"Mini" Pigs

[LuvOurMother]

Mini pigs, Micro pigs, pot bellied, Vietnamese pigs.....

What do you think of the growing trend of small pigs as pets?

I have a new friend that just bought 2 mini pigs as pets, they are 5 weeks ( which seems way to young to me to be away from their mama, but I haven't researched that yet...), one boy, one girl, about the size of a large water bottle. I am not sure of the "breed" that they are supposed to be, but she did buy them from a breeder. Apparently she got the second one to sell

The little I have learned about these small pigs is that they sometimes do not stay small and can get to be hundreds of lbs. also that they need to be starved in order to stay small. Is this true at all and is there any way to distinguish ones that will get big?

This friend is a cool lady and I was excited we became friends so fast, however she was clueless about veganism and so far we have only discussed the diet details and nothing about the ethical side. She keeps sending pig videos and telling me about them, but I am struggling with being happy with her and very tempted to tell her my stance on trendy pets, pet breeders, and selling pets for profit.

There is more, she just moved in with her bf recently in a rented house that does not allow dogs. She really wanted a dog, but since her lease says no dogs she thinks she is being clever by getting pet pigs bc the lease does not specify no pigs. I looked up the zoning here and they need a certain size lot to have pigs of which I'm pretty sure they do not have. To make things worse, she is going through a nasty custody battle and it seems she got the pigs to please her 8 yo daughter and get her "on her side".

She wants to bring the pigs over soon to play with my dogs. I am really worried about this whole situation. My dogs are friendly with people, but two of them are totally terriers and instinctually hunt to kill and typically are not friendly to other animals like cats and possums etc. anyone have experience with pigs and dogs? Should I be as worried as I am about this?

I am seriously contemplating taking a step back from our friendship because of all this. Is it crazy to do this bc she got pet pigs or reasonable?

 

[Amy SF]

I don’t know anything about keeping pigs as pets, but it seems to me that she got the pigs for all the wrong reasons. And I would NOT want them around your dogs, especially while they’re very small, if, as you say, they’re very prey-oriented, as they could go after and harm the pigs. Oh, how I wish she had asked your opinion before getting those pigs so you could have talked her out of getting them!

 

[hungryraccoon]

I love pigs & the mini-pig craze has been ongoing for a few years now. They are super intelligent, friendly little companions

There have been lots of stories in papers of people buying 'mini pigs' to soon find out they were jut piglets...& then having to deal with a rather large pig living in their house.

As for having to starve them, I don't think that's true. There is such a thing as a mini-pig for sure - it is just a miniature piggy that will not grow to an average pig size no matter how much you feed it. It would probably just be fat, haha.

Other than that, I really have no knowledge of the subject. I hope you can sort things out with your friend & that's she not just interested in getting a piggy for fashion purposes.

 

[Calliegirl]

Mini pigs are still pretty big. Regular pigs can be between 500 -1000 lbs+ depending on breed, mini pigs get to be about 100 lbs. I would definitely be careful having them around your dogs, especially if they are still tiny.

 

[Moll Flanders]

I don't know much about them but I saw a micro pig on a rescue centre leaflet and before that I didn't know they were a trend. I would agree with the others and be very careful with dogs around them as I imagine pigs are quite delicate. I hope you can find more information about them somewhere.

 

[Everleigh]

Here's some info on the mini pigs.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_pig

They are really cute!I have heard of a certain celebrity having them with dogs but unsure of how well everyone got along.

 

[Pirate]

I've heard that proper mini pigs still grow to the size of a labrador - and there are a lot of fakes around that turn into normal sized pigs. I loveeee piggies though, and if I happened to be in the position to have one I'd rescue a piggie or three any day (mini or not). my ex was looking into getting one, so I know that in the UK you need a licence to own one (so DEFRA know where all the piggies are). there was a massive waiting list that was closed though so it went no further, luckily. I can completely appreciate your concern.

 

[thefadedone]

I don't know much about them either. I also had no clue that this was some sort of trend. I agree with the others though. Do not let your dogs around them. Your friend may think she is clever by trying to get around the pet clause in the lease, but she's taking a HUGE risk in being evicted if she gets caught. That's not something you ever want to risk, especially when there is a child involved.

 

[Clueless Git]

Pigs are cool!

If you hit one in the testicles with a stick they squeal and actualy pull their testicles up out of further harms way.

I know that because I holidayed on a pig farm once (about ten, I was, I think) and the farmer showing us that was the main entertainment there.

Secondary entertainment laid on for us kiddies was a demonstration of how to throw a piglet over the wall of a stie (sty?) using only one ear and it's tail.

Apparently, 'less you want to live on meat and 2 veg minus the meat for the rest of your life, you shouldn't burst out crying when you witness such things.

 

[Clueless Git]

I am seriously contemplating taking a step back from our friendship because of all this. Is it crazy to do this bc she got pet pigs or reasonable?

I fail to see the ethical/moral difference twix keeping any one domesticated species as a pet over any other.

Pigs'n'dogs; Quite comparable in terms of size/intelligence/length of domestication of species etc?

Might be slightly less crazy of you if your freind had aquired herself a born in the wild Giraffe or Elephant or something of that ilk to be quite honest.

 

[LuvOurMother]

I fail to see the ethical/moral difference twix keeping any one domesticated species as a pet over any other.

Pigs'n'dogs; Quite comparable in terms of size/intelligence/length of domestication of species etc?

Might be slightly less crazy of you if your freind had aquired herself a born in the wild Giraffe or Elephant or something of that ilk to be quite honest.

I don't have an issue with pigs as actual pets, it is the fact that she got them from a breeder ( there are mini pig rescues around here), her lease for the house she rents, the county laws regarding acreage and permits for pigs, the reason she got the pigs ( custody battle), she is planning on selling one of them for profit.

I would have the same issues if she got a full bred dog ( except for the county code of course).

 

[SummerRain]

I understand your feelings - I feel exactly the same when somebody is excited about buying a pet from a breeder (or worse, the internet without ever seeing the parents), and I feel like they're doing it for all the wrong reasons (to keep small children happy, on impulse, because of the image the pet has, etc) and it's clear they haven't really looked into it. They're excited and you're expected to say "oh wow, wonderful, brilliant, what a cute puppy/etc" but really you sort of want to ask a million questions to make sure they've got the pets interest at heart and it'll be well looked after.

I think though the problem sounds largely like a social one, you feel uncomfortable, but you don't know what to say and how to act. In this kind of situation, I usually try to balance honesty with politeness: I say what I think if asked, or if it's on-topic, but I also bare in mind that the pet is bought now so it's more important to focus on whatever I can say now to make sure the pet is well looked after (say, by suggesting cats get neutered, rabbits have a run and plenty of hay, dogs get regular walks) in a friendly, polite way than my thoughts on the fact that it came from a breeder.