Adopting a pot belly pig...HELP! *UPDATE w PICTURES*

[Skyesrocket]

He looks good. Nice coat. He might be a little over weight, but not too bad. Once he gets outside when it warms up I think he will firm up some. Probably didn't get a lot of exercise in an apartment.
Give him some good grassy hay to chew on. I'm not sure what your temps are there, but remember that he was kept inside. So your going to want to acclimate him to the outside temps.
His hooves look pretty good. Hopefully his owner has him used to getting them trimmed. Don't let them get too long.
Your going to want to get a nontip water bowl. Something round and heavy that he won't be able to tip over.
Great advice about the treat balls. Pigs are smart and happiest when they have something to keep them busy. The young ones especially.
Your right, they do enjoy shredding their blankets and making their beds. They really enjoy straw for bedding and will carry it around in their mouths to make their beds.
Until you get him a friend you might want to get him a young cat. Cats and pigs just seem to get along really well. The cat will cuddle up and sleep with him and keep him company. It helps if the cat has already been around pigs. An older cat might freak out if it has never seen a pig...but younger cats get curious about the pigs and after a day or two end up cuddling with them.
My one pot has a pet hen. She sleeps on top of the pig and hangs out with him most of the time. I'm not sure how the friendship started with the two of them, but it's not uncommon to see the hen sleeping on Louie and riding around on his back. She sleeps with him at night instead of roosting with the other chickens.
Of course, you have to monitor the pig with any new animals until you know his personality.
Good for you for taking him in! They do make fun pets to have around. He is probably litter box trained. They train easy to a litter box or asking to go outside to potty.

 

[SarahF]

Hi everyone, thanks for all of your great ideas! We have up'd his food to 1 1/2 cup a day plus treats and vegs throughout the day. He get's 1 cup for breakfast, 1/2 for lunch and 1cup for dinner. He seems to be ok with this, as much as a pig would be. We are waiting for his Mazuri food to come in (arriving this coming Monday) and that is the suggested amount for his age/weight ratio. I spoke with them directly. I thought it'd be better to get him used to that amount asap.

I'm glad to read about the harness idea, because I almost bought him a Dog harness yesterday. I'll go to our local TSC store this weekend hopefully.

I really want to put him outside, as he'd have much more room to roam, but it's just too cold. It gets to -12 at night still, sometimes -16 even. Would it be ok if I put a heat lamp out for him at night? He is already in our basement, which is cold and not insulated. I guess I could put a thermometer down there and see what it really is. I bet he'd be fine with a heat lamp. Any ideas?

Anyways, DD is crying and being...well...a baby (12 months old). Thanks again for all the great suggestions and ideas. Will try the pop bottle idea today!

-SarahF

URGENT

Tuesday morning we woke up to Wilbur having sores on his back that had been bleeding. We cleaned them with Hydrogen Peroxide and put polysporon on it. I just went to do the same again, and noticed the sores have spread down his back! What should I do? We didn't expect vet bills already! We haven't even had him a week. He's also been sitting on his back legs alot since Tuesday morning too, I just thought it was because we thought we might have lifted him wrong monday evening. Could these two things be linked somehow? I'm nervous. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Run-A-Muck Ranch]

Quote:
Glad to hear he's doing well...
You can put a heat lamp in with him...Just make sure he can't reach it and pull it down...fire waiting to happen. For our lambs we take the heat lamp and put them inside larger flower pots or 5 gal. buckets. It helps to radiate the heat down to a smaller area. And they are less likely to get burned if they bump the bulb. If the area in your barn is enclosed where the pig is going to be make sure to give him plenty of hay for bedding...Blankets outside (specially in the winter) will draw the moisture to the blanket and make the pig colder. He will acclimate to the outside temps. sooner than you think. Make sure he has plenty of hay for bedding, fresh water each day and maybe a little extra food to help with the body acclimating and usin more energy to stay warm.
As for his skin...We have put veggie oil on the pigs, baby oil works too. I never tried the Vit. E lotions, but I am sure they would work. Pot Belly Pigs are going to have a bit of naturally dry skin...But not overly dry skin. Our PBP's love love love to be brushed. We have used everything from the soft brisle brushes to the metal horse brushes. They seem to love them all.
Our pigs are ing the barn with 24/7 access to outside. They pretty much stay in the barn during the winter and don't venture outside to often...That is until it's nicer outside...then they live outside and barely come into the barn at all.
I personally would move him outside now (unless you want him as a house pet). Again...plenty of hay for bedding and a draft free area and he will become accustom to living outside....
Best of luck..
Shawna

