Ah my piggies, I love these girls and I’m a huge fan of pigs - I’ll share on the pig that started it all for me later.
I have two pigs, both girls. My potbelly pig is named Aspen, she is a full-blooded Potbelly Pig and is on the smaller side of the scale. (Note: There is no such thing as a potbelly pig. If a pig is advertised as one, it’s a lie and more than likely the pig is malnourished.) I raised Aspen from a baby, she was eight weeks old when I adopted her from a reputable breeder.
My other pig is a Julianna Pig. She is a rescue piggy that I got from the same breeder. Her first family could no longer take care of her after getting pregnant and they returned her to the breeder. She was there about one to two years before I adopted her. I got LaLa when she was four years old, already full grown. Julianna pigs get pretty large in size, bigger than most potbelly pigs. Fun Fact: When Julianna pigs get happy, they will smell like Mapel Syrup, not even joking you!
Thinking about getting a pig or just want to know how they are as pets? You’ve come to the right place!
How Big? Within the last couple of years, especially during the pandemic pigs have gained the title of house pets. People are obsessing over ‘teacup’ or ‘mini’ pig. The first thing you should know is there is no such thing as a teacup/mini pig. This is merely a sales tactic by breeders. These breeders sell them to under-researched people with basic instruction to unknowingly starve their piglet. Healthy farm pigs which are known as hogs can weigh up to 400 lbs while potbelly pigs can weigh anywhere from 80-200 lbs. This is usually a perfectly healthy weight but keep an eye on your growing pig to make sure they have no trouble eating, breathing, or exercising as pigs are known to quickly get obese.
Behavior: A pig is a farm animal. I don’t care how domesticated they get, they are made to live on a farm and outside. It’s important to understand that because pigs are going to have farm behavior, especially piglets. You can most definitely train your pig to have manners but your pig also has to be a pig. Pigs love to root (dig with their snout), find twigs, roots, and rocks, and be in the sunshine and get fresh air. It’s not healthy to keep a pig inside all day and they are different from a dog or cat in that way. Playtime in the yard for 15 - 20 minuets won’t give your pig a healthy life.
Play: Just like puppies, piglets love to play. When my second piggie was brought home she lived in my room with me until she got a little bit bigger and I could trust the other animals to not bully her. She loved stuffed animals and I also gave her a rooting box with lots of rocks in her gated area so she could play when I was asleep. Pigs are extremely smart and needs lots of stimulation. One thing my baby really loved were puzzles, you can find cheap dog puzzles online. If your pig gets bored, it will destroy things and they get in trouble for it to no fault of their own.
Cooling Off: Pigs can’t sweat and unlike dogs they are unable to pant and cool themselves off. For this reason, you’ll need to have a large enough area where you can provide a kiddie pool full of clean water, a mud bath area, or both! My oldest pig, LaLa is a troublemaker and loves to empty out all the water bowls around the yard for fun so you might be filling up water bowls multiple times in one day.
A Healthy Diet: A healthy diet for pigs consists of pig pellet and greens. I’ve done a ton of research on pig pellet and I choose to feed my pigs Mazuri. I’ve fed them a ton of different types of brands but nothing filled them up like Mazuri does. Their overall health has improved on Mazuri as well. The pigs get fed both in the morning and night, and they both free feed on as much as hay as they want, as pigs are forage animals. Oatmeal is also a great snack or addition in their food when it’s cold outside. .
Temperament: Like all animals, temperament can vary as every animal has their own personality. Aspen, my youngest and potbelly is extremely laid back, chill, and loving. All she wants in life is food and belly rubs. LaLa, my oldest and Julianna is a little bit more sassy and demanding. She does like pets and belly rubs but is very self-reliant and will demand food when she thinks it’s time for breakfast and dinner.
I have heard horror stories of pigs attacking their owners which is why it’s really important to give your pig rules as soon as they come into your home.
Pigs also aren’t the best friends with dogs and if you have a dog, make sure your pig and dog are supervised at all times. Luckily our dogs don’t really care about the pigs much and don’t bother them but we’ve caught our lab and LaLa nipping at each other from time to time.
PROS:
Due to unpopular belief, piggies are some of the cleanest animals. They especially love keeping their homes/beds very tidy and will make it just how they like it. I’ve learned that it’s really no use making their beds because they will mess it up and make it the way they want it anyways.
Pigs love to cuddle up. All my pigs have LOVED blankies. My first pig, TidBit used to make a hole for his nose in the blanket while the rest of the blanket covered his head. My girls love to curl up in warm blankets and hay and they each have their own doghouse for extra protection and comfort. It’s too cute!
In terms of food cost, pigs don’t cost that much. Where we live, I spend about $40-$50 dollars on pig food a month for both of my girls. They also get bananas, oranges, and scraps of other pig safe food. Like I said, we let our pigs free feed on hay because we own goats. Hay is pretty expensive, but depending on how many pigs you have, a bail a month should suffice and that can be anywhere from $22-40 dollars. No Alfalfa hay though!
We live on a pretty big piece of land and it’s so entertaining to watch the pigs walk around the backyard. LaLa loves to walk and goes on little nature walks all day long, coming back for food of course.
Pigs don’t really add anything on the farm except enjoyment. I would never raise pigs to eat because pigs are really sensitive and emotional animals. They will cry and they do get upset. Our pig LaLa is a very emotional girl and is a very loud crier.
CONS:
Pig vets are very hard to come by. Not a lot of vets will not see pigs since they are considered exotic animals. If you have a pig and move, it’s likely you won’t base where you move around vets that see pigs. Definitely take that into account when looking to purchase a piggy.
Pigs will need their feet trimmed and if you have a boy pig, they will need their tusks trimmed before they hurt themselves or you, on accident. If you have horses, most farriers won’t touch a pig since it’s pretty different from doing horses and goats. You’ll probably need to look for a pig only trimmer to have your pig be taken care of.
Because a pig farrier isn’t a high demand, it does cost a pretty penny. My potbelly pig has cost $200 and that’s on the low spectrum of what most trimmers ask.
I hope this helps you on your journey on whether to get a pig or not. If you’re an animal lover, pigs are really rewarding and a fun animal to have but they are animals and deserve the best quality of life we can give them.