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Post by Hillary on Feb 16, 2015 19:27:01 GMT
There are a lot of misconceptions regarding miniature pigs. If you've done any research on the topic you know exactly what I mean. When I adopted my first pig I panicked after hearing all of the horror stories. I sifted through hundreds of articles, websites, and forums and found very few things that I considered helpful in answering my questions. My vet was a great support as well as a handful of other articles I found by breeders. Nearly half of what I found were articles claiming mini pigs were a myth that would end up growing to enormous proportions or starved to maintain their small size. This is a no win situation for sure! Then there were the hundreds of unscrupulous breeders out there trying to make a buck on the teacup pig fad. Claiming their mini pigs would never exceed 25 pounds and be full grown in 1 year. Is it possible for an adult mini pig to weigh under 25 pounds? Sure! But how many will not? And how many of these pigs will suffer as a result? My pigs are 1.5 years old and 1 year old and I still have not been able to find information to accurately estimate their adult weight. I would like to compile some information from other parents who have been keeping records on their pig's growth. I've attached Bentley and Hazel's growth in pounds below. I would love to see others so please post!!!  |
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Post by colleen on Feb 20, 2015 19:04:46 GMT
We adopted Joey from a young girl who quickly realized that a "mini-pig" was more than she bargained for. She payed a crazy amount of money for him from a breeder, and only had him less than a month. He was just under 4 months old when we got him from her and weighed about 9 lbs. He is now 6 1/2 months old and weighs 20 lbs.
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Post by Hillary on Feb 23, 2015 13:54:38 GMT
Colleen, nice to meet you! It amazes me how many people bite off more than they can chew with their piggies. And it's easy to do. At least the young woman who you got him from knew early on that it was a mistake and didn't wait until he was more bonded to her. Even though they're relatively small, their personalities are definitely super sized! I love Joey's photo!
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Post by colleen on Mar 10, 2015 17:25:24 GMT
Just a pet peeve: When somebody learns that I have a mini-pig, one of the first questions they ask is "What are you going to do if he gets big?" I want to say "What would you do if your child got big or overweight?" or "What would happen if your dog grew bigger than you expected?" geeze! I'm not going to get rid of him or love him less! lol Does this bother anyone else?
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Post by colleen on Mar 11, 2015 13:05:22 GMT
My piggy recently started taking his pee pads out of his litter box (yes, sometimes even wet ones) and rooting them into his bed. He will shred newspapers, and pellets are just too messy. Any suggestions on what else I can use in his litter pan?
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Post by Hillary on Mar 12, 2015 5:05:46 GMT
What are you currently using for a litter box? Or just the pee pads directly on the floor? You're going to laugh but I buy the giant bags of shredded pine bedding and put it in a medium sized kiddie pool with one side cut down a little. Mine are very picky about the box being perfectly cleaned. If it gets just a little too smelly for them, they will push it out of the way and pee in the same spot but on the floor beneath. I use cheap indoor/outdoor rugs in their bedroom with a tarp underneath so whatever new fun mess they think of creating won't ruin the hardwood floor (more than it already is anyway). I also have another of these kiddie pools that I've turned into a "rooting box" and filled it with all kinds of fun stuff for them to push around. I'll throw about half of their breakfast in there in it will keep them busy for about an hour!
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Post by colleen on Mar 12, 2015 13:57:20 GMT
His litter box is a large cat litter box that has one side lower than the others for easy access. Might have to change it to another kind. I LOVE your idea of the kiddy pool, but, his room isn't quite big enough for it. I am going to do the kiddy-pool rooting idea out on our deck when the weather is warmer. That's awesome! lol
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Post by colleen on Mar 17, 2015 18:28:10 GMT
Does anybody's piggy stick out their bottom lip and then make sucky noises and lick their lips? Joey does this all the time and I have no idea why.  |
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Post by PeanutButter on Mar 27, 2015 15:58:02 GMT
YES!!! Mine does this all the time. It makes for some really fun photos. He usually does it the most right after a long lip smacking session. I have no idea why either!
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Post by colleen on Mar 29, 2015 4:25:34 GMT
Hahaha! I recently saw a video of the famous "Esther" doing this too! I'm glad it seems to be normal. I was a little concerned. It IS pretty funny though.
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Post by Einstein on May 16, 2015 1:04:46 GMT
I too am wondering how big Einstein pig will get. He is 17 months old and 32.5 pounds ( I just weighed him with me on the scale-SQUEELS). He never got used to me picking him up, so I gave up - he won that battle. He gained 2 lbs in the last 30 days. Jan - March he was gaining 3lbs a month, so maybe he is slowing down.
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Post by Hillary on May 20, 2015 16:44:21 GMT
Einstein, your baby is almost exactly the same age and size as my Bentley.Around 1.5 years old Bentley started getting chunky and really filling out!!! I was still feeding him the adult formula. I recently switched to the elder formula and the 2% per body weight recommendation so we will see how this goes. Is anyone else on the elder? Have you noticed any changes?
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