Piggy Care Guide

Health                                                                                                              First, you should find a vet that takes care of Miniature pigs. It is recommended that your Mini Pig get an annual checkup.

Mini pigs will need some vaccinations and worming. They will get there dewormer at 4 weeks, and will need a booster approximately 2 weeks later. We will provide them with there initial deworming. Afterwards, they will need an annual vaccination. They should be dewormed 2 times a year.

 

Feeding

Your pig should have fresh water available to them at all times.

There are commercial Mini pig foods available, we recommend the brand Mazuri. It is available at most farm and feed stores. They have a Youth and Active Adult types as well as an Elder. We recommend give the Youth food until your pig is about 4 months old. The recommended feeding is typically 1/4 cup twice a day with a salad and veggies (of course treats as well) up to 25lbs and then at 25 lbs it is 2% of the pigs weight in pellets a day with the salad and treats.   For an idea of approximately how much to feed: As babies, we feed ¼ cup of food, 2 times a day. As they grow, we will up that to ½  cup 2 times a day,  at around 5-8 months old.  And then it is upped to 1 cup and more if needed to keep piggy at a healthy looking weight (we use the chart shown below as our reference to how all of our pigs should look.) Their diet is always to be supplemented with fresh vegetables (frozen in winter is okay but never use canned as there is too  much sodium used to preserve the canned veges.) Our pigs love celery, though, some of them get picky with certain types of veggies. You will just need to try a few things and see what they like.

You can also give fruits to your pig, but they should only be used as treats for either training or special occasions. The high sugar content of fruits can cause your pig to gain weight rapidly.

 

This above diet plan is only a SUGGESTED amount,  just to give you an idea on starting amounts but we base our feeding guidelines here more on how piggy looks.  We want them a healthy weight, not too thin but not overweight.  We suggest using this photo chart as a guideline to a healthy weight :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bringing them into your Home

When you first get baby piggy home, it may take your piglet a little while to learn to transfer trust to a new family.  Be patient because your piggy will definitely warm up to you in a couple of days. Everything is new to your piggy, sounds, smells, sights--all new and all scary to him/her. 

 

You will want to work out what parts of your home your pig will have access too. Pigs like routine, so when you first get your baby home, away from mommy, there will be an adjustment period. They will probably do better in a smaller area at first, and then as they become more comfortable, they can have access to more areas of your house. It is recommended that they only have full access of your home supervised until they are a little bit older.

 

Potty training

Mini pigs can be trained to either use the bathroom outside, just like a dog would. Or to use a litter box. If you decide to use a litter box, DO NOT BUY REGULAR KITTY LITTER! You need to use pine shavings or equine bedding pine pellets. There is a brand called Feline Pine that is available at walmart, but Tractor Supply, Rural King and some feed stores carry pine shavings and equine bedding pellets. In our experience, pigs are very willing to be potty trained. We have had 4 week old pigs use the litter box without any accidents the first day we tried. They are naturally very clean animals.

 

Training

Positive reinforcement is key to successful training.  Mini pigs do NOT respond to force or punishment very well at all.  The best, and most obvious, positive reinfocement for a pig is food.  A small treat such as a raisin, small bit of apple, a grape, piece of celery, piece of carrot, a piece of popcorn, or a cheerio works great!  Always hand feed treats.  The quickest way to your piglets heart is through his/her stomach.  However, obesity is a common problem with pigs so keep treats to a minimum.  

 

 

Walking

Mini pigs can be trained to walk on a leash. We have had success using a dog harness collar with the leash. They enjoy getting to go places with you. It will be good to practice with them when they are young so that you have the option to take them places. In our experience, it is importnant to start harness training shortly after you take your piglet home.

 

Grooming

Pigs will need to have their hooves trimmed a couple times a year. This is something you can learn to do yourself, or you can ask your vet for recommendations on someone to do this for you. Pigs also have a tendency to get dry skin, so you won’t want to bathe them more than necessary. You will want to use a gentle, fragrance free shampoo for them.

 

Rooting

This is a behavior in pigs where they dig or explore with there snouts. This is an instinctual activity and you will want to have a little area of dirt or a place outside especially for them to root in. Otherwise, they might find there own place in your house to try to root.

Mini pigs can be taught to do anything a dog can do and they learn much faster since their favorite thing can be used to motivate them--FOOD.  Some things you can teach your piggy to do: speak, stand (on two back legs), dance, spin, jump, beg, freeze, play dead, sit, give kisses, walk on a leash and even play the keyboard!  The possibilities are endless.  The more you play with your piggy, the more he will learn!!

 

Mini pigs have the mentality of a 4 year old human.  They will try to get away with things they know they shouldn't do, just like a toddler.  You have to make them behave and follow the rules of your home.  They understand a stern "no" and learn it very quickly.  But don't let them break the rules or they will continue to try (just like a toddler.)