How to get ready for your new pet sheep...
The first week is the key time for you and your pet sheep, in this time, the relationship trust between you is formed that will last a life time . If you missed this stage that i'm suggesting its never to late to go back "to the beginning" and start again!
The first week of owning new pet sheep must be spent in a small area (i's important to say i always quanrantine any new sheep for a minimum of 3 weeks). I can not stress enough that a small area this is key for the sheep to be able to relax. If you let the sheep out in a large outside enclosure or field they will spend their energy, focus and time getting used to the new environment, constantly alert to the dangers that could be present in that space, all natural behaviour of a flock prey animal. If instead they are in a a shelter, stable or barn then the space is small, without threats and their focus can be completely on you. (see barn blog)
This time for you is learning the behaviours and personalities of your new sheep. There will be a 'leader' a more confident sheep and then the others. Win that lead sheep over and the rest will follow. Remember that sheep in a flock are "one brain" they think as one, they will move as one, eat as one, sleep as one. So working with their cues, if they come towards you as you greet the pen, (low helps rather than towering over them) happy and confident then you can enter and sit on the floor straight away. If they are more hesitant I start by a chat from the other side of the pen offering myself to smelt and visit several times a day get closer to getting in the pen.
When a new babydoll approaches me I resist the urge to move and reach out. I sit very still and let them smell me. They will get so close they smell many face as the way a babydoll greets another is a nose bump, a sniff of the smell of you. If you prove you are firstly no threat and they can approach and they are in control you will quickly prove that you are a safe place to be. Note this is does involve giving food at all. It’s creating a level of understanding of trust. This is much more powerful and lasts a life time rather than a temporary bribing and my Babydolls are used to trusting me, all they need to learn is you are the new human to trust.
When the Babydolls are happy to approach, a safe place to start touching is the chest, soft slow movements, sheep are sensitive and go low… NEVER on top of the head - this is where prey would approach from, so a no go area until you’ve established a good bond! Chin rubs are always a favourite too.
IF you really want to give treats in the first few weeks, i suggest you rub hands in the creep so you smell good and offer a teaspoon BUT this really isn’t the basis of a relationship or how they’ve been raised AND you can’t sustain this as concentrate food is really dangerous to feed to adult sheep unless they are lambing or at tupping time - wethers shouldn’t have any concentrate past 10 months as it can cause fatal urinary stones.
It’s worth mentioning there are no truly “safe” foods to give sheep other than grass and hay. Babydolls gain weight extremely easily from just eating grass. It’s then very difficult for a babydoll to lose weight and there are many health issues for over weight sheep. So, not only do they not need extra food, it’s really bad for them to have extra food.
The “treats” you can give on a twice daily basis (and any more in between) are CUDDLES, your time and attention alongside good grazing, fresh water and their BBF babydoll buddies is all you need to provide for stress free, happy and healthy babydolls.
I don’t move the babydolls out of the pen until I am confident they are bonded with me - happy for me to connect with them and know my voice, and final stage is after they are happy and trust me when I approach them pen i will use my usual ‘COME ON” call and rattle a bucket giving a tiny treat from the bucket. This is the training to follow me rattling a bucket. When they join the rest of my flock they will follow them but they need to understand my fall means we are on the move, it’s a positive thing and not stressful.
The video shows final stage of being trusted, is a nose bump hello and face sniff!
Lastly and maybe mostly importantly the way you communicate with your Babydolls is key to the success of bonding… get on the ground! As the Babydolls are so small it’s key to get down to their eye level to gaining and maintain their trust. I always get on the ground before i expect the babydolls to come for a cuddle - time to invest in good waterproof trousers!
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