Help the pigs
Common Questions
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Albert

A young Albert in search of
the perfect morsel


• Can you tell us more about potbellied pigs?
• How do they live?
• Do they have names or do you know all their names?
• How do you tell them apart?
• Do you ever find homes for pigs?
• Is there a top pig?
• Is it true that pigs are as smart as dogs?
• How do you weigh a pig without a scale?
• Do you know the difference between a pig and a hog?
• Pig Info

Are you open for visiting?

We welcome all visitors. But because the animals are here to be looked after, not looked at, we must limit visiting.

Can you tell us more about potbellied pigs?

In 1985 potbellied pigs were introduced to the United States and promoted as the perfect house pet. People were told that a pig was easier to house train than a dog, pigs would stay small and adorable and pigs didn't require a lot of room. People were not told, however, that pigs do not stay small. The average adult potbellied pig weighs 150 pounds. That means that some pigs are 40 pounds and some pigs are 250 pounds! Pigs are highly intelligent and curious.

When bored they have been known to:
 • Raid the refrigerator
 • Open cupboards and look into the flour, sugar, cereal, etc.
 • Knock books off the shelves and rip them apart
 • Explore purses, backpacks, etc. and possibly destroy them in search of treats
 • Rip up papers, clothing, blankets, pillows etc. to make a bed

One of the California girls

Betty says Hi

Rooting is a natural pig activity and some pigs will:
 • Root up carpeting or linoleum
 • Peel wallpaper/plaster off the walls
 • Eat house plants
 • Root up an entire yard in a single day
 • Eat flower bulbs, plants, trees and ornamentals

Some pigs also bite or snap at visitors and/or family members. They may bite and try to dominate other animals. Pigs track mud into the house and get on the furniture. Some pigs urinate and defecate in the house randomly. Pigs can refuse to move (won't go in, won't go out, won't get in the crate to go to the vet).

Research concluded that many pigs were passed from home to home, often in a matter of weeks. Some were set free to fend for themselves, and many endured years of abuse and neglect as people tried to manage them with confinement and control. Many shelters will not take miniature pigs. They consider them livestock and send them to stockyards and slaughter. Other shelters euthanize pigs immediately without trying to find them a home.

Pigs are social intelligent animals, each one an individual with preferences -- from friends of choice to food preferences. They are herd animals often exploring in curiosity during the day and sleeping in a "pig pile" side by side at night. Back to the top

How do they live?

We live as a large community. We have 39 fenced acres, a house, large barns, several quarantine barns, a chicken house, woods to explore and pastures to graze. We have created ponds for summer water fun.

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