Mini pot bellied pig advice needed *pics post #16* Now has name....

[froggie71]

The family went to the auction tonight. Fun to look around. My 12 yo DS sees a mini pot bellied he loved. Both DH and I say NO! Somehow he ended up bidding and winning this pig

OMG. So the lady who was selling him says he eats piglet food and some cereal and not to feed him too much. Not more than the size of his stomach and that was it. So here we go scrambling to set him up in a pet crate for the night after we let him out in the backyard to run around. He was completely surrounded by the ducks, geese, chickens and guineas all looking at him wondering what the heck this little black thing is that has now taken over the yard. And squeal! This little guy hates to be picked up. Anyway any advice is appreciated. Yes I know we should have been more prepared. Our family seems to alway do the impulse thing.

 

[dieselgrl48]

Do you know how old the piglet is?.If it it a newly weaned one be prepared.They are very susceptable to getting mange for some reason when seperated from mom.It's no big deal though don't panic.Watch for scaly skin and them rubbing on carpet/ floor or wherever you keep it.You can take to vet for shot or treat him at home with topical solution.Potbellie's are awesome and smart but They do require a lot of attention usualy and are very social.And yes they don't like to be held so they arent really Lap Pet's.Mine loved salt and Vinegar chip's, they WILL eat anything you give them and can quickly become OBESE!.Let Us know how it does for ya.

 

[froggie71]

Good to know. I'm not sure of his age. There was another 1 there that was a tiny bit larger that was 3 months old. I do remember the lady saying her chihuahua and this little guy played together. I was wondering about vaccines and such as well. I wish things weren't so hurried I definitely would have asked a lot more questions.

 

[chickenzoo]

My vet said I didn't need to worry about shots. I do worm mine from time to time as they eat all kinds of stuff. Mine do well with all my other critters except one gelding. Wilbur and my older Gelding Dante just never hit it off and they will harass each other to know end.

Just food, water, occasional worming, water too play in and cool down (pigs do not sweat), exercise and do not over feed.

 

[lasergrl]

Do not overfeed! is my biggest advice. Think of a dog his size and feed him that amount. I usually give my piglets 1/2 cup twice a day of pig grower (not potbelly) I never have seen any real need for the pricey potbelly pellets. If you use treats for training deduct that amount from his feed. An easy thing to do, is every morning fill a measuring cup with the total amount for the day. You can reach in that cup and use it as treats and feed whats left as the meal. If he acts very hungry he can eat all the pasture/grass he wants. When older a good quality hay is a good belly filler between meals, without causing obesity or overgrowth. This isnt restricting his growth to keep him small, but preventing overfeeding that causes excessivley fast growth and fat gain.

BTW I sold a piglet to a friend. My pigs are in good flesh, not fat but well muscled, approx 60-70 pounds at three years old (this is tiny for a mini pig). I kept the littermate and fed him set meals with pasture, and as a yearling he gets 1 1/2 cups a day of pig feed. He is approx 25 pounds. They keep growing till 3 years so he is right on schedule. Not thin, just growing well and proportioned. The friends pig, spoiled. fed puppy chow, cerial, and marshmellows. At 1 year old she is enormous! Probably 70 pounds, and a whale.

Oh and you'll probably want to get him castrated before he starts stinking and humping.

 

[froggie71]

Thanks so much for all the advice. I have to say I LOVE BYC! With all the online research I've done I've definitely learned more in these few post, so thanks again.

I had to laugh. DH told me the lady said to him that Paris Hilton has 1 of these pigs. Now I know she has Dandie which is really tiny, and really expensive. No way this could be $4000 piglet being sold at the auction.She told him this pig should only get to be 30lbs. Doesn't really surprise me though. We got a duckling from said auction being sold as BEI and he turned out to be a beautiful Cayuga.

 

[chick4chicks]

congrats on the new pot belly piggie. I love them, maybe someday I will have one too. What did you name him? Best of luck to piggie.

 

[froggie71]

Quote:
Thanks Deb. I woke up this morning sort of hoping I dreamed the whole thing, but he is definitely here. The dogs are a bit bewildered over this creature that has entered our home. Hope to get some good pics of him later. (camera is charging)

Looking for some good names. So far we come up with:
Porkroll
Wilbur (boring)
Cletus
Oscar
Scrapple

 

[chicknduck]

Congratulations on the littl epig. I hope your adventure with it is a great one.

 

[redhen]

My advice..
DONT over feed him... They will cry and beg like they are starving.. they're not. Overfeeding will kill them. And its very cruel..
Also... pick him up.... if he cries.. to bad...
NEVER ever give in to a squealing piglet... they ARE so smart.. and they will do it everytime, if you give in to them now.
he HAS to get used to you now...
Do EVERYTHING with him NOW that you will want to do with him as an adult pig...
Pick him up.... leash train him.( so you can get him to a vet...etc..)
take him for a ride in the car... let him meet people..(always on a harness and leash...)
I took Hammie to petco and the park... people loved him.

Trim his hooves now.. (or at least act like you are..) So when yo have to do it..he wont freak on you... (because he WILL freak on you)
Give him a bath NOW... (but dont let him get a chill) Piglets are really prone to pneumonia.
I did all this stuff with mine.... but and then didnt follow through with it all the time....
Now i'm having a bit of a problem with them... Not bad... but still... i tried to give Olivia a bath the other day.... forget it... what a battle.
And trust me... pigs are STRONG! You have no clue...
Also.. train them like a dog/puppy..(come..sit..etc...) be firm with them.... because they WILL challenge you at some point (they will try to side swip/bite you or charge you..)... you HAVE to be ready to knock that pig on his butt..(literally) as soon as he attempts it the first time...
Thats how pigs fight... they shove each other backwards... the looser retreats. Trust me.. you'll only have to do thhis a few times in their life... IF you do it right.
If you loose.. your done for.... that pig will challenge you from then on out...
As i said.... train them like a dog... make them sit before you give them a treat and their dinner... etc.... make them respect you as top hog...lol..
just like your dog has to respect you as the pack leader... SAME thing. Or you'll have problems... trust me..
Also.. pigs are VERY smart.. 4th smartest creature... (humans.. primates... whales/dolphins.... pigs...) They literally have the mentality of a toddler..
And they REMEMBER things very well.... and they hold grudges... do NOT be mean to the pig or hit it...etc.... they WILL remember and NEVER trust you....

So my adivce.. dont overfeed..and train them NOW... or you'll not be able to handle them later.

And we need pics..

*also wanted to add.. to start, train with FOOD... scrambled eggs are a good start... whatever...
when you pick him up... be sitting on the ground..(pigs are TERRIFIED to be off their feet... if they dont have good footing... they panic big time..). bring him onto your lap.... he will cry and struggle.... just be calm and dont let him go... them as he starts to calm down... offer him a nibble of eggs or whatever treat he really likes....
so he will associate you with food and comfort....