I am outraged about false piggies!!! *rant

[Moochie]

This video has one of my favorite Youtubers talking about her "micro mini pigs" which aren't a true breed of pig! I love Tabby Ridiman, but she seriously has her fans thinking there's a pig out there that can be kept indoors like a kitty cat and carried around in a purse like some little sissy dog.

I actually believed her too until I came upon a pig rescue site that exposed the lie that is "teacup piggies". The babies advertised are very young to newborn pot bellied pigs. The pigs that are bred are young and haven't reached their full size, it can take up to 3 years for a pig to reach it's full size and most are bred at like 8 months old. Now, Tabby said her family has been breeding these "minis" or "julianas" for 3 years now and they have no intention of stopping. She said they keep breeding smaller and smaller and are getting more vivid colors.
I totally understand if it's a project of her family's but I personally do not think she should be calling them "micro minis" until it is a recognized breed of pig. I would also like to see the parent pigs full grown, not 1 years old, 3+ years! According to her they get up to the size of a medium sized dog.... Isn't that like a normal pot bellied, like a golden retriever? Unless the pigs are being starved they could not possibly be 20-30 or 40 pounds.. I mean come on.. And they're not ideal indoor pets. Pigs are outdoor animals but I guess they can come for a visit inside every once in a while. I wouldn't keep one inside because I wouldn't want my carpet and furniture ruined. Besides I think one would be happier outside.
Ugh, no wonder there's so many pigs being dumped at shelters, specifically pot bellies, it's because of these folks... Maybe not the Ridiman family specifically, because their pigs may just be a project like creating bantam breeds of standard chicken breeds, but other people who make these baby pigs look like the real thing. Baby pigs are very cute but they can be a handful when they're grown up.
The end of my rant.

 

[danischi24]

You really need to do your homework. This post is just so wrong in so many ways :-/
The Juliana is a recognized breed of pig & they really are tiny! There are many charlatans in the pig world so as with any mini species, buyer beware but there are some tiny 3+ year old pigs out there.
Pigs are able to be house trained or use a litterbox as they are super smart, so keeping them in the house is cleaner than your average dog or bird.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

There are actually some very tiny pigs out there, and are used in animal research. I believe at least one of these lines is aso in the pet trade. In this case, they are not small due to rationed feed. The ones found outside of research often seem to be crossed with a potbelly or other breed, so I would say buyer be cautious.

I am not sure about the particular person you mentioned. There certainly are plenty of pig breeders out there with a less than stellar reputation.

My friend is an excellent potbelly pig owner who did her research. She has a well trained house pig, who seems very content with the lifestyle. Inside versus outside animals can largely be a cultural idea rather than much more. For instance, in the US, urban cultures have largely decided it is cruel to keep a dog outside, while many rural cultures may see it as being unnatural to keep a dog inside. Cats as well.

 

[naturalfeddogs]

There are a lot of teeny tiny pigs, and they are commonly bred as pets and can be housetrained. I've seen some so small they make pot bellies look huge.

 

[Moochie]

You really need to do your homework. This post is just so wrong in so many ways :-/
The Juliana is a recognized breed of pig & they really are tiny! There are many charlatans in the pig world so as with any mini species, buyer beware but there are some tiny 3+ year old pigs out there.
Pigs are able to be house trained or use a litterbox as they are super smart, so keeping them in the house is cleaner than your average dog or bird.

I'm sorry but I'm tired of being lied to by people. This woman says there no such thing

as mini pigs
http://www.cppa4pigs.org/-Pignorance_.html
The whole reason I came to that site was because I was actually looking for tiny pigs to adopt but it's telling me there's no such thing. Yes I know pigs are able to do that, pigs are smarter than dogs and are actually really clean animals. Don't get me wrong, I love pigs =]
Plus I can't find anyone with small pigs out here... I've been looking for mini sized pot bellies for a month now but no one has them. I know someone out here has got to have a small breed of pig, you know someone sold a paint silkie hen for $4.00 because they didn't know of the color popularity prices! So someone should have smaller than averaged sized pot bellies and not be charging like 3k for a piglet.

