OurTexasFunnyFarm

Services & Piggy Names

Make sure to call your baby piglet by name an remember...

The first 24 hours are always the most difficult for you piglet, as it has just left its mummy, siblings and other piggy friends and is going to be looking for them. It may runaway from you, as it does not recognize you as its new parent or friend yet. When you bring your pet piglet home, it will need to earn your trust and feel safe with you before it can be handled easily, once that’s achieved you can begin training it.

Confine the piglet to a safe and secure area, allowing it to run around and investigate. (eg: your laundry or a small pen). Unfamiliar surroundings and people will probably scare the piglet. Place food and water in an easy to reach area. Sit beside your piglet, offering it food, patting it, or placing it on your lap. Introduce family members and pets to the piglet once it has gained your trust. Be patient and don’t panic or feel disappointed if your piglet doesn’t let you near it. Give it time and within a short space of time your piglet will be your best friend.

Handling Your Piglet & Bonding Together

The easiest way to pick up a piglet without stressing it is to pick it up with both hands around its body. Pigs feel uneasy when their feet are off the ground. (In general, piglets don’t really like being picked up, some eventually get used to it.)

Piglet Care

If you get your piglet in the colder months a puppy jumper is ideal. Piglets are sensitive to sudden temperature changes.
After a week or two, you might decide to begin leaving the piglet outside more often. During this time your piglet might squeal when you leave it on its own. The piglet will eventually learn to amuse itself. As they are social animals, they will bond and socialise with other animals.
Should your piglet begin to show cantankerous and irritable behaviour and seek your attention by squealing, be firm and don’t respond from the start and you should see changes in its behaviour within a few days. Pigs are very headstrong and stubborn animals and will usually persist until they get their way.

Behaviour

Be prepared for a surprising new experience!! Pigs are complex animals. Each pig has his or her own personality and character and every pig you get will be different (if you get more than one) some are sooks and some are independent, but all pigs are mischievous, affectionate and incredibly intelligent. Their intelligence can sometimes make them a bit of a handful.

Pigs are generally sensitive, head strong, curious, inquisitive and playful which can make them demanding at times. All pigs are strong, robust animals they can open fridges, food pantries and cupboards or any other places where food may be hiding in their continual pursuit of food. They investigate everything with their snouts. As a result, they might tip over things in your house. Their continual insistence for food can turn them into beggars.

Pigs, no matter what shape, breed or size make great pets for the right people and the right environment. They are one of the smartest of the domesticated animals and learn very quickly, their intelligence makes them easy to train. Their loyalty and affection towards family members as well as other pets and animals is extraordinary because they bond so quickly. A lonely pig is a sad pig.

Pigs in nature are use to lots of exercise. They will walk up to 60km a day. They love to walk and follow you around. They are easily trained to wear a dog harness. All pigs love attention and a good scratch on their bellies, underarms, chin and behind their ears. They will happily grunt and snort in appreciation. When you enter a pig’s pen, the pig will come up and say hello, nuzzling you till you give it a scratch.

Biting & Nipping

All animals bite, including pigs. Animals will usually bite from fear or aggression. Piglets are born with “needle teeth”. These teeth fall out during adolescents and are replaced with adult teeth. It is your responsibility as an animal owner to teach your pig manners and obedience. However I have clipped the needle teeth before you receive your lil piggy.

Training

If your piglet is being naughty, give it a light, quick tap on its snout and say “No” This is the best way of disciplining or punishing it. Your piglet will react to composure and generosity. Take it slowly and teach one thing at a time. Do not over train other wise it can become bored or uninterested.

If you want to be able to lead your pig around by harness, start as early as possible. You will find it easier if two people put the harness on for the first time. The piglet will probable squeal because you are restraining it. After a few times having the harness fitted the piglet will be fine. Leave the harness on the piglet for an hour, so that it gets used to having it on. Increase the time gradually till it is used to wearing it. If the piglet bucks and wobbles about in the harness when you are trying to walk it, try distracting it with some food (such as dried fruit, sultanas or bread) but don’t overdo this or it will get used to being fed when walking on its lead.

Tricks To Teach

My Performing Pigs can do up to 16 different tricks. A simple trick to start with is “Circles”. You hold the food in front of their nose and do a 360 degrees turn or circle saying the word “Circles” making sure the piglet is turning slowly following the food in your hand. You can also teach them to sit. Pigs sit easily, they have a balance point beyond which they fall back and eventually sit. I find the best way to teach them to sit is when bottle-feeding them because you have control of the bottle. If they will not sit, gently place your other hand on their bottoms and push down. They’ll learn to sit eventually. You can also teach your pig to do lots of other tricks the key is time, repetition, patience, praise, reward and a lot of love. You piglet can become a “Wonder Pig” too.

