

M. Salerno, B. Grambo, B. Jasmin, N. Navratil, Marshall BioResources, North Rose, NY, USA

ABSTRACT Socialization enhances animal welfare, strengthens the human-animal bond, and reduces

stress experienced by both animals and caretakers. Socialization at our facility begins at birth,

and minipigs receive positive human interaction throughout their entire time in our facility.

As a breeding facility with thousands of animals to care for, we also need to balance the need

for socialization with the other husbandry and related tasks we must perform each day.

Therefore, we have implemented ways to incorporate positive human interaction into our

routine husbandry procedures. This includes physically entering the animals’ space and

interacting with the minipigs when we perform simple daily tasks such as feeding, washing,

and weighing of the animals, as well as when we apply topical treatments. We utilize clickers

at feeding time, and we also provide positive and reinforcing touches to our sows before and

during parturition, and to the litters soon after birth. Combining socialization with routine

husbandry tasks creates positive benefits for both the animals and the staff without requiring

many extra resources. This poster will describe the ways in which we create opportunities for

socialization when performing our routine daily tasks.

INTRODUCTIONSwine are highly social animals, and they need opportunities for socialization with

conspecifics and human caretakers. However, some behaviors of the wild boar have remained

highly conserved in the Göttingen Minipig, despite centuries of domestication. In the wild,

the boar is a prey species and is thus easily startled and has a desire to escape situations

viewed as threatening (Lorentsen, 2014). Therefore, it is important for caretakers to socialize

with the animals and build trust, otherwise procedures that require any amount of restraint

may be viewed as threatening by the animals. With proper socialization, minipigs can grow

quite fond of their caretakers, and human interaction can often satisfy some of their need for

social interaction. We have developed ways to incorporate positive interactions with the

animals while performing routine tasks, which has provided many advantages for the animals,

for our staff, and for our facility budgets.

METHODS

Socializing the Sow and LitterAs technicians routinely work in the farrowing areas, they are encouraged to scratch and rub

the sows. This helps the sows become comfortable with human touch and helps them remain

relaxed when humans are present in their pen, which will be useful if intervention is

necessary during farrowing or with nursing (Figure 1).

Sows with litters are fed twice a day, and during feeding technicians will open the door and

step inside the pen to place diet in the sow’s feeding pan, or in the piglet dish (Figure 2).

By entering the pen for feeding, the piglets get used to staff being in their space, and they

associate humans with something positive such as feeding and petting (Figure 3). This helps

to promote trust and encourage the minipigs to identify humans as beneficial and as “a

friend.”

Socializing litters during feeding and routine tasks can provide beneficial imprinting during a

critical age with minimal additional resources.

RESULTS Our socialization program has helped us improve the temperament of the minipigs and

reduce the number of animals who do not tolerate handling well. Because pigs are a prey

species in the wild, they remain skeptical of being handled (Lorentsen, 2014). Therefore, they

must learn to trust their human caretakers.

It is tempting to skip the socialization, especially when several tasks must be completed each

day and people begin to rush. It is certainly easier to lean over the pen and spread the diet

quickly or scrape up the manure, rather than take the time to interact with the animals.

However, we have found that taking a few extra seconds to open the pen and pet the animals

only adds a few minutes to the task overall, and allows us to provide routine interaction and

socialization.

DISCUSSION & CONCLUSIONSEvery person who interacts with the animals is influencing what they learn and experience,

either purposely or inadvertently. Washers, caretakers, and research technicians all can

contribute to creating positive experiences and enhancing the well-being of the animals

(Zeltner, 2013). Minipigs are highly intelligent and remember positive and negative

interactions with those who care for them. A lack of human interaction or negative

experiences can create minipigs that are fearful or even aggressive (Ball, 2012).

Socialization is a continual process as minipigs grow within our production facility as well as

when they transition to a new environment, such as the laboratory. Consistent positive

handing is important for laboratory minipigs and can easily be incorporated into routine tasks

without requiring much additional time.

REFERENCESBall, R.S. (2012). Husbandry and management. In P.A. McAnulty, A.D. Dayan, N.C. Ganderup & K.L. Hastings

(eds.), The Minipig in Biomedical Research (pp.17-36). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

Cox, M. (2010). Training Göttingen Minipigs: Using operant conditioning behavior analysis (“Clicker Training”) for

dermal safety studies. Ellegaard Göttingen Minipigs A/S Newsletter 33, 10-13. Retrieved from

minipigs.dk/fileadmin/filer/Newsletters/Newsletter_33.pdf

Lorentsen, H. (2014). Animal welfare: Reflections on social enrichment and social interactions. Ellegaard Göttingen

Minipigs A/S. Retrieved from

minipigs.dk/uploads/media/Reflections_on_social_enrichment_and_social_interactions.pdf

Zeltner, A. (2013). Educational Package: Handling, dosing and training of the Göttingen Minipig. Ellegaard

Göttingen Minipigs A/S. Retrieved from

minipigs.dk/fileadmin/filer/Education_package_New/Handling__Dosing___Training.pdf

Providing Oral Treatments Oral antibiotic treatments and supplements which have a fruity or sweet flavor are often

perceived as a treat by minipigs, which means treatments can also be an opportunity for

socialization with human caretakers (Figures 5 & 6). Caretakers rub and pet the minipigs

during treatment to promote a bond and help establish trust.

