ever seen a pig smile?

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I am NOT a pig lover.....long story....but those are some cute pictures!
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~kathryn
 
Oh my how cute is that??? I adore pigs and miss mine terribly. Mine actually played ball with me. They are smart, smart critters. I used to do a petting zoo for the local grade school when my kids were young. The pigs were always a hit. When the kids grew up, and work got more complicated with longer days away from home, we rehomed them with another young family. They have since go onto piggie heaven, but not before making more young kids very happy. I have a funny story about my piggies. Hubs decided to buy a 5 lb box of raisins one day in Costco. I asked him, how the heck are we going to eat 5 lbs of raisins? Well a year later the raisins were still there. One day I got home from work and went out to do animal poops. Not only was there an extraordinary amount of pig poop, but all three of my pigs were just sitting there looking not so well. The mystery was solved when I saw the empty box of raisins in the trash. Never ever give your piggies that many raisins at once. I did call the vet and she told me to just watch them. Raisins are ok, but normally only as treats and not in huge quanties. Hubs was in the dog house over this one!
 
OMG! that's scary and funny all at the same time! i use raisins for treats. i usually toss a few into the pools so the pigs can go raisin bobbing. LOL

and yes, they are indeed smart animals! it takes them seconds to learn something but don't ever teach them something you don't want them to repeat as they have memories like a steel trap!!!

this is harley's first year living outside 24/7. he is lovin' it, learning how to be a real pig and discovering the joys of water and mud!
 
What super cute pictures! I always wanted a pig. May I ask... How do they do out side in the winter? what do they need care wise?
 
they do fine living outside in the winter as long as they have shelter. mine have their choice of 2 barns but in the winter, they usually all snuggle up together in 1. they have thick straw bedding as well as lots of blankets to push around to their liking. about the only thing i do differently in the winter is that i give them each a bowl of warm hawaiian punch (diluted with water). if they don't drink enough, they will get constipated and this helps keep things moving.

they are probably the easiest animals i have ever had as far as day-to-day care. they need good food (i get pellets made for pot bellied pigs), plenty of water, regular dewormings, foot trims as needed (probably the most stressful thing for them as pigs HATE to be restrained but i only have do that once a year), and in the summer, they need water and/or mud to lay in.

think long and hard before you decide to get a pig. they can live upwards of 20 years so you will be making a very long-time commitment. unlike a lot of other animals, pigs don't do all that well when they are bounced around from home to home. they are extremely sensitive (believe it or not!), they bond very closely to their humans and being uprooted as adults is extremely hard on them. there are numerous pig sanctuaries around the country that, once a pig is surrendered to them, they are kept there for life. if you find an adult pig that needs a home and you want to give it one, be prepared for several weeks of "i'm NOT coming near you and YOU are not coming near ME!!!" when i got lilly, she was almost 3 years old. she would not let me near her for a couple of weeks, i would have to put her food down a distance away from the others and just walk away. only when i was far enough away for her comfort would she eat. after a couple of weeks, she would let me get closer but if i got TOO close, she would charge me. that lasted for another few weeks before she totally accepted me. much, of course, depends on the pig. harley was just under a year old when i got him and from day one, he was a social butterfly. he is definitely the exception to the rule as he doesn't know a stranger. if you are willing to scratch his ears, rub his belly or hand feed him cookies, he's all about that, whether you are the next door neighbor or jack the ripper! LOL

and if you find yourself with a pig you need to re-home, good luck! i have been trying for the last 2 weeks to find a home or foster for ONE little bitty 12 week old pig and i have had absolutely NO luck!
 
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I had 3 pigs and 2 were extremely social, and loved everyone. The 3rd was a rehome and as Charlene mentioned was very sensitive and had a hard time adapting to my home. The first 2 were rehomes also, but came to me at a young age. Piggie was 10 when I got him and we were already his 4th home! I spent a lot of time just sitting in the yard (our animals roam free on our property), and letting him get used to me. Once he bonded, he became my shadow. There was a young family that came to our petting parties all the time and their daughter became very very close to Piggie and also Popcorn and Lucy (our other piggies). When I knew I would be rehoming them, I asked the family if they were interested. They were ecstatic. I had their daughter come over several times a week and take care of the pigs. They absolutely adored her. Luckily this made the transition easy and they lived with her happily for over 10 years. Since they live in my same town, I was able to visit them often. I look forward to when I can retire and hopefully will be able to give a home to 1 or more pigs. Lots of pigs at our animal control. No one realizes how much work they are and of course, when they get big, everyone wants to dump them. So sad. They make wonderful pets, being so intelligent and affectionate.
 
Oh no, no no, I can't have one! LOL! I was just curious! Thank you both for the info!!!
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