Pot-Bellied Pigs: A New Kind of Pet

The Pot-Bellied Pig is sexually mature at five to seven months. At five to seven months, the female will have her first heat but she should not be bred unless she is seven or eight months old. Her heat will last for three to five days and will return every 21 days until she is bred. If she has never been bred she is called a “gilt”. If she does get bred she will be pregnant for three months, three weeks and three days or 114 days altogether. At this time she will be called a sow. Some recommend artificial insemination in breeding because it is cheaper and safer than having the male around. A normal litter of Pot-Bellies is six. A female can have two litters a year safely without getting stressed or run down. The female should have at least five pair of teats to feed her young and they should be evenly spaced apart. She should be pinned while pregnant, in a bed filled with soft hay to keep her belly from getting all cut up by the ground. Newborn piglets weigh less than one pound and can fit in your hand. These pigs are excellent mothers but may need help in the birthing process due to her accidentally stepping on the newborns. Baby pigs should never leave their mother until they are at least four weeks old. If for some unfortunate reason, the mother pig is lost in birth, then it is up to the breeder to bottle-feed the piglets. Piglets need shots and worming just like any other animal. Check with your vet for your areas requirements.

A male pig can be neutered in the first few weeks of his life. If this is done before he is fully mature he is called a “barrow”. If it is done after maturity, then he is called a “stag”. If a male pig is mature and un-neutered he is called a “boar”. Boars are used for breeding. They are very aggressive and stink like a sulfur scented rotten egg. It is not recommended that a male who is intended to be a house pet be allowed to become a “boar.” No visitors will come to see you with a “boar” in your home stinking up the place and tearing everything up. So, make sure you get him neutered unless he has a home outside.

Pigs are well known in history and have even been placed on the big screen. Some examples are: “Porky Pig”, “Miss Piggy”, “Petunia”, “Wilbur” in “Charlotte’s Web”, “Arnold” in “Green Acres” and “The Three Little Pigs”.

March the first of every year is considered “National Pig Day”, in the United States.

The pig is something of a spectacle and can become a wonderful pet, but always check with the laws in your state and town to see if exotic animals like the Pot-Bellied Pig are allowed. If so, and you decide that this gracious animal is for you, then you are sure to have an eye catching pet around filling your life with love for the next 15 to 30 years. Depending on how much you baby your big bundle of joy.