freemotion
Food Guru
You got it right, food is the key, as for most animals! She is stressed out right now, and scared....but she will come around when she gets used to the new sights and sounds. Especially when you find out what her favorite treats are and where her itches are! Use the lack of pasture to your advantage, and pick lots of leaves and hand feed them both constantly, every time you go out. Leaves are good for them (check the safe list, though!) so you can really give them unlimited amounts, as long as they are used to fresh greens from their last home, if they came from pasture.lupinfarm said:
You can also slice up carrots into tiny pieces, like the size of a thin coin, and you will get a lot of treats from one carrot and won't risk over-feeding them. You can carry these in your pocket as long as you remember to empty out any leftovers before putting your clothes in the hamper!
One thing that worked for my shy Willow (abused at her previous home) was to see my other pygmy, Te'a, really enjoying a luxurious scratch. After many weeks, she would inch her way closer and closer, stretching her neck out. But dash off when I reached out my hand. Eventually, I could touch her as long as I was crouched down behind Te'a, so there was a goat in between us. The following spring, her heavy undercoat was coming out in shreds....whitish wool hanging out of a slick black coat, it was an embarrassment!
So I caught her and brushed her every day, with her screaming and struggling like I was pulling her limbs off. She would always end up realizing how good it felt, and lean into it, groaning in delight. But the next day, I had to catch her and go through the whole thing again, silly goat! Eventually, she became rather tame, now she comes up to me for her daily scratch and is completely tame....with me. She will still hide if a stranger comes nearby.It took two years to completely tame her! Yours was not abused, just shy, so you should be snuggling with her in no time at all.
