Anyone Know Pet Pigs? Pls Some Advice

[bemba]

Hi guys, just got myself a mini piglet who is 6 weeks old, she is black with white socks, and a white tip tail. Anyway how long does it take for them to settle down? She is VERY full on, and squeals heaps, she isn't scared of me and will follow me, we have her in the laundry when we can't play with her for now, I want her to sleep in the house at night, and have access to our many acres by day. What is the content happy noise for a piglet? She will squeal and carry on when I put her in the laundry, she will finally settle, I only go to pat her etc when she is being quiet, and when I call her over she makes a sort of grunt bark with her mouth open a bit, does this mean a happy greeting or peeved that I have egnored her squealing? Also she tries to sort of bite, don't know if she is trying to find my teats or being cranky, am I doing the right thing by egnoring her cries of attention? Also she is undesexed, it is only the second day so I hope she will settle down and be a sweet piglet?

 

[duckyfromoz]

How did you end up with a pig??? She sounds very cute anyway. Years ago my mum got a very young pig, it was great when it was little- but we ended up having to pen it up in an enclosure far from the house and didnt get to socialize with it anymore. It went from a cute little thing to a huge thing to be feared. I guess at this stage you could treat her in some ways like a new puppy- a warm bed in the laundry with a ticking clock so she thinks its a mothers heartbeat. And yes- ignore the cries for attention just like you have to with a puppy. That might get you through a week or two- but beyond that- I have no experience with pigs and wouldnt know what to suggest.

 

[bemba]

Thanks for the info ducky! Well I have wanted a pig for a long time, she is a miniature and should only grow to about 35 kgs and be around knee hight, i'll post some pics soon

 

[duckyfromoz]

Lucky..coz I was picturing you being followed around by something the size of what our boar grew into ... ( think razorback... DID you ever see that Australian film from the 80's..Bad acting- but it put me off ever owning my own pig. )

Its really not too different from having a big dog then- only diet is different and the pig wont shed hair everywhere!! Im sure their is lots of other differences too- look foward to seeing a pic of the little cutie.

 

[therealsilkiechick]

Quote:
i'm a caretaker/worker for a traveling zoo that comes to my state every year and one of our animals we care for and sell every year is mini piggies. we work with 6 weeks old up to breeders depending on what they bring with them. i assure u they can get huge if over fed. my aunt also has one in her house that is house broken and he is a prime example of a spoiled pig he is huge bigger than my fil's black lab dogs. a mini pig is a pot bellied pig so it can get to 150-200 lbs if not on a proper diet. if on a good diet they usually r about 100 lbs, if on a strict diet about 35lbs but when that small r usually malnurished from lack of feed and it makes their lifespan shorter. as far as biteing being that young sounds like it is looking for a teat our younger babies do that alot and try to suckle my fingers when held. yes ignore her cries of attention like u would a puppy and don't let her chew on ur fingers either so she out grows it and doesn't pick up a bad habbit. the grunt bark with her mouth open sounds like a happy sound our piggies do the squeal things when they r not happy and snort like crazy. i talk to the piggies just like a puppy if they r doing something they shouldn't i tell them no stern and clap my hands to correct them(that way they have a noise correction also). they r very smart little buggers and if u teach them manners like a pup and train them they will learn it. hope this helps some and can't wait to see pics!! congrats on ur new babiy i love mini piggies!!

 

[bemba]

Thanks for the advice, we don't have pot bellied pigs here in Australia, so she is a regular small pig, so how much and how often should I feed a six week old? If they are miniature wouldn't thier genetics allow them to reach only a certain size? If over fed will she get taller or just wider (fatter)?

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

I found this website about the Australia mini pigs. It was interesting to find out how people all over the world like to deceive prospective customers with mis-information about mini pigs. I see it all the time here.
I raise pot-belly pigs and I have some that stay relatively small and some that grow larger. It is true that they continue to grow until they are 4 or 5 years old.
I saw one once that weighed over 200 lb. It was sad, the fat hung over it's eyes, so it couldn't see, it's legs were so bowed under the extra weight that it couldn't hardly walk.
One of mine is a little too fat, but she carries it well. She is a bit taller and has a wider frame. Mine have (well...had) a pasture that they stay in. They have turned it into a dirt pen from all the rooting. They get a lot of exercise which is very important to their health.

Just don't over feed or under feed. Each is dangerous. Lots of exercise and lots of love. They make great pets IMO.
Mine squeal when I go out to feed or when they want some attention, and grunt when they are happy. They bark when they are upset...there is a big difference in the tone of the barks compared to the grunts of when they are happy. You will know when yours is not happy...they are very demanding and they let you know when they are not happy.

Good luck with your pig, I hope you really enjoy her.


http://jareboofarm.com/AustralianMiniaturePigs/MiniaturePigs.html


Jean

 

[bemba]

Here are some pics, the adult pig is mum, and in the group shot of the piglets, she is the black one looking at the camera

 

[mamawolf544]

Here is our Jenni, she lives in the backyard. She is about 2 yrs old now and has her own pighouse (doghouse) She loves treats and a good belly rub and is very smart. But she is a female and gets very grouchy when in season which is every 3 weeks I think. She only gets her ration of pig feed and I give her "some" scraps and usually an apple a couple of times a week. And her little belly is about 1 1/2 inches off the ground. She is about mid calf on me, not very tall. We kept her in a playpen when she was little and she was litter trained, she still will come in the house but I make her go right back out!

 

[duckyfromoz]

What a little cutie she is Bemba. So much easier to house and care for if she is only going to grow that big. I hope all goes well with her for you.