Getting to Know your Pot-bellied Pig

If you are thinking of investing in a pot-bellied pig to bring home as a pet, you will need to know what to expect. Knowing what you are getting yourself into when you adopt a pet pig includes a variety of aspects.

One part of getting to know your pig is to get to know its behavior. For example, even though a pig lives to be approximately 15 years old, its maturity level stays relatively the same. An adult pig has the mentality of a three-year-old child for pretty much its entire life. If you think you can handle this immaturity for over 15 years, then you may be ready to purchase one as a pet.

You also will want to know that your pig may start out small, but it often reaches a weight of over 100 pounds. Not only that, but you will need to have the patience to train your pig if you want to allow it to stay in your house. Even if you do allow your pig in the house, the best place to keep your pet pig would be on a farm or huge property that provides enough land area.

If you have enough land or farm area for your pig to run around in, you can set up a place where it can roll in the mud or take a dip in a small pool. This will help keep your pig cool during the summertime. Furthermore, it is a great way to let your pig burn off some energy, and to do what it is naturally prone to do-get dirty.

Many pigs, especially if they have grown up to be an only child, do not require a companion. However, providing for them a companion cannot hurt. They are somewhat social animals, but they are also comfortable being alone. If you are concerned about your pig being lonely then you can purchase another pig so it has some company while you are gone.

If you own pigs you will need to be aware that they have a tendency to try to raid household cupboards and refrigerators, so you will need to think of a way to lock these for your protection. They can also be quite aggressive and they can disrupt your landscaping in some cases.

The good news is, however, that these creatures are very easily and readily trained. You can encourage good behavior out of your pet pig by setting boundaries and saying “no” when you mean it. Furthermore, you can use positive reinforcement to praise your pig when your pig behaves according to the rules you have set for your home. It is best not to use physical punishment, because they will not respond well to it. They could possibly rebel even further.

The other bit of happy news about pigs is that they can be adorable and fun-loving creatures. Furthermore, they are more intelligent than people might think. Furthermore, you can find pigs that have been brought into the world by breeders who care about animals, and who do not exploit them.

If you want to invest in a pig you also will need to make sure you have enough money financially to take it to the doctor at least once or twice a year for checkups. It will also need to be spayed or neutered as soon as possible and will need the proper immunization shots. In fact, it may be wise to make sure you can find an animal doctor who lives close enough to you that can care for the animal.

If you want to be successful in raising a pig you need to study as much as you can about how to raise them. You also need to know what kind of diet they need and how to clean them after a mud bath if you intend on letting it back in your house. You will also need to keep up with new trends of animal care, which your vet can help you do.

The more you understand about how to take care of your pet pot-bellied big the more you will be able to provide for its needs. For more information about how to raise one of these animals you can read more articles just like this one or you can contact a professional who knows how to handle them.