01/02/2014
Update time. . . We have had Torval, our boar, since he was 4 weeks old. He was born Sept. 1 and today, at 4 months old, weighs in at a hefty five pounds. Since he needed to be fed every three hours at first, I was fortunate to be able to bring him to school with me. My second graders loved him, to say the least. "When is it pig time, Mrs. Nelson?" was what I heard many times a day. He was a bit of a distraction, not because he made noise during class, but because the kids wanted to play with him. He only gets to attend school on special occasions now. He has his own pen in his own bedroom, but spends all his time when we are home "rooting" Rudie, our dog, following me to the kitchen looking for a handout, lying under the wood stove for heat, nuzzling my husband's toes, and allowing me to hold and snuggle him in my arms. Since it is too cold for him to be outside yet, he has acclimated to life as a house pig. He is hilarious to watch. This quality time with him has taught me a lot about piggie behavior, things I can share with those interested in purchasing a mini pig as a pet. For one thing, we thought he was potty trained in three days. Well. . . he wanted us to think that. We learned from having the girls last spring, that one needs to put boxes under all the end tables and block off a smaller area of the house at first, so they can't sneak away and potty in some remote corner. We have a potty box and now have trained Torval to go potty on command. REALLY! Blew me away, too. Our gilts, Greta and Elsie, will be ready to breed with Torval about April. They weigh in at about 24 pounds now at 9 mos. We will offer purebred Julianna piglets and Julianna cross piglets for sale in the summer of 2014. If you have any questions, want to come for a visit, or want to reserve one, please email us at [email protected]. Stay tuned for more stories about Torval the Terrible.