This is what you will need to bring with you when picking up your piglet:
When you come to take your piglet home there are a few items you will need to have with you. You will need to bring a small soft blanket (we use baby blankets). You may also choose to bring a leash and harness. Your piglet will need a dog harness that adjusts under the chest and around the neck. Believe me piglets are fast a
nd not much fun to catch! Please make sure you pig proof your home BEFORE picking up your piglet. You will do this just as you would for a toddler. Hide anything that could harm them and make sure to block/lock anything you don't want them to get into. Pay special attention to wires and kitchen cupboards when making your home safe for your pig. Pigs are VERY smart and NEVER under estimate them ;) For the first 2 weeks or so spoil your pig and form a bond. You will have to earn their trust. They tend to be shy at first until they get to know you. Pigs do not like to be held up off the ground so make sure to cradle them well and put a blanket around them for security sometimes helps. Bedding
Indoor: It is a good idea to set up a place in a corner of a room for your new piglet (baby gates work great). You can also use a large dog kennel, this will help to crate train. Put a dog bed, blanket, litter pan, pine litter (NEVER use cat litter it is toxic), food & water and maybe some toys. If you use a setup like this when you are away your pig will have a safe place to stay. Pigs love company and do very well roaming freely with the family. They love to sleep and snuggle with you! Blankets are very important to pigs. They often pull them around with them, hide and root in them. Pigs are a great companion and desire your attention. Don't be surprised when you see your pig jump up on the couch with you (YES they can jump and sometimes as high as your bed) and follow you around the house. Pigs even love to watch TV and listen to music! Whatever setup you choose it is important to keep the food & water and the litter pan in the same place. Our pigs roam freely through the house but when we are away we keep them in a setup as suggested or put them in an outdoor pen we have for them. Outdoor: You will want to have a fenced area for your pig and pay special attention to the gate. They are so smart and learn from watching you too! It is best to put a latch on the top and bottom of the gate. Set up a dog house and fill with a soft dog bed and blankets. It is good to have some shade in their pen. It is very important to keep clean water out for pigs at ALL times. Pigs can swim and love to play in water when it is hot outside. They love to play in small kiddie pools. You must be careful when they are young around water. You need to be with them around water the first couple of times. Mini pigs are still a pig and like to root. They are not like regular pigs with this but still they do root. You might want to consider a sand area or a sand box. Never, buy anything for your pig that has cedar in it because it is VERY toxic to pigs. Pine does work for litter areas. Food & Water
Diet of your mini pig is extremely important!!! We do not recommend underfeeding or overfeeding a pig. ANY SIZE PIG CAN BECOME OBESE VERY EASILY--without proper food management. When you first get your pet pig, if it is a baby, you only need to give it 1/4 cup of pig feed in the morning and 1/4 cup in the evening. I recommend mini pig pellets they sell it at local feed store and Walmart also has a mini pig food but is more expensive than your local feed store. I give 1/2 of a Flintstones With Iron Children's Multivitamin (make sure it does NOT include ASPARTAME as it is toxic to pigs) to our piglets and at 6 months old start giving them a whole pill daily. Iron is very important to indoor pigs and outdoor pigs get what they need from rooting in the soil. If they are outdoors daily with a good dirt supply they might not need any supplements. You can give your mini pig fruits and vegetables while you are training them. Treats are great to use during training but DON'T overdo it. Good treats are sunflower seeds, raisins, grapes, wheat cheerios, carrots, celery, cucumbers, apples, bananas, Ge**er toddler snacks, strawberries and watermelon rinds with a bit of flesh just to name a few. Never feed your pig avocado or chocolate because these are toxic to pigs. Do not feed your pig caffeine, dog food, cat food or regular pig feed. Pigs also have salt toxicity issues. Never feed your pig salted items such as potato chips or salted popcorn (air popped corn is fine as an occasional treat). Fruits should always be given in moderation because of the natural sugars. As your pig gets older (6 months to a year old) you will increase the food to 1/2 cup of pig feed in the morning and 1/2 cup in the evening. Bathing & Skin Care
You really should only bathe your pig when he/she is dirty or smelly. They have extremely sensitive skin. Pigs do not really care for baths and a trick we use is we put Cheerios or some fresh fruit in the tub for them while we bathe them. It is vital that you use a very gentle shampoo. Do not use dog or cat shampoos. Use a baby shampoo or wash to bathe. Invest in a good scrub brush to get all the dead skin off. You want a brush that is firm but you don't want it to be too harsh on your pig. Once you have dried your pig use a GENTLE lotion on them, baby lotion works great. You should keep a lotion on them on a regular basis. Use a baby lotion for sensitive skin or/and some coconut oil. It is good to put baby sunscreen on your pig when it is out in the sun for long periods. Health Care
Your mini pig should be dewormed at least twice a year. This can be done with a shot, but given orally is easiest and best way. It is not necessary to have a vet do the procedure. My anti-parasitic of choice is Ivomec® (Ivermectin), which can be purchased at your local feed store in a paste form. Mini pigs may need to have their hooves trimmed a couple times a year. If you will walk your pig this will not only keep them filed down but it will help keep them fit. You can learn to cut/file their hooves yourself or have your vet do it. I personally file with an acrylic nail file when they are young and the drimel as the hooves harden with age. NEVER allow your vet to use Ketamine (not alone at least) or Halothane to sedate your pig. The only safe anesthesia to use on a mini pig is ISO (Isoflourine Gas). Remember this if your mini pig ever needs surgery for any reason! If you get a girl and spaying then your pig will need to be 25Lbs. Males will be ready to fix immediately and I recommend this as soon as possible. Males tend to have larger tusks. You may as they get older need to have them trimmed a bit but make sure the vet leaves at least 1/2 inch. You do not have to have this done but it is best done by your vet while using Isoflourine Gas anesthesia. You can also do it yourself with a drimel file. If you get your pig micro- chipped have the vet implant it subcutaneously at the base of the left ear on the scutiform cartilage. This is done behind the lower ear lobe because they have found that when the young pigs are chipped where dogs are (between the shoulders) the chip gets lost as they get older (and fatter).
