Pot Belly Pigs?

[Shayna]

Quote:
Yes we were writing at the same time, funny, it is very similar. Painting pigs, that's a funny thought! I bet it kept them busy thought but a busy pig is a good one! I do very much like having them, even though they are work. I know some people can't keep them and that's how we ended up with our last 2 girls. That's Ruby in the second picture, the last one we adopted when her family moved away. I recently received an email about an abandoned one living in MN that needs shelter before winter. Poor girl, wish I could help them all.

I do occasionally put my chickens in the pig pen to range and they don't mind them. I wouldn't keep them with other animals though. They have a tendency of testing the patience of dogs, goats, etc.

I think they are very fun though!

 

[Skyesrocket]

Oh! I love my pigs too. Seeing the pigs walking in a line through the field remind me a lot of mine. Mine have paths all over the place...the most worn paths go from apple tree to apple tree.

Here is a link for learning more about them: http://www.pigs4ever.com/index.php

 

[Agnes the Wonder Chicken]

Snort is my first Pot Belly and I love him dearly. He lives inside with the family and goes outside with the dogs all of the time. He sleeps in a crate at night and when I am away but out the rest of the time. He rides with me in my truck and goes with me everywhere. He is so awesome. I can't believe it took me this long to actually have one as a companion. He and my 4 dogs get into a scuffle every once in a while but it is always over food so you must be careful in feeding any other critter while piggie is around. Piggie WILL bully anything out if his way to get to the food. I would recommend a PB to anyone who is interested. They are wonderful animals.

 

[EmAbTo48]

Well I like to update you all since I learned a lot from all the posts you provided me!

We went for it and I got a 4 month old male PB we named him Wilbur, he is now 6 months old. We had him altered and he is such a sweety hes all brown. He loves his belly scratched! He is very healthy and looks great! He had tags on him that we had the vet remove when he had his sugery.

Funny thing is it took me 8 calls to local vets to see if they even altered PBs, and many of the nice receptionits were like "oh how cute I haven't seen a PB in here ever"! HA So either their really isn't many around my area or they have Livestock vets do the surgery which we ended having to do. It was MUCH cheaper since they rated them as livestock instead of companion animals. I was close to paying 350 dollars for a male PB to be neutered untill I called a vet 45 mintues from us and he did it for everything 90 bucks!!!!!

We also decided to get him a lady friend, I found her on craigslist (since it is hard to come by PBs around this area). Her name is Lilly she is a month older than Wilbur. She is a sweet thing also loves attention. She bullys Wilbur over food though kind of grunts at him and will try to take over his dish after shes eaten hers. She has become the boss lol. They love each other dearly.

I do have a few questions, Lily came to us as a indoor PB she was pretty dirty, I have taken wash clothes to clean her off since I won't be bathing her till summer (its freezing here in WI) She constantly as icky stuff from her eyes its yellowish??? I clean it with warm water and it looks good for about a week and then it comes back. I dont think I will be able to spay her since she is 7 months. Any advice on how you keep you keep your PBs clean? Wilbur doesn't seem to have any issues like Lily.

Now for more good news, I believe I am going to pick up another female PB from a person who is desperate to get rid of her, (impluse people make me mad, she was on the phone saying how little cute the PB was when it was little but now that she is 4 months shes getting to big for the house DUH) I am still on the fence about it myself as I am not sure how the 2 I have will get along. The lady said this PB is 16-18 weeks old. I haven't seen pictures she said she is black and white spoted( Lily is the same way)

Anyways, any more advice would be great! I feed them a cup twice a day and they get apples (they won't eat the romaine i give them). Id love to hear about your guys fencing, how much room do your PBs have to go about? We havent been able to get the outside pen up yet since its still freezing here fence posts are impossible to put in the ground at this time. My 2 PBs have a large inside pen in our barn, with lots of hay, heatlamp and water, food, etc. They don't want to go outside to the small enclosed pen we have since we have a lot of snow!!! So they stay lazy and sleep a lot they come out of the pen to relax in the hay and sun that comes through the door way I open every morning. They have become fast friends with all the chickens that seem to love to relax in their pen all day also LOL!

I will post pictures soon!