Figure 4: Caretakers positively interact with the minipigs while applying topical treatments.

METHODS (continued)

Applying Topical TreatmentsMinipigs may receive topical treatments for minor scratches, especially after remixing of

new pen groups. Technicians will sit calmly with the group of pigs directly in the pen. They

inspect each pig and rub any scratches with ointment. During this time they also rub and pet

the minipig to provide socialization.

Following weaning, all minipigs receive this handling, and even those without the need for

any treatment are still inspected and petted (Figure 4). This creates an excellent opportunity

to also expose the minipigs to interacting with a human in their space, and to being handled

in a positive way.

Figure 6: A caretaker interacts with a sow while

treating with cherry flavored antibiotics.

Figure 5: Piglets receive social attention and explore caretakers

as they are given yogurt supplements.

Introducing a Clicker at FeedingMany facilities utilize operant conditioning to facilitate easier handling and to provide

enrichment to the minipigs. A clicker is often used to mark behaviors (Figure 7), and

therefore it is beneficial for the minipig to identify the “click” with a food reward. Minipigs

are highly motived by food, and feeding time is highly rewarding to the pigs. In our

production facility, we utilize automated feeders and can feed an entire room at the same time

by releasing a lever. Therefore, we click the clicker before releasing the diet so the pigs learn

to associate the sound of the click with feeding and something positive. The intention is to

reduce the need to “charge the clicker” (Cox, 2010) before beginning a clicker training

program.

METHODS (continued)

Announcing Our Presence As caretakers and technicians enter an animal room they speak to the minipigs in a calm

voice to inform the pigs of their presence. Minipigs can become startled if they are not aware

a human is approaching them. This is especially important when the cage design limits the

minipigs’ ability to visualize all of the room, such as caging with solid panels.

Talking to the minipigs when feeding can create a positive association with the caretaker’s

voice. Minipigs recognize individuals by voice and sometimes they display excitement when

they hear specific individuals.

Staff at our facility sometimes even sing to young minipigs.

Entering their Space At Marshall BioResources we utilize every opportunity we can to interact with the animals in

a positive way (Figures 8-12). Every time the pen door is opened, it is an opportunity to

provide socialization.

Figure 7: Minipigs are easily clicker trained using pellets of

their standard diet as a reward. Simply training a minipig to

follow a target offers many advantages including guiding the

minipig into scales or dosing devices, and this behavior can

often be learned within the first 15 minute session.

Figure 8: A caretaker interacts with minipigs while spreading the

feed out across the pen. Figure 9: Minipigs will often be curious of staff

and their equipment, and here a caretaker allows

the minipig to investigate the broom.

Figure 10: A caretaker interacts with piglets when entering

their pen to change their water pan.

Figure 11: A caretaker interacts with the minipigs when inspecting

the water sipper.

Figure 12: A caretaker interacts with a sow in her home pen while

using a tone tester to confirm pregnancy.

Staff also enter pens frequently for feeding,

cleaning and breeding procedures. Therefore, boars

often become extremely friendly and form strong

bonds with the technicians working in their areas.

Caretakers will pet and scratch the boars each time

they enter the pen, and some boars will roll onto

their backs to have their bellies scratched.

Figure 13: Boar interacting with two sows in the

neighboring pen.

Socialization with Conspecifics

METHODS (continued)

Individually Housed Animals- BoarsAt our facility, the only animals housed individually are our adult male breeder boars and late

gestation females. Boars have snout and visual interaction with conspecific neighbors through

open bars between adjacent pens (Figure 13).

Figure 2: A caretaker enters the pen to feed

and takes the opportunity to pet the sow.

Figure 14: Boar in the aisle is able to interact with

other minipigs in the room through the pen doors

as his pen is cleaned.

Figure 1: A caretaker pets a sow after collecting

some colostrum.

Figure 3: A caretaker sits in the pen and interacts

with young piglets while examining the sow.

Pigs are highly social, and they can become stressed

when they do not get adequate social interaction.

Animals are allowed the opportunity to walk the

aisles when cleaning, moving or remixing groups,

or performing other routine tasks within the room.

This allows for opportunities to socialize with other

animals and explore more of their environment.

This can prove especially useful when animals must

be housed individually.