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.

Adolescent Aggression

Pig has started behaving aggressively toward our 14-year-old son, charging at him and trying to bite his legs.  This behavior occurs without provocation, but so far, he has not been aggressive toward me or Henry.  We've done some research on pigs and have learned that pigs are often aggressive toward litter mates, as they compete for the alpha position.  Does he think Hank is a litter mate?  Does he sense increased hormonal changes in our adolescent boy and interpret these as a threat?  That's my theory, anyway.  For now, we have instructed Hank in how to discipline Pig when he attacks, pushing him backwards firmly while yelling "NO!"  This seems to help for a while.  It's disappointing though, and we won't be able to take him to school any more because of it. 

Pig Missed Daddy

Today Henry and Hank went with a church group to do the Virginia Creeper bike trail. They returned around 5:30 p.m. Pig had spent a good deal of time out in the yard rooting around, but when they got home, he was in his pen. Henry let him out and gave him some dog biscuits. Tired from his day on a bike, Henry lay down on his side on the grass while he was talking to Pig. Pig grunted in response, and then just flopped down beside Henry, and they lay there for several minutes, chatting. Pig is very devoted to Henry. They have a game they play, where Pig will walk between Henry's legs and Henry will try to squeeze him with his legs. Pig will squeal and run a few steps away, and then turn around and come back for more. Funny Pig. We just got a new weathervane for our garage -- a flying pig!

Pig Gets In Trouble

Poor Pig. He didn't mean any harm. After all, the man next door was feeding the horse, and threw some corn on the ground for Pig. Any self-respecting pig would have done the same thing -- eat up the corn and then return the next day for more! Unfortunately, this time, the man's granddaughter and little yippy dog ran up, and Pig was scared. He simply cannot ABIDE barking dogs! It just, well, it brings out the wild boar in him, and (as the man's wife told us later) Pig chased the dog acting as if he would bite him (he would have), and the granddaughter (about age 6) was terrified. Why do folks give food to animals if they don't want them coming around again? Oh well. Now Pig has to stay in his pen unless we can be out with him to keep him away from the neighbor's property. I guess a fence is in our future, since, as Robert Frost tells us, they make good neighbors. We're thinking of an electric fence, since that is much cheaper than completing the existing chain link fence. I wonder if an electric fence would stop a pig who just wants some more corn.....?

Sitting for Treats - Dogs and Pig

Today we snapped this photo of Pig and his "sisters", Arwen and Susie, sitting nicely in hopes of a doggie treat. Henry and I are cooking crecey greens aka field cresses, for dinner. I gave some to Pig, but he did not like them. I guess he prefers his carrots and apples....

We are under a tornado watch tonight, and the horse next door is running at top speed back and forth across his pasture. Pig is out in the yard grazing. Hope the storm isn't too bad....this is when I really wish we had a barn! Later...

Ding Dong! Pig at the Door!

A December 28th excerpt from Facebook:

I opened my front door this morning to go get something out of my car, and Pig was standing on the front porch, as if he had been waiting for the door to open! So I invited him in, and we walked through the house to the back door (grabbing a couple of dog biscuits on the way), and out to the backyard. He is a funny guy.

Pig does like to come in every once in a while, but he loves being outside where he can root around and not get into any trouble. When he was little and living in the house, his rooting skills were so powerful, he would turn over furniture, open cabinets, and make quite a mess. Outside, he roots around in the grass for hours, and sometimes plays chase with the cats. Boots the kitten has jumped on his back a couple of times during one of these games. One day, I went out and called for Pig, as I couldn't see him from the deck. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, and saw him, running down the hill next door, with a couple of horses in pursuit. He ducked under the barbed wire fence (as much as a pig can duck) and made it to safety. He LOVES his mealtimes (he IS a pig, after all), and I try to make his meals colorful and balanced nutritionally. He gets a cup of pig feed, topped with sliced apples, carrots, some raisins, some lettuce or other leftoever veggies, and a couple of dog biscuits, twice a day.

The Anatomy of a Piggy Pirouette

Pig has no neck. This is, I suppose, completely normal for his species, and I believe this fact to be the major component of the phenomenon we call the "piggy pirouette". Pig can be out in the yard, rooting around, when a loud noise such as a passing car will frighten him. Because he can't turn his head as we can, to look behind him, he will make a sudden, 180-degree turn with his entire body, seeming to pivot on his front feet and swinging his backside around. If the offending noise is really loud, he may make a second 180-degree turn. He then runs - fast - in a circle. If I could figure out how to get it on him, I'd make him a piggy tutu and videotape this feat of barnyard ballet. . . but I will just have to add an un-costumed video later. Stay tuned. . . .