 

[Skyesrocket]

You might want to clean around her eyes good and put some antibiotic eye ointment in them. I thiink it's tetracycline. Something like that. The pigs eyes can get irritated because they are so close to the ground and always rooting around in dirt and underneath hay.
It could also be because she is getting too heavy. When they are overweight they can have a hard time opening their eyes and dirt can get trapped in there. A lot of pots end up blinded just from being overweight. If this is the case stop giving them apples...I know mine gain a lot of weight in the fall from eating the apples from underneath the trees.
Instead give them veggies and fresh hay. They do eat hay and it will keep them busy and it's good for their digestion. You might have to cut back on the pellets too. I think it's one cup a day which doesn't seem like much especially during the winter. That's where the hay and veggies come in.
You might have to introduce the new pot to your gal slowly. Some pigs love new friends while others can get pretty nasty at first. It's like dogs deciding who is alpha. Your old gal might chase and bite the new pig at first so a seperate stall where they can see each other is a good idea. Usually the neutered boys aren't a problem.
My chickens love to hang out with my pots. They sleep on top of the pigs when it's cold. They also like to be outside with the pots when they are rooting the ground up. I think the chickens grab the worms they uncover...lol.
Pigs can be hard on fencing. Especially the woven wire. They will push underneath it. Either run a hot line along the bottom or use wood. The hot wire is better because they can dig underneath the wood.

 

[EmAbTo48]

Thanks! I only give them apples once a week. Should have stated that. I think she maybe a little overweight, but she looks only a few pounds bigger then Wilbur hes 35lbs. She does love hay, while wilbur won't touch a thing but his pellets I will get some antibotic, I truly think she just needs a really good bath, but hubby will not allow her in the bath tub lol so I have to wait till it warms up!

You might want to clean around her eyes good and put some antibiotic eye ointment in them. I thiink it's tetracycline. Something like that. The pigs eyes can get irritated because they are so close to the ground and always rooting around in dirt and underneath hay.
It could also be because she is getting too heavy. When they are overweight they can have a hard time opening their eyes and dirt can get trapped in there. A lot of pots end up blinded just from being overweight. If this is the case stop giving them apples...I know mine gain a lot of weight in the fall from eating the apples from underneath the trees.
Instead give them veggies and fresh hay. They do eat hay and it will keep them busy and it's good for their digestion. You might have to cut back on the pellets too. I think it's one cup a day which doesn't seem like much especially during the winter. That's where the hay and veggies come in.
You might have to introduce the new pot to your gal slowly. Some pigs love new friends while others can get pretty nasty at first. It's like dogs deciding who is alpha. Your old gal might chase and bite the new pig at first so a seperate stall where they can see each other is a good idea. Usually the neutered boys aren't a problem.
My chickens love to hang out with my pots. They sleep on top of the pigs when it's cold. They also like to be outside with the pots when they are rooting the ground up. I think the chickens grab the worms they uncover...lol.
Pigs can be hard on fencing. Especially the woven wire. They will push underneath it. Either run a hot line along the bottom or use wood. The hot wire is better because they can dig underneath the wood.

 

[FrenchToast]

Thanks Shayna for spotting this thread for me.

Hi Em, Congrats to you and your new piggys !! I have three piggys also and just got them this fall. The first one I got is a male and is 1 yr old. I went to buy runner ducks from someone down near Appleton and came home with ducks and a pig.

Found my other two, brother and sister, on CL. They were only 8-9 weeks old but not socialized !!

I found a vet to neuter the 1 yr old male and the 9 wk old male, down in Almond WI, oh forgot to mention that. I'm in WI too !!

She charged $75 for the 1 yr old and was suppose to charge $35 for the baby but ended up paying a total of $150 for both because she said she had to do internal sutures !!! Dah, that is why I asked her when I called if she knows that pots need the inner ring closed. Anyway, they healed up quick. She is a farm vet and didn't give any pain killers. Poor boys.
I just had my little girl spayed at a vet clinic in Rhinelander. The cost was $164 and included 4 days of pain meds. The price goes up if they are 12 weeks and older.
If you need a Pot spayed or neutered the NAPPA (North American Pot Belly Pig Association) will give you a voucher for $30. One voucher per year. They sent it directly to the vets office.
My little girl did fine and you would never know she was spayed.
During my searches for a vet I also found that there are very few vets that do it.
UW Madison Veterinary Clinic will neuter a young male starting at $25 and up. The female spay starts at $250 and they only take out the ovaries. Not sure if that is good or not. I've heard females are prone to uterine tumors but the UW vet said they are usually hormone related. Don't know why the UW charges that much especially since it is easier to just remove the ovaries then a total spay.

