Pot Belly Pigs?

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EmAbTo48

EmAbTo48

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Give me all the information you have on them, anything, what they eat, how much they eat, what type of housing/pen they need, etc!

I am looking into getting 2 of them this spring and want to get a sense of what I will need. We have 2 Yorkshire's Sow and a Boar. I assume it would be best to keep separate from them?

I want to get litter mates 2 females just for pets!

Thanks!
 
We have a Juliani mini about 10 months old. Very smart but they do have a one track mind , food! He spends the day outdoors with the chickens and comes in at night. He sleeps in a large wire dog kennel with a blanket and has a dog bed in the living room. He has a rooting box which he loves . He will get into the trash so every trash can has to be empty or will end up on the floor. Also will get into any leftover cat or dog food. Gets along with everone but the goat . We feed him potbellied pig food and lots of veges.
 
They will be outside pets
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So any information on that would be great also. Do they need heat lamps for winter? We have a barn but of course its not heated.
 
Probably wouldn't hurt to have a lamp. They also like to make a bed out of straw or shavings.
 
Probably wouldn't hurt to have a lamp. They also like to make a bed out of straw or shavings.
 
My PB pig Ruby loved to have a blanket put on her at night. Once she was covered she never moved until morning. Much cheaper than a heat lamp running all night. She slept in the hay lean to and in the winter every evening at dusk she would go in there and somebody would go tuck her in. They will eat just about anything, but you need to limit treats as they will get overweight quick. Also make sure you teach them manners when it comes to feeding and handling as they can be very pushy when they want to get their way. Ruby lived in the back yard with the dogs, then became very spoiled and would stand at the back door and scream for HOURS because she wanted in the house. I ended up re-homing her to a very nice small ranch.
 
Mine have a well insulated mini barn shed full of straw and they do well all winter. It gets very cold here and they stay plenty warm. Plan on getting hoof trimmers. That's very important and you likely won't find anyone to do it for you. They love food and learn tricks very fast. Mine learned to sit for cheese after a very short training session. They will test you and try to be the boss, you have to put them in their place while being respectful of them. You will probably want to have them fixed, especially males, but females are a little more difficult to find a vet to do. My females are not spayed since they were adopted as adults. It has to be done when they are young and pigs can be tricky with anestesia. Don't let them trick you into over feeding! It's so fun to feed them, but if they're really obese they will have many health problems with their legs and hooves. I love mine! If you have any specific questions, you can ask me, I've had them for several years and am happy to share my experience. They are a lot of work, more than you'd expect, but it is rewarding. I could type all day about them, but I think that's a good start.
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Here are some pics of my Pip, Sqeak, Lucy, and Ruby:
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MeetRuby.jpg

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I could talk volumes about pot belly pigs. I've had two and fostered several more, as well as worked with a pot belly sanctuary. I'm happy you want to learn all you can first, because they are NOT like having a dog, or any other pet. As the natural world's 4th most intelligent species (only behind humans, monkeys/etc, and dolphins - although I often question humans being first on this list!), they are often difficult to keep. They have special needs that many people can't give. That's why so many end up in rescue (like many other animals, I suppose).
But obviously you want to learn - kudos to you. Instead of a long post on what to do/what not to do, I will instead refer you to the site of the rescue I volunteered for. Peggy has some great resources there for learning. http://www.9sites.org/ Be sure to click on the page title, "I want a pig!" A quick list to see if your home is pig ready.
I will say three things: First, please get them from rescue - like dogs and cats, there are so many waiting on forever homes. You can get young ones and litter mates. Second, have them spayed! And early. The older they get the more difficult it is for the vet to spay. And it's expensive anyway. And finally, make sure you have a vet that knows pot belly pigs, not sure any old farm vet. Although on that I will say that my vet is a farm vet who didn't know pot bellies but took the time to learn so he could take care of mine.
Taken care of properlyy, they are wonderful pets. Keep in mind that they can live up to 30 years, so be prepared to give them a forever home for their life time. And, like humans, they can grieve painfully when they lose their piggie companion or their human. Some to the point of starving themselves.
I had Mini Pearl and Black Bart for many years and will never forget them. I would love to have more (I've always had a special place in my heart for pigs, that's why I won't raise one for slaughter, but will cows and chickens), but since I know they live so long, I won't get another one. I'm 50 now and want to downsize and travel when I retire.
Have fun with your piggies!
 
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Shayna - looks like we were both typing at the same time! Your piggies are adorable - now I really miss mine
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And you've covered some of the same things I did. Your second pic looks just like my Mini Pearl.

My pigs would paint. I would lay down a plastic sheet, then whatever I wanted painted. I would pour multi-colored nontoxic paints all over the item, then sprinkle cheerios on all over the paint. They would push that paint all over the place trying to get those cheerios! They've made ties, t-shirts, and canvas bags. My dad and the preacher of dad's church still wear their "Pigasso" ties!
 
One other thing I will add is that pigs can't be kept with most other livestock like chickens and goats. Pigs are very clean animals (despite their reputation!) and won't potty close to where they eat or sleep. And it will agitate them if other animals poop near their beds or food bowls. I couldn't imagine how they would feel about my chickens! They would shudder in revulsion, I'm sure. ;-) I didn't have chickens when I had pigs.

Ok, I'll shut up now! :-)
 

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