Festus

Life with a piggy is not everything I imagined it would be, so far, it has been even better. I didn't go into too much detail on this in previous blogs, but the girls started asking for a pet pig in June of 2016. After Boots gave us the "okay," I started following a few nearby breeders on Facebook and saw the cutest picture of a little piglet for sale. It had us hooked. I looked around a little more and reading reviews. The reviews for the original breeder were mixed between positive and negative which made me nervous. After more research, I found our current breeder. She had wonderful reviews, her adult pigs looked well-taken care of, and she had pictures of her young daughter playing with the pigs. At the time, she had one piglet available with more upcoming litters. I messaged her, but someone already had a hold on the posted piglet and was confirming that evening if it was for sure. If not, we were second in line. Looking back on it now, I am so thankful that we were second in line (and the original people wanted the piglet) because we were completely unprepared.

Instead, we put our deposit on piglets due in December (when we would be able to spend more time bonding with him), and I got busy researching. This gap allowed me to learn five key things that have made our transition into pig-ownership much more successful.

1. There is no such thing as a mini pig. 

Originally, I bought into the myth that teacup pig are a real thing and would stay the size of a small dog. My research taught me otherwise. If we had taken home the June piggy, I would have been shocked as she grew into the 100+ pound pig that she would become.  Yes she, and Festus, are mini pigs, but mini pigs are classified as any pig under 300 pounds! Sadly though, with the teacup pig craze, there are many greedy breeders (aka greeders) out there who are selling farm hogs as mini pigs. You can find a ton of examples of this online, but one of the most famous is Esther the Wonder pig.

Festus' dad (Winston) full grown
Photo courtesy of Colorado Cute Pigs

2. Pigs are ridiculously smart.

I also discovered how smart they are and watched training and behavior videos to really prepare myself. I heard horror stories about the things pigs do when they are bored. About pigs who open cupboards and refrigerators. About pigs who rip up flooring and eat walls. About pigs who scream and wake their families up multiple times during the night. About pigs who attack due to lack of training. About gashes and trips to the ER due to unruly pigs.
Luckily, I also heard stories about pigs that snuggle with owners when they are having bad days. About pigs who moonlight as service animals. About pigs who have become integral parts of people's families.
With this knowledge, we have been able to set a schedule for Festus to keep him entertained instead of bored. He has inside freedom in the morning before school for some snuggles and treats. After school and work, he gets free reign again where we work on socialization and tricks. So far, he has already learned to sit and spin. If we had brought home the June pig, we may have become one of those horror stories.

3. Pigs are not like dogs (or any other pet for that matter)

Before my research, I definitely imagined that adding a pig into our family would be like adding a puppy. We would train it to go to the bathroom outside, we could let it roam outside while we are at work, it would sleep inside on a dog bed, and the rest would be history. Thankfully, the research I did made me more prepared. Pigs are not like dogs at all. Dogs love people almost immediately, but you must earn a pig's trust. Even after three weeks, Festus is still somewhat jumpy around us. Pigs also need their own safe place. Since we were prepared ahead of time, we were able to create a place for Festus to be alone when he wants. He loves his little pig pen and voluntarily goes to it often.

Clean pen while his blankets are in the wash

4. Pigs are always hungry

Before Festus, my pig experience honestly involved visiting them at the county fair. Luckily, Boots has more experience (and some terrifying farm hog stories) with pig appetites. Without the extra time to research, I would have been clueless about what to feed a mini pig and how much to feed it. I could have researched on the side, but with Festus, I have a plan and schedule of what to feed him and when. He eats Ranchway Potbellied Pig food 1/4 cup twice daily, a vegetable salad after school (lunch), and sometimes oatmeal as a bedtime snack. For training, we are using diced apples, raisins, and Cheerios.

Morning snuggles and treats

5. Pigs are loud

Out of all three kids, Boo is the least bonded with Festus because she is scared of him. She is my piggy girl, but since he is so loud, she shies away from him. Bah can be calmed by reminding her that she is not hurting him when he squeals, and Bubs is just too wild to be intimidated by squeals. Boo, though, she is timid and will only hold him if I help her. She likes to feed him treats and scratch his belly. Festus really only squeals when you are trying to pick him up or move him after he has calmed down, but even when he is just foraging around the house he is constantly grunting. We have affectionately started calling it honking because it kind of reminds me of a goose honking.

Baby, doggy, and piggy snuggles

Overall, the fact that I was able to really prepare (and educate) myself before bringing a mini pig into our family has greatly impacted the transition and behavior of our little guy. Training him (both potty training and tricks) has been a breeze, and, so far *knocks on wood*, he has not been bored enough to get into much mischief.