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There are few things that make me squeal more than the sight of piglets, or any well-kempt and reasonably sized pig, really. Iâve wanted a miniature âteacupâ pig ever since I first learned they existed. And Iâd always heard great things about pigs: Theyâre smarter than the average pet, affectionate, social, hypoallergenic (also, they donât shed), and very similar to dogs and cats. They can learn tricks, be walked on a leash, and even be litter box-trained! But pigs are also highly intellectual animals that require a lot of attention and care that dogs and cats donât, and they can become destructive if they arenât properly tended to or donât get the activity they need. They should never be kept in a small pen, or left alone with free range of the house. While they love to lounge around with you, they also need space and a yard to graze, run, roll around, and be a pig in. For pet owners who can provide all that, they can be great indoor/outdoor companions for the suburbs and even the city (just make sure to check the zoning restrictions in your area).
But after doing a bit more research about how to acquire a tiny pig, I was crushed by what I found: innumerable articles with headlines like âNever Buy a Teacup Pigâ and âWhy I Cringe When People Buy Teacup Pigs.â As it turns out, the terms âmicro miniâ and âteacupâ are merely referring to the size in relation to full-grown farm pigs, and not to actual breeds. A company on the internet selling âteacup pigsâ could very well be part of a popular marketing scheme in which dishonest breeders sell tiny piglets (all baby pigs are tiny!), which then grow to be much larger than promised, and are often just regular potbellied pigs. When the pig reaches maturity or an owner decides itâs too much work, many decide to surrender the animal to a shelter.
Portlander Megan Chasteen says her familyâs beloved potbellied pig, Bentley Oliver, was an unexpected blessing. âWe had a potbellied pig several years ago, but lost her too soon and werenât planning on another pet until this little guy kind of fell into my mom and dadâs lap,â she says. Chasteen says they have no idea who the breeder was.
âMy mom got him from a regular customer (my parents own a pub in Roseburg) whose daughter and son-in-law changed their minds about wanting him,â she says. âTheir customer knew my family had had a pig before, and it was pretty much love at first sight.â
Pigs are simply not meant to be that tiny.
Thatâs one way to ethically adopt. Full-grown potbellied pigs can be the size of a dog, but will weigh between 80 and 150 pounds. Paris Hilton, whoâs known for popularizing pigs as pets and often scrutinized for using animals as accessories, bought a âDandie Extremeâ piglet from Royal Dandies, a breeder in Oregon. Paris expected her piglet to be around 25 pounds at full maturity, but a recent photo of the $3,500-plus pig shows that Miss Pigelette is much bigger than that. To her credit, Hilton also lands on the side of pet owners who already love the pig and end up keeping it regardless of its size. The âteacup pigâ phenomenon has otherwise resulted in shelters reaching their capacity of full-grown homeless pigs.
Thereâs also a lot of crossbreeding going on to achieve smaller pigsâ more manageable size. Though thereâs debate as to whether theyâre even a breed, Juliana pigs are said to originate in Europe, and are naturally small (around 40 pounds) due to selective breeding. The folks at Heart2Heart Farmsâa family-owned business in Sherwood that prides itself on organic products, sustainable practices, and humane treatment of animalsâhas four kinds of pigs, including a âCity Pig,â which is a cross between a runt American Guinea Hog, Kune Kune, and Juliana. They also offer a âFoster Piglet Programâ every year as an option for those who are on the fence about having a city pig as a pet. It started as a way to prevent runt piglets from being culled, but now has become a great way to increase piglet health and survival. After applying, paying a $50 registration fee, and a $50 refundable deposit (when you return the piglet in sound health), you have the opportunity to take care of a piglet for five weeks (it needs to be bottle-fed raw cow and goatâs milk every few hours for the first few days). Then you can choose to either adopt the pig or return it to the farm, where itâll either become a domestic pet or breeding stock.
Potential pig owners should also be aware of the amount of misinformation that some breeders give about proper diet for teacup pigs, recommending special food in small amounts in an attempt to keep it under a certain weight. Too often, this results in little pigs dying of starvation or malnutrition. Pigs are simply not meant to be that tiny. In addition to feed, pigs should be snacking on fruits and vegetables and grazing throughout the day. Needless to say, buying a âteacupâ pig from a place on the internet touting âsome of the worldâs smallest pigsâ is not a wise idea.
â[My parents] have been researching and learning on-the-go because his personality and habits are very different from our last pig,â Chasteen says of Bentley Oliver. âHe loves to be held and to sit on the couch with his humans. He is best buds with my sisterâs cat and does not like baths.â
Before getting a pig, do your research. Plan to buy from a local shelter or from a knowledgeable farm that lets you see the pigletâs healthy full-grown parentsâand make sure that thereâs a vet near you who can treat them. Above all, be prepared to love and care for your piggyâregardless of how big he or she grows.