18/12/2020
Pigs are such intelligent and emotional animals and can make wonderful pets 🐷
Who needs a pig in their life? 🙋♀️🙋♀️🙋♀️ We currently have so many pigs just like Martha here, looking for forever homes! Pigs are highly intelligent & emotional animals that crave love & attention. If you are thinking about adding a pig to your home here’s some things to consider:
•are you zoned to have a pig? If you live in city limits, or in a neighborhood, or anywhere where an HOA or covenants are in place, you might not be zoned to have a pig. Unfortunately pot belly pigs are considered swine & livestock & not domesticated companion animals like dogs & cats.
•do you understand that there’s no such things as “teacup pig” or a “micro pig”? these are simply terms that breeders have coined in order to get your money. The average healthy pet pig full grown will weigh anywhere between 80-150 pounds plus.
•do you have a vet that will see pot belly pigs? Most dog and cat vets won’t treat pot belly pigs. It’s important to find a vet that is comfortable with treating pot belly pigs whether it’s for an annual check up or an emergency.
•do you have a dog? If so do you have an adequate way to keep your dogs and the pig separated AT ALL TIMES? Pigs and dogs are natural born enemies-dogs are predators, pigs are prey. They can be a deadly combination. We’ve taken in several pigs that have been mauled by the family dog.
•do you have small children? Pot belly pigs and children sometimes do not get along well together. Pigs are a herd animal and need to establish dominance over those they see as weak, such as small children. They will even do this to adults, but figure out quickly that this is a losing proposition.
Pigs sometimes see small children as something they can dominate. This is not to say that some will not get along with children. They will. But, potbellied pigs do have a pecking order. If you have one pig and a child or children, the pig may attempt to become the 'dominant' pig of the house.
•if keeping the pig inside doesn’t work out do you have an outside area to move them to? Pigs can become bored which can lead to aggressive behaviors & they can become destructive inside the home. Having a backup plan & the flexibility to transition them to an outside lifestyle if needed is very important.
The points listed above are some of the most common reasons people abandoned their pigs. There’s a statistic that states 95% of pigs are rehomed before their first birthday. There’s absolutely no excuse to breed or buy pigs. As a rescue we do everything in our power to save the ones we can but this is an epidemic that rescuing alone will not cure. Education is key. Raising awareness is key. And being their voice is what’s needed. Please share this and help us continue to raise awareness. Most importantly always opt to adopt ❤️
If you are interested in adopting a pig, here’s the link with more info https://oinkingacres.org/adopt
*
•
•
•
•