 

[Moochie]

There are actually some very tiny pigs out there, and are used in animal research. I believe at least one of these lines is aso in the pet trade. In this case, they are not small due to rationed feed. The ones found outside of research often seem to be crossed with a potbelly or other breed, so I would say buyer be cautious.
I am not sure about the particular person you mentioned. There certainly are plenty of pig breeders out there with a less than stellar reputation.
My friend is an excellent potbelly pig owner who did her research. She has a well trained house pig, who seems very content with the lifestyle. Inside versus outside animals can largely be a cultural idea rather than much more. For instance, in the US, urban cultures have largely decided it is cruel to keep a dog outside, while many rural cultures may see it as being unnatural to keep a dog inside. Cats as well.

I keep my dogs outside
Anyways I'm looking for a tiny sized pig to adopt, well more than one actually, and I'd like to know where to go when I'm ready for a few piggies. Right now mom and I are looking for a bigger place to live in with more land. We'd much prefer small ones versus big ones for our own reasons, just like I'd much prefer nigerian dwarfs over big boers. I felt shot down when that pig site said there were no such thing as micro pigs! I didn't want to look like an idiot when I was asking around for someone with piglets or adult ones but now I felt like I did look like an idiot. I went to 5 different feed stores, I asked a hatchery owner if he knew anyone with micro minis, I asked a slaughterhouse owner, and I asked several different people at this animal auction in the Antelope Valley to find these pigs. No one has them and no one knows of anyone who has them. That's why I looked up rescues and shelters for them. I asked specifically for small pigs that maybe grow to 40 lbs max and no one knew.
I'm not gonna be like those people who buy a puppy then dump it somewhere when it gets too big, I want pigs for the farm as family pets. I asked this California barnyard rescue group on FB to see if they knew anyone or some place that has mini pigs up for adoption and one of the users told me it's a breeder scam to make more money. Like they'll sell piglets for 2k and when you buy them and they grow up they're just regular pot bellies. Basically you payed $2,000 for a regular pot belly. I have nothing against pot bellies but I would like something smaller.
I am sorry if my post is wrong or whatever, I'm not ignorant, but why is one side saying they're not real vs. the other side saying they are.

 

[Moochie]

http://www.pigharmony.com/home.html
This one says they're not real either... Why are they lying?

Goodness gracious.

 

[naturalfeddogs]

Try Craigslist maybe? I've seen lots of pot bellies and other minis on there.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Hm, are you sure they said 40 lbs and not 40 kg? I would be skeptical if anyone claimed 40 pounds as an *average* adult weight of their pig breed/line.

I would not ask about teacup/micro/nano/whatever pigs. I would start dealing with breed names. I work in animal biomedical research, and Gottingen is one of the breeds we order in. You can read about them here:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2710749/
As that explains, their growth curve differs from that of your average pig. Mature, they are about a 77-100 pound (35-45 kg) pig.

There is a laboratory line of micro-Yucatan swine, which are smaller than the Yucatan mini swine. I don't have adult weights for them (only up to 6 months), but I'd imagine they'd be smaller than the Gottingens. Possibly in the 44-55 lb range. You'd have to ask a facility that works with them as fully mature adults though.

There are quite a lot of other breeds and lines out there just for research, but I believe the Gottingens made it to the pet trade. Not sure about within the US though!

I believe most of the fuss and debate online is over a possible breed known as the Juliana. Can't tell you there if they are true to the advertised sizes. Can't tell you if they are actual breed, or a marketing scam. My advice is to ask owners who own fully mature Juliana/Juliani pigs what they weigh (though be aware that owners do tend to..er, overfeed their animals, so maybe ask for photos too). They do seem to claim 40 pounds for that breed.

I would not be disheartened that places like the auction, slaughterhouse, or farm store did not respond favorably. They simply are not going to be the type of place to deal with more exotic pig breeds geared towards pets. I would sign up on some pig forums (pet pig forums), exotic pet forums, and would check rescues (but be aware most will only have the 150 plus pound potbellies people bought as cute little piglets...most don't even have kunekune). However, be aware that someone claiming to be an owner of a small pig on a forum may be a dishonest breeder trying to fool you. With the rescues, if buying a fully mature pig, you at least know what you are getting size wise. Oh, I would also talk to vets, especially exotic vets, and especially exotic vets in places like New York City in regards to the Juliana.

PS. I can pretty much garauntee you that if there are 40 pound pigs out there, they are not the pigs going to the rescues. Thus, you are still getting a skewed view from the rescue based sites. I really do think talking to owners you can find online is going to be one of your best bets.

 

[Moochie]

There's a rescue in Acton, CA that has a pair of Gottingen pigs! I can't take any right now though, poop

Kunekunes are so hairy.. They're adorable n.n Thank you for the information.