Anyway, my 1 yr old lives in a garage that is under our deck and has a door into our basement. We had a few chickens in it so we had made swinging doors on it with heavy duty wire so we could open it up and get fresh air and light without letting them out. It works perfect for Porky. He has a plastic vari kennel that he sleeps in (with door removed) We put hay and straw in it but he decided he liked the plastic woven chicken feed bags and brings them in there and snuggles with them !! LOL
The two little black and white were in a pen with a dish pan for a litter box in our living room until yesterday when she got home from her spay. I took bird cage panels and caged off a section of the living room that had vinyl floor in the foyer so they have more room. I put some doggy pee pads down and they are potting on them. Boy do they poop a lot !!

They will be going outside in the spring when it warms up. We have a little red building that we bought that was suppose to be another chicken coop but I decided it will be a nice Piggy house. It is tall enough to walk in and I can hand a heat lamp up high enough if need be !!! We need to put up some fence too. Porky has already decided on the nice warm days that we had to go for a walk down the road !!! We live in the boonies but the neighbors have bear dogs that they told me are trained to run pigs too. He said he had them down in FL and hunted pigs with them. He said pigs smell a lot like bears !!
So once I heard that Porky does not free range as much. Only when we are outside with him but the snow is way to deep now anyway so he wouldn't go far !! LOL
Have fun with your piggys, they are awesome !!

Does your dirty piggy scratch herself a lot? If so she mite have mange mites. Both of my babies came with mange mites. You can give the Ivermectin Injectable to them orally. The does is double of what you would use if you injected it. I've given it to all three of my pigs once a week for the last three weeks. Will do for another 2-3 weeks to make sure they got rid of all of them. I almost thought I was going to have to cancel the spay because two days before she went I gave the ivermectin and she was scratching like mad. I guess they really itch when the mites are dying. TG it didn't last long and she was able to get spayed.

Sorry this is so long, I could talk pigs and chickens all day long too !!! Oh wait..... I do !!! LOL

 

[EmAbTo48]

Hey FrenchToast! Crazy we both live in Northern WI!! She actually doesn't itch herself at all. I cleaned her up today good with a wash cloth, I finally have the day off from work tomorrow so I am going to go look for some antibotic. They both are sweetest. We decided not to get the other pot belly. I think will wait for awhile if we do find another one we would like.

I am not sure if we will spay her shes almost 8 months now. She does have her moments when going into heat that she gets pushy with you, but no biting or anything like that. The one vet we found said he will only do males up to a year and the females had to be no older then 3 months. He feels that its to tough to get the right anthestic for older female pots for how invasive the surgery is compared to a male. I am not sure why

but I trust him hes an older man that has had a lot of experience!

SO I have a question for everyone again, hopefully people will read this thread again or I will make a new one tomorrow, I went out this morning for chores and found Wilbur limping a bit. They had both gotten the barn door open since hubby must have not locked it last night when he was done there after I had did chores. Anyways, tonight I was down there and it seemed a bit worse, hes walking but obviously something happend. Its melting snow and lots of ice around do you think he could have just pulled it? I am going to see how he is tomorrow! Hoping a good nights rest will help him.... I am not sure what else could have happened but him slipping on the ice. Its not swollen or any cuts.

Hope someones has some suggestions! UGH could it just be spring and the snow be gone already!!!

If he did just pull it will time heal it? I know pigs can do damage to the tendons if they slip I hope he didn't do anything like that!!!

Thanks Shayna for spotting this thread for me.

Hi Em, Congrats to you and your new piggys !! I have three piggys also and just got them this fall. The first one I got is a male and is 1 yr old. I went to buy runner ducks from someone down near Appleton and came home with ducks and a pig.

Found my other two, brother and sister, on CL. They were only 8-9 weeks old but not socialized !!

I found a vet to neuter the 1 yr old male and the 9 wk old male, down in Almond WI, oh forgot to mention that. I'm in WI too !!

