Pig has lived with us now for five years. When he came to us, he weighed only about 50 pounds, and we could hold him (even though he HATED being held and would squeal mightily). We learned this about so-called mini-pigs: the only way to keep them small is to starve them. Pig is a Vietnamese pot-belly pig and no mini-pig, not even in the beginning. We fed him according to the directions on the feed bag. A cup of feed twice a day, with some extra veggie scraps, leftover rolls, half an apple, a carrot, and a cookie. Pig weighs approximately 250 lbs. Then we realized that the goal of most pig farmers is to fatten their pigs up, to get more for them at market, or to win a prize at the fair for the biggest pig. Since we are neither selling Pig nor showing him at the fair, we don't need to fatten him up. So, we have stopped giving him any bread, or rice, or potatoes, and we've cut back on the sweets. It's sort of like my diabetic diet, but Pig seems happier with it than I do.
Pigs live to be about 25 years old. We are now in our 60's and we've started wondering what will become of Pig, as we become less able to care for him. Briarwood Safari, a small local zoo, does not accept pot belly pigs because they are strong and aggressive and tear up fencing. I don't think people eat pot belly pigs, and even if they do, we would not eat a pig who has been our pet. So, unless we can find a pig farmer to take him, I suppose we will have to euthanize him if we reach a point where we can't care for him. For those of you thinking about getting a pet pig, think about this before you do! I don't think we would have taken Pig in as a rescue if we'd thought about life with Pig further down the road. But he has been a joy.