My husband has always been the one to train our dogs, and he was the one who trained Pig to sit. He and Arwen, our Golden Retriever, that is. Arwen responds to the American Sign Language command "sit" and Pig, being a very intelligent pig indeed, took his cue from her and learned this trick quickly. My son taught Pig to go up and down the steps to the deck, by leaving a trail of doggie treats on the stairs (reminiscent of E.T. and Reese's Pieces). My next goal for Pig is to teach him to shake hands, and I still want to train him to paint.

The Reason for the Name Pigasus, and More...

Here are some excerpts from our family blog regarding Pig's name, antics, etc., and some more photos and videos:

June 2011: We have decided to change the pig's name to Pigasus (Pig for short), btw, because of the way he runs/flies? at top speed, with his little piggy feet barely touching the ground. When the rain started on Saturday, we let him out to go to the bathroom, and he was so thrilled by the wetness of the rain, he did a few piggy pirouettes and then FLEW to the back corner of the yard which he has appointed for such business....Well, I'd better stop here -- Pig is chewing up a magazine.....

July 2011: Here's Pigasus making his funny face (demanding another yogurt-covered raisin). He sticks out his lower lip in the shape of a triangle. Insert raisin, please.

December 2011: We'll be leaving for SC in the morning, so Pig celebrated the holiday early today with a Christmas plate of leftover pancakes. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good oink!

How It All Began. . .

We were living in a nice house with more room than we needed, in a nice neighborhood, but we still longed for a house in the country. That summer of 2010, we were on a drive through the countryside surrounding Morristown, when we rounded a curve in the road and saw an old white farmhouse flanked on either side by pastures, with a backdrop of beautiful rolling hills. "Why aren't houses like THAT ever for sale?" asked my husband Henry as we drove closer. Then I saw it. A "For Sale" sign! We turned quickly into the driveway and wrote down the realtor information. As we approached the house, we could tell it had been abandoned and had many issues, but it was EXACTLY what we'd been hoping to find. We started imagining the chickens we could raise there, and our son Hank started asking for a pig. One of his favorite memories from early childhood was seeing a miniature Vietnamese potbellied pig at a street fair in the Virginia town where he was born. The pig had been taught to paint by taking hold of paintbrushes with his mouth and slapping colors onto a canvas. They were selling the pig's paintings at the fair, and Hank had talked about that "Paintin' Pig" for months.

We bought the farmhouse and began cleaning and painting. The house's many issues included taking out a central fireplace and adding a bathroom upstairs, and the time, money and energy expended postponed any further talk of a pig for a while. Then, in the Spring, some church friends announced that their daughter was looking for a new home for her "pocket" pig. We jumped at the opportunity, and they brought the pig, his doghouse, and a container of pig feed, to us. He was 6 months old and around 30 pounds. They had named him "Hambone" but we changed his name to "Pigasus Hambone". Mostly we just call him "Pig".

When I first saw Pig, I knew he was no pocket pig. We took him to the vet that first week to be castrated, because male pigs have an unpleasant odor and are much more aggressive without that procedure. The vet confirmed that he was a Vietnamese potbellied pig and not a miniature one either. Further research online revealed that he will grow to around 250 lbs. or more, depending on how much we feed him. He could live to be 25 years old, so he will likely outlive us.

At first, Pig lived inside the house. He had a favorite pink pillow that he liked to sleep on, and our golden retriever, Arwen, seemed to tolerate him being inside well enough. We both worked during the day, though, and I guess Pig would get bored. He destroyed his pink pillow and would get into anything within his reach. His strong rooting skills helped him open cabinet doors, and we would come home to a kitchen strewn with oatmeal and cereal. He was allegedly housebroken, but would have occasional accidents, and pig urine is not a pleasant substance, trust me. Pig LOVES dog food, we discovered, which did not sit well with Arwen, who started growling her resentments toward Pig. For all these reasons, we decided to buy a chain link pen for Pig to live in. We moved his house into it, and filled it with fresh straw. Pig loves his pen and burrows into his straw-filled house to stay warm on cold nights.

Our property is not completely fenced in, and one day Pig wandered across the street when we weren't looking. Henry called for him, and he came running, but an oncoming car hit him as he ran across the road. Pig rolled as Henry ran to him, but the car sped on. Pig got up and limped home. There were no visible injuries. We tried to get him out of his pen and into our van in order to take him to the vet to be checked out, but he wouldn't budge. The vet said to watch him for a day or two and that he would come to us if necessary. Over the next few days, we saw improvement in Pig's mobility, and he recovered completely except for one thing: he won't go anywhere NEAR the street now. I've always heard that pigs are smart.