She charged $75 for the 1 yr old and was suppose to charge $35 for the baby but ended up paying a total of $150 for both because she said she had to do internal sutures !!! Dah, that is why I asked her when I called if she knows that pots need the inner ring closed. Anyway, they healed up quick. She is a farm vet and didn't give any pain killers. Poor boys.
I just had my little girl spayed at a vet clinic in Rhinelander. The cost was $164 and included 4 days of pain meds. The price goes up if they are 12 weeks and older.
If you need a Pot spayed or neutered the NAPPA (North American Pot Belly Pig Association) will give you a voucher for $30. One voucher per year. They sent it directly to the vets office.
My little girl did fine and you would never know she was spayed.
During my searches for a vet I also found that there are very few vets that do it.
UW Madison Veterinary Clinic will neuter a young male starting at $25 and up. The female spay starts at $250 and they only take out the ovaries. Not sure if that is good or not. I've heard females are prone to uterine tumors but the UW vet said they are usually hormone related. Don't know why the UW charges that much especially since it is easier to just remove the ovaries then a total spay.

Anyway, my 1 yr old lives in a garage that is under our deck and has a door into our basement. We had a few chickens in it so we had made swinging doors on it with heavy duty wire so we could open it up and get fresh air and light without letting them out. It works perfect for Porky. He has a plastic vari kennel that he sleeps in (with door removed) We put hay and straw in it but he decided he liked the plastic woven chicken feed bags and brings them in there and snuggles with them !! LOL
The two little black and white were in a pen with a dish pan for a litter box in our living room until yesterday when she got home from her spay. I took bird cage panels and caged off a section of the living room that had vinyl floor in the foyer so they have more room. I put some doggy pee pads down and they are potting on them. Boy do they poop a lot !!

They will be going outside in the spring when it warms up. We have a little red building that we bought that was suppose to be another chicken coop but I decided it will be a nice Piggy house. It is tall enough to walk in and I can hand a heat lamp up high enough if need be !!! We need to put up some fence too. Porky has already decided on the nice warm days that we had to go for a walk down the road !!! We live in the boonies but the neighbors have bear dogs that they told me are trained to run pigs too. He said he had them down in FL and hunted pigs with them. He said pigs smell a lot like bears !!
So once I heard that Porky does not free range as much. Only when we are outside with him but the snow is way to deep now anyway so he wouldn't go far !! LOL
Have fun with your piggys, they are awesome !!

Does your dirty piggy scratch herself a lot? If so she mite have mange mites. Both of my babies came with mange mites. You can give the Ivermectin Injectable to them orally. The does is double of what you would use if you injected it. I've given it to all three of my pigs once a week for the last three weeks. Will do for another 2-3 weeks to make sure they got rid of all of them. I almost thought I was going to have to cancel the spay because two days before she went I gave the ivermectin and she was scratching like mad. I guess they really itch when the mites are dying. TG it didn't last long and she was able to get spayed.

Sorry this is so long, I could talk pigs and chickens all day long too !!! Oh wait..... I do !!! LOL

 

[Skyesrocket]

Keep that vet! He is right about the anthestic use on Pots. It is more dangerous than the surgery. It's nice to have a vet that understands this.
Sorry to hear about Wilbur limping. Check his hooves good for cracks or overgrowth. Has he been around any salt deicer? That would hurt his feet too. Hopefully he did just strain a muscle. Check for swelling or heat in the leg.

I am not sure if we will spay her shes almost 8 months now. She does have her moments when going into heat that she gets pushy with you, but no biting or anything like that. The one vet we found said he will only do males up to a year and the females had to be no older then 3 months. He feels that its to tough to get the right anthestic for older female pots for how invasive the surgery is compared to a male. I am not sure why

but I trust him hes an older man that has had a lot of experience!

SO I have a question for everyone again, hopefully people will read this thread again or I will make a new one tomorrow, I went out this morning for chores and found Wilbur limping a bit. They had both gotten the barn door open since hubby must have not locked it last night when he was done there after I had did chores. Anyways, tonight I was down there and it seemed a bit worse, hes walking but obviously something happend. Its melting snow and lots of ice around do you think he could have just pulled it? I am going to see how he is tomorrow! Hoping a good nights rest will help him.... I am not sure what else could have happened but him slipping on the ice. Its not swollen or any cuts.

 

[EmAbTo48]

So I have tried hard and I mean hard to look at wilburs toes for cracking. The only thing I noticed is the leg he's limping on the toes in the front where they naturally split when he presses down split more then any of the others is this a crack? Can they crack in the middle? UGH he seems to be doing worse, I am scared I am going to go find him not able to get up I am calling the vet Monday to get him in I don't know what could have happened. And you think if it was a strain he would be getting better not worse!