# How to socialize and unsocialized baby?



## Summer33ny (Dec 19, 2015)

We recently acquired a bottle-fed baby goat. He is now 7 weeks old and still lives inside with us full time and is extremely social and loving! We needed to adopt a friend for him so that we can get ready for him to move outside to the barn. 

So yesterday we took in a 12 week old nigerian dwarf. The woman we got him from admitted that he wasn't handled much, but assured us that he was not "wild". Although we did only get him yesterday, he is quite a different goat from our bottle fed baby. He is very skittish and very afraid of us and makes this grunting sound every time he sees us that we don't think is a friendly, happy sound. He screams every time he is picked up, doesn't like being petted, and runs away from us. 

He is in quarantine now from our other goat and will probably make a good companion for him, but we really would like to tame him to be a pet for us also. Is it too late? What can we do? Right now we are crating him during the day and keeping him around us as much as possible. At night, we put him in the bathroom. Any ideas? Can a goat this unsocial still turn around at this age?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Just spend a lot of time with him. Sit and read a book and let him sniff you.


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

Sit with him and ignore him. He'll start checking you out and then you can offer a treat.


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## West4hGirl (Dec 13, 2015)

Obviously, any kid that hasn't been raised by hand will not be as friendly at the start. I have had kids that were terrible at first but grew up to be very friendly and great pets. :-D

And as for his age, if you spend enough time with him, he should still come around.


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## deerbunnyfarm (Dec 14, 2015)

I adopted our two doelings at eight weeks, they had never been handled. 

I spent a lot of time sitting in their own just reading TGS on my phone while they watched me. Neither of them would approach me for several days, but I'd keep raisins and cheerios in my pockets and scatter them on the ground around me. No sudden movements, don't even look at him. Once they figured out I brought food and treats everyday.... Well, now the first thing I hear in the morning everyday is "MAAAAA!!!!!!" coming from Basil, the doeling that took nearly a month to let me pet her. The second I walk out the door, if I have food or not, they sprint to me for rubs and scratches. They're both milk stand trained, let me trim hooves without issues, and stand still for eyelid checks everyday. So it's absolutely not too late!! Don't be discouraged. It takes a while but it's so worth the relationship you build with them when you're their "first human".


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

All great advice.


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## QuarktheStrange (Feb 22, 2015)

I got my first 4 goats recently. Two adults and 2 kids about 8wks, dam-raised. They were very scared when we first brought them in. I'd just go out and sit with them and hold out my hand with treats and they came around in no time. They are, like, TOO friendly now. Like little puppies wanting attention. I hear skittish goats exist, but man, my goats are needy little things. They paw me to be pet like my dog does.


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## Summer33ny (Dec 19, 2015)

QuarktheStrange said:


> I got my first 4 goats recently. Two adults and 2 kids about 8wks, dam-raised. They were very scared when we first brought them in. I'd just go out and sit with them and hold out my hand with treats and they came around in no time. They are, like, TOO friendly now. Like little puppies wanting attention. I hear skittish goats exist, but man, my goats are needy little things. They paw me to be pet like my dog does.


I would love that. Our bottle fed baby is like that. He'll jump in our lap for cuddles. The other one will come up to us now and will eat of our hands--but he does not like being touched and will still run away from us. Hope he doesn't stay this way.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

He will get more friendly.


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## deerbunnyfarm (Dec 14, 2015)

He'll get better with time. Our most skittish doeling still only really likes one person, (luckily it's me!!) and she'll hop away if my kids try to pet her. I'd rather her hop away than be aggressive to them though so I'm thrilled that she's a little antisocial. Lol.


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## Texas Farm Girl (Jul 22, 2019)

groovyoldlady said:


> Sit with him and ignore him. He'll start checking you out and then you can offer a treat.


Hi, We recently were "gifted" some Nigerian Dwarf goats, and we had two sets of twins born about 4 weeks ago.
Two males/buckling and two females/does.
Only one of the does will approach me, and I was reading about offering treats.
I tried raisins, but they aren't interested. What are some other treat options?


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## CCCSAW (Jul 11, 2019)

Ok. So last year for 4-h my son got 2 12 week olds, one very human depend bottle feed doe and 1 mama raised wether. It only took a few weeks of the 2 of then together for the wether to start coming around. Knowing when feeding was, checking out treats that the doe was getting, trying to figure out why she would run up to be loved on. A few months later we also got a yearling doe and a just weaned doe neither where human social. We paired the younger doe with the 4-h doe after fair for a few weeks and she is now fully lovable. Again learned when feeding came, trying to check out treats and curious about why the other wanted loving. Now the yearling doe had been a lot more work. She comes to the fence for treats and getting her head rubbed, but she still isnt sure about trusting anyone touching her inside the pen. That's the key trust. Just be slow and gentle and let them trust you first. The bottle baby knows you as its mama now, but the mama raise kid needs time to learn that you are part of it's new herd.


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

Texas Farm Girl said:


> Hi, We recently were "gifted" some Nigerian Dwarf goats, and we had two sets of twins born about 4 weeks ago.
> Two males/buckling and two females/does.
> Only one of the does will approach me, and I was reading about offering treats.
> I tried raisins, but they aren't interested. What are some other treat options?


Welcome to the forum!
Sitting with them in a small enclosure and letting them come check you out is about the only way to gain their trust. If you had been handling from birth, that would have made a world of difference.
At four weeks, they don't know treats.


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

Welcome! I wonder, what has he had from humans before he came to you? Chased into a corner, taken by force, received a painful shot? Or maybe even banded and/or burnt on his head? If such experiences are all he has had from humans, his behaviour is very logical. Remember he is separated from his mum, too.

In this case your can only try to convince him that you are different!  As you have begun, be careful not to reach out for him, let him come. If possible have him in a rather small room, so he sort of "must" have a look at you, and discover that you are not an ordinary predator that is catching, chasing, holding, hurting, biting ...

For treats, do try a long twig with fresh (non-toxic!) leaves. This is a natural behaviour of a Flock King, the biggest billy, to bend down branches for the whole flock to eat. Pretend you bend it down for him, and when you have your tame one to show how it is done, let us hope he gets the trick!

Please let us know how things work out!


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## New-goat-mom (May 21, 2017)

When I got my initial 2 ladies, they were WILD! Anabelle was an 8 week old I bought on the side of the road being sold for meat and never handled. Eliza belonged to a lady that just had too many to handle. She was about 12 weeks and it took us about a half hour to corner and catch her and carry her, screaming bloody murder, to my car. I hoped they would, at best, eventually not run terrified of me. Within maybe a month of me just sitting with them, talking, offering treats, they were getting very friendly. They then quickly evolved into giant lap puppies. Just be patient. He will come around.


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