Pig Goes on a Diet

 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.

When Pigs Do This

Pig Has Grown!

Here are two pictures of me and Pig, the first from when we first got Pig last year, and the second from yesterday.  Also a recent photo of Pig in his new baby pool.

Not Generally a Picky Eater

Pig likes to eat and rarely turns up his piggy nose at anything I give him.  When he first came to us, he was eating dry dog food and dog biscuits.  We weaned him off the dog food and started him on "Pig and Sow" feed that we get at Tractor Supply.   I supplement his pig feed with leftover vegetables, salad, corn on the cob, the ends and peelings of cucumbers, celery, watermelon, tomatoes, mangoes, etc.  Pig also loves apples, carrots and raisins, which we purchase for him at the store.  And because we are indulgent parents, we usually put a leftover roll, or a cookie or muffin, in his bowl at his morning and evening mealtimes.  In the course of the past year, we have discovered that Pig does not like broccoli, onions, or yellow squash.  He will eat watermelon rind, but only if you cut it up into small pieces.  When we feed him, he roots around in the bowl and goes for anything sweet first. 

Henry uses dog biscuits to train him to do tricks, like sitting on command.  Pig doesn't see well, so we make sure we bend down so he can see our ASL "sit" command.  We've read that it is important to avoid giving treats without requiring Pig to earn them.  We can lead him into his baby pool by dropping a dog biscuit into the water.  He will step into the water and find the biscuit and eat it by putting his face under the water.  We keep a tub of water for drinking in his pen, and refill it every other day or so. He loves water, but also loves it when I have occasionally given him the last few sips of my soft drink.  I think he likes Orange Crush best. 

The temperatures have been extremely high lately, breaking records all over the Southeast.  It's been over 100 degrees here for days, and only starts to cool off around 9:00 p.m.  This is hard on Pig, who copes by staying under the deck or in his pen where there is shade.  So far, I haven't seen him get into the baby pool on his own, but he does occasionally wander (on purpose?) into the area of the yard Henry has been watering with the sprinkler.  Pig seems to enjoy getting wet, but it apparently makes his skin itch, and he'll spend a long time rubbing up against anything he can find, in order to scratch the itchiness.  His favorite time of day is early morning, before it gets hot.  I agree with him on that!

As Promised, Photos of Pig and His Friends (Human and Other)

Summertime for Pig

Pig's favorite things about summertime are the prevalence of June apples that fall from our tree, juicy watermelon rinds and the occasional ear of corn that we toss to him from the deck, and the fact that we humans are outside more to play with him.  Henry has arranged our back yard with a badminton court, a croquet court, and a horseshoes court.  Whenever we are out playing one game or another, all our animals -- two dogs, four cats, and Pig -- are right out there with us, enjoying the coolness of the early summer evenings.  I'll try to get a photo of this  phenomenon to add to this post. 

Yesterday, I let Pig out of his pen and noticed that he had knocked over his water tub.  When I took it to the outside spigot to refill it, Pig followed me and started drinking thirstily as the tub filled.  We recently had a good, soaking rain, and our creek, which had gone nearly dry, is full again. Pig loves to go down to the creek and cool off.  Even when the water level is low, he enjoys wallowing in the mud.  Occasionally, he will appear back at the house, completely covered in mud.  Thankfully, he doesn't seem to mind being hosed off.  Perhaps I will replace the plastic baby pool we had for him last year....he's bigger now than he was last year and would be able to get in and out of it easier this year.  Pigs do need a way to cool off in the hot summer temps, and because they sunburn easily, they need to be able to get out of the sun.  Pig spends a lot of time under our deck or under the trampoline, resting in the shade.

The Incredible Collapsible Pig

Pig loves us, I can tell.  When we get home from work and let him out of his pen, he is overjoyed to see us.  When we call him to dinner, he races across the yard at top pigspeed, barely touching the ground.  I marvel at how a creature with Pig's shape and short legs, can run so fast.  Pig is happiest when we are out in the yard with him, even if we're not directly interacting with him.  Henry occasionally will get down on all fours and make pig noises, and he and Pig will "talk" together for awhile.  Pig loves being scratched behind his ears, and Henry has discovered that when he scratches him behind his front legs, Pig will collapse in apparent ecstasy and lie there, completely still, for a long time, as if to keep the ecstatic bubble from bursting.  Henry will sometimes lie down next to him, and I will discover them, basking in the warm sun of early summer, a man and his pig, together.  It makes me laugh and love them both all the more.