 

[Run-A-Muck Ranch]

Quote:
Could these sore be from scratching against something?? I would go to the local feed store and look for stuff for scabbies. PBP can get those (or even fleas/lice). If he's been overly scratching against something he will scratch until he bleeds. You can use a triple antibiotic cream on him too if that's what it's from.
As for not standing on his back legs...I really don't have any ideas other than to check his feet. Do they look sore between the toes..maybe something in one of them. The toenails aren't over grown or curling under..That will cause him not to walk on them.
I know I kinda ramble on and on and back and forth...But first determine if he's scratching because of dry skin or something else. Does he have pussy areas by his sore?? I think that could be scabbies but if it's just try scratching that's easier to fix. We use this NASTY smelling stuff for ALL our pigs when we get them, and I also use as a routine treatment for precautionary messaures...
It's called.... Prolate/Lintox-HD. It's an insecticidal spray and backrubber for livestock. Controls horn flies, lice, sarcoptic Mange, and ticks on cattle also Controls lice and Sarcoptic Mange on Swine.
We have never had a problem with any of these things, but like I said we use it as a precautionary measure when ever any new pig comes in (wether feeder hog or pot belly pig). Then I also use it as a routine treatment on them. I have never had an outbreak of anything. You might wanna try this...
I picked mine up at the local farm store...(Fleet Farm or Farm & Fleet-they both carry it).
Good luck

Forgot to add.....You spray the salution on the pig. and it smells nasty....

 

[ksacres]

Quote:
I think you should take him to a vet. Pigs do sit up like dogs sometimes, but if he's less active than he was, AND he has sores, you should take him to a vet. They can do a culture on the sores and see if it's a bacterial infection. If it is, he may need antibiotics. You can administer antibiotics yourself, but not all antibiotics work on certain types of bacteria, and you shouldn't mix them.

As for putting him outside-make sure he's got a draft free shelter with DEEP straw for bedding. When they get cold, they will completely bury themselves in it. They will grow a hair coat, and his fat layer will help him stay warm.

 

[ksacres]

Quote:
I just want to clarify: You should NEVER use a topical insecticide on broken skin. Aside from the fact that it would burn like the dickens, your pig would absorb more poisen (insecticide) with broken skin. Sickly piggy=less resistence to infection.

 

[Run-A-Muck Ranch]

Quote:
I just want to clarify: You should NEVER use a topical insecticide on broken skin. Aside from the fact that it would burn like the dickens, your pig would absorb more poisen (insecticide) with broken skin. Sickly piggy=less resistence to infection.

True...You still might wanna look into this for after the skin is healed (the pigs can still get this even if no other pigs are around)..( I guess I assume people just know better than to put on open skin wounds...And if the directions are read it will say that right on there).

Good luck (jsut seen another topic on the 'dippity pig' if you take to a vet make sure they know PBP's...Most vets won't deal with them, and there are differences between them and feeder hogs....So just becasue the vet deals with feeders, don't assume he knows PBP's....

 

[SarahF]

I just spoke with the woman who wrote this article (http://www.petpigs.com/news/nanews32.htm) Jenny Belaney. It is most definitly Dippity Pig syndrome, as I did have to go away this weekend and it was all just too much change for him. She was very helpful!!!

I'm going to go hang up a smaller light for him directly in his pen (high enough so he wont touch it) and a small radio. It will pass in the next two days.

She suggested, because he's not drinking, to add small amounts of juice to his water. Small enough that he will still drink plain water.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Run-A-Muck Ranch]

That's good news....

If you have molasses you can add a bit of that to the water too. It will actually help the pig to drink alittle bit more than normal (the sweetness). Or even fruits like watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew...they are very watery and it can help a little with hydration.
Our pigs love to get fruit-cicles...I just take a little fruit juice and water and freeze in icecube trays and then pop those into there water...They love to get them and play/eat 'em. I have even made them by taking a dixie cup and filling with juice/water and then sticking like a carrot or celery in for the stick and they love those too. I think it's really more entertainment for me to watch them eat those...But hey...whatever works..lol

 

[SarahF]

Ooh I'll try the fruitcicles! haha I put a bit of apple juice and some cheerio's in...he drank pretty quick once those went in! haha I feel so much better knowing that it will pass soon. I feel terrible though at the same time...too much change too fast for him.

She could hear him on the telephone and she said that his high pitch oinks when I put my hand out to him was him paying me a compliment...that made me very happy. She said that pigs only do that to newborn pigs or humans they love.