Toilet Training Piglets Kept Indoors

Put some newspaper down where the pig went to the toilet, leave a small piece of dung on the paper and gradually move the paper to where you want the pig to go or alternatively place the dung in the litter tray (filled with kitty litter) using the word “toilet” or “potty“. Training is very similar to a dog or cat.

Because pigs are very clean animals, when kept in a small yard or pen, they will defecate in one place. This makes house training with a litter tray easy. Eventually you should teach them to go outside, usually after they wake up or have had a drink or a feed.

From my own experience I have found both males & females easy to toilet train. You do get accidents (such as on the lounge or bed, if you are raising you piglet in your house), but they eventually go to the litter tray or outside. I prefer to use a “pine shavings  as it is free of toxins and chemicals.They are attracted to them also an your potty training will be effortless  if you also choose to use shavings an a litter box. When stressed, pigs “defecate” more than “urinate”. Sometimes when picking up a piglet when it doesn’t want to be picked up.... it might accidentally defecate on you.

Feeding

It is ILLEGAL to feed left over meats from your table or any other meat products to your pig.

If you wish to continue feeding you piglet milk, the recommended Milk Supplement is called “Di-Vetelact” (available from your Vet or Pet Shop) Be sure to follow instructions correctly, as incorrect concentration may lead to scours or diarrhoea.

Scours is the main problem encountered with piglets. E. coli bacteria can cause scours. Other causes are when piglets are very stressed, changing milk from their mothers to powdered milk supplements, and moving location (eg: leaving its mother and arriving to its new home).

Fluid replacement is important if your piglet has scours as it may dehydrate and die. An Electrolyte Solution can be added to their drinking water. Contact your Vet for advice.

If you don’t want to bottle feed your piglet, that’s fine. You can still give them a milk supplement to be sure they are getting enough calcium while their bones are still growing. Some cereal mixed with Di-Vetelact is a yummy breakfast for your piglet. Make up 250mls of Di-Vetelact milk add 1 wheat-bix or some bran flakes and even some pellets (but no more than 1/4 of a cup) add 1-2 table spoons of yoghurt, some chopped banana, kiwi fruit, pear, or any other soft fruit.

Supplementary feeding of grass morning and night is a good idea. This can commence after the age of 2 weeks. Feed no more than a 1cup of grain based food or pellets. Introduce vegetables, fruit and bread etc.... on the side. Remember, everything in moderation. Get into the habit of feeding at regular times, (eg: same place and time) so your pig becomes familiar with its feeding pattern. Don’t feed your feed pigs snacks as they will become beggars and harass you constantly for food.

I feed my piglets twice a day until they are six months old, then once a day, usually in the afternoons. They get treats throughout the day such as dried fruit and fresh fruit, mainly apples. I hand feed snacks and treats when training my pigs, it teaches them to be gentle and not snatch food from my hand. Pigs graze on grass, so don’t think that grass isn’t a good food source. Grass fattens up calves and lambs and it will fatten up our piglet too. If your piglet has no access to grass then substitute it with fruit or vegetables, a little bread or a hand full of mixed nuts, or household veggie scraps.

Do not feed your Pig Grower’s Pellets as this will fatten you pig and make it grow too fast. An “Alpaca Feed Mix” or similar is also ideal as it has various grains, corn, sunflower seeds, pellets, lucerne, molasses and other goodies in it. I use a mixture of oats, cracked corn, an potbelly pig pellets w/ a bit of molasses as a treat, however they only get about 1 cup of feed a day 1/2 cup in the morning an 1/2 cup at nite. As for the smaller piglets we wet their food with warm water an they get a piggy mush they love it! (hint a Lil apple sauce an your Lil piglet will love it).

If you run out of pellets or dry feed, they replace it with fruit or vegetables till you get some more. Do not over feed your piglet, as your piglet has a small bone structure and over feeding can cause skeletal stress. 

Your piglet will go through stages of “taste bud changes”. You will find that it spits out for example, apples and eats bananas or it eats watermelon but not kiwi fruit. This will all change when they begin to mature. They will eat anything and everything and they will have their favourites too.

Water

Fresh water must be provided daily in a strong bowl or dish, as they love knocking it over and attempt to wallow on hot days.

Skin

All pigs have naturally dry skin. If your piglet’s or pig’s skin is drier than usual or flaky and scaly, use some olive oil to moisten it, freshen and restore it to a healthy condition but be careful with white skin pigs as they can sunburn easily. It may be useful to do this in the late afternoon or evening. If the problem persists, then a worming product might be the solution.

Some pigs lose their coats in summer and others thin out (like most animals) and grow a thick coat again for the winter. Don’t panic if hands full of hair are coming off your pig in summer months, it is normal.

Final Tip… your pet pig, should not have too many health problems if its given adequate space, good housing and shelter, a place to wallow, plenty of water, the right diet, regular walks and exercise, and plenty of love, attention, belly rubs and regular worming. Your pig should remain happy and healthy for many years.