Pig help please

[Ch8ckenhelp]

About a month ago I bought 2 male mini pigs from a farmer in my area and I've been frustrated ever since. I'm looking for help because I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep them, but I want to be sure that I've done everything I can do before giving up on them. At first, I kept them inside. Despite what I've read about mini pigs being easy to train, I never successfully potty trained them. Even though I took them outside frequently, they would pee on the floor without even letting me know they needed to pee. So, I started letting them graze in the yard with the chickens. Our yard is fenced in, but the pigs are still small enough to fit through the fencing. I reinforced it, and even put a whole layer of small fencing along the one that was already there, but I still couldn't seem to keep them from escaping. So now, I have to keep them in the chicken coop. They whine all the time for me to let them outside, but I can't because no matter what I do, I can't keep them in the yard. It makes me feel horrible. I want to know if there are any changes I could make to their environment or anything else i can do to keep them happy and entertained. I give them fresh fruits and veggies all the time, but they almost exclusively eat their pig feed. I've bought them multiple toys, but they never play with them.
Edit: they do eat some treats, mostly bread, crackers, and melons. I can let them inside occasionally, but I have to keep a close eye on them. Also, I thought I should add in some pics of their area in the coop. My dad is working on an automatic door for the chickens, so the pigs can have access to the whole coop, but this is what we have for now
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[igorsMistress]

I had a pb pig, just one male. Treats when he went out to potty were a huge help with training. As soon as he pottied I gave his favorite treat to reinforce and a scratch.

Hardware cloth on the ground near fences can help keep them from rooting and going under, but they are strong.

ETA my pig didn't care about toys. He liked to root around the yard for whatever he could find, have mud baths, and get his belly scratched.

Maybe @Farmer Connie will have some good advice

 

[Lazy Farmer]

About a month ago I bought 2 male mini pigs from a farmer in my area and I've been frustrated ever since. I'm looking for help because I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep them, but I want to be sure that I've done everything I can do before giving up on them. At first, I kept them inside. Despite what I've read about mini pigs being easy to train, I never successfully potty trained them. Even though I took them outside frequently, they would pee on the floor without even letting me know they needed to pee. So, I started letting them graze in the yard with the chickens. Our yard is fenced in, but the pigs are still small enough to fit through the fencing. I reinforced it, and even put a whole layer of small fencing along the one that was already there, but I still couldn't seem to keep them from escaping. So now, I have to keep them in the chicken coop. They whine all the time for me to let them outside, but I can't because no matter what I do, I can't keep them in the yard. It makes me feel horrible. I want to know if there are any changes I could make to their environment or anything else i can do to keep them happy and entertained. I give them fresh fruits and veggies all the time, but they almost exclusively eat their pig feed. I've bought them multiple toys, but they never play with them.

You need a hot wire perimeter. They are referred to as physiological barriers. The pigs will only get zapped once or twice because they will be trained to stay away from the boundary.

 

[Ch8ckenhelp]

You need a hot wire perimeter. They are referred to as physiological barriers. The pigs will only get zapped once or twice because they will be trained to stay away from the boundary.

how much would it cost to install that? I'm kind of low on cash after the fencing...

 

[Ch8ckenhelp]

I had a pb pig, just one male. Treats when he went out to potty were a huge help with training. As soon as he pottied I gave his favorite treat to reinforce and a scratch.

Hardware cloth on the ground near fences can help keep them from rooting and going under, but they are strong.

ETA my pig didn't care about toys. He liked to root around the yard for whatever he could find, have mud baths, and get his belly scratched.

Maybe @Farmer Connie will have some good advice

I used hardware cloth and found out that, yes, they are very strong. They don't seem to stay entertained for long, but they like it when I give them newspaper, twigs, or leaves. They're very tame and love being scratched, but as soon as I go inside, they whine.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

how much would it cost to install that? I'm kind of low on cash after the fencing...

All depends on the your application. Your area and amount of material needed. The control boxes vary for length of wire/voltage etc. A 10 range box runs about $49. + wire/stand offs/ground rod prices vary upon manufacture. I have 1 ten mile box that puts out 8000 volts. My pigs range from 400# to 800#. They stay far away from my fences. try looking at TSC.com for ideas of what you will need for your application.

 

[Ch8ckenhelp]

All depends on the your application. Your area and amount of material needed. The control boxes vary for length of wire/voltage etc. A 10 range box runs about $49. + wire/stand offs/ground rod prices vary upon manufacture. I have 1 ten mile box that puts out 8000 volts. My pigs range from 400# to 800#. They stay far away from my fences. try looking at TSC.com for ideas of what you will need for your application.

I'll look into it, thanks!

 

[ButteCA]

Two males! That’s a lot of responsibility. Our male male pig tends to roam and is really good at escaping.How old were they when you got them? We’re they people friendly? If I have a litter I take them from the mother and pan feed them. That way they adapt to being house pets and get used to bathroom schedules ASAP. I’m sure it’s possible but it may be very hard to potty train them. If they are people shy at all you would have to gain their trust first and by that time they might just be outside pigs. Puppy pads worked very well for my neighbor. If they picked a favorite spot in the house to go that’s where they are going to go so put the puppy pads or litter box there.

 

[ButteCA]

If they are very young and you don’t intend to breed seriously consider having them castrated. It won’t be an option when they are older.

 

[Ch8ckenhelp]

Two males! That’s a lot of responsibility. Our male male pig tends to roam and is really good at escaping.How old were they when you got them? We’re they people friendly? If I have a litter I take them from the mother and pan feed them. That way they adapt to being house pets and get used to bathroom schedules ASAP. I’m sure it’s possible but it may be very hard to potty train them. If they are people shy at all you would have to gain their trust first and by that time they might just be outside pigs. Puppy pads worked very well for my neighbor. If they picked a favorite spot in the house to go that’s where they are going to go so put the puppy pads or litter box there.

Yes, they're very friendly and we got them at about 10 weeks old. I always intended for them to be outside pets, but I think they got too used to being inside. When they're inside, it's not just about the peeing, they also get into everything. Even after I pig-proofed the room they were in, they damaged multiple pieces of furniture and knocked the cats food bowls off of the table. They aren't fixed yet, but they have an appointment on the 25th.