So who has experience raising pet pigs?

[gentle giants]

I have a new rescue-a piglet! He is about two weeks old now, and is doing well drinking formula out of a bowl. The problem is solid food. He definatly needing something solid, but the feed store won't have any pig food until Tuesday. I read somewhere that you can give pigs horse feed, is that true? And would it be ok for him to eat as his first solid feed?

 

[SOOOSKA]

Oh I'm so jealous, I always wanted a piglet.

I have no idea about the food though. How about corn? Wilbur in Charolette's Web, i think use to eat corn.

Susan

 

[Evey]

At the camp where I worked we gave our pig horse pellets so I hope that's ok!

Do you have any pictures?

-Kathy

 

[gentle giants]

No pics yet, Hubby is out of town until tomorow night and took the camera with him. *sigh*

 

[SunnyCait]

What kind of pig is it?

If it's a week it won't be on solids yet, you'll be way fine until Tuesday. You can mix baby cereal in with the milk to make it a little thicker and to add nutrients. At about three weeks you can start introducing pig pellets. It probably won't like them, so you can mash up up and mix them with the milk at first. Eventually they will eat the pellets but continue formula until about 8 weeks of age.

Also, goat's milk is the best replacement for your piggie.

With pigs, like humans, schedules are important. Feed it at the same time every day. Several small feedings are best, and in another week your piggie should be able to go 6-7 hours at night without having to be fed. Go about every four hours now with your feedings.

You want to make sure it's getting enough iron, either you can get iron drops made for puppies, or easiest way, set up a pan of dirt so the piggie can root in it. That's the way pigs get their iron normally.

 

[gentle giants]

Ok, thanks. I am feeding him a milk replacer that is supposed to be good for pigs, lambs and calves. I am giving that to him about four times a day. Adding baby cereal is a great idea, I hadn't thought about that but it sounds very sensible, LOL. I have no idea what kind he is except that he is not a potbellied, he is a full sized pig. The vet said he is probably a mixed breed. I had to take him to see the vet because he got really severe diahrea for a couple of days. The vet gave me Bio-Sponge for him, and that has cleared it up great. Since the runs went away, he has gained something like two pounds in three days!

ETA to add: For the iron, can I take him out in the yard and let him play instead of bringing a pan of dirt in the house? Yes, he is in the house--at least until my husband gets home from Arizona!

 

[DeniseJP]

Is it a farm pig or pot belly piggie?

I know my feed store told me I could use horse feed in a pinch but my pot belly pigs are 5 and 4. I use Mazuri Mini Pig Elder - they make a Youth and Adult version too.

Denise

 

[gentle giants]

It's a farm pig.

 

[DeniseJP]

Pictures, when you get a moment... gotta love piggies! :inlove: My BIL's family raises farm pigs.

Denise

 

[SunnyCait]

Yep, go for it. If you have a fenced yard that'd be really helpful, as, trust me, even baby pigs can book it!!!

My ex boyfriend's dad raises pot bellied pigs, and this is all stuff I've gleamed off of him. We almost got a little girl of our own, but soon found out pigs were not for us when one of our friends got one first. They are definitely outside critters, at least when they get old enough.

 

[gentle giants]

I was actually considering putting a cat sized harness and lead on him for his outside play time. He seems more inclined to follow me around than to run away, but better safe than sorry. If he got away from me, his chances out here would be nil. We do have a fenced section to our yard, but it wouldn't hold anything as small as what this guy still is.

When Hubby gets back wtih the camera, I am going to make a video of him and post it here for you guys. He is so funny! At a little less than two weeks old, he already falls over for belly scratches, and his little legs get all wobbly when you rub his ears, ROFL. He is actually nudging my feet as I am typing this, with his little cold pig snout.

:inlove:

 

[SunnyCait]

Ooo, the harness is a great idea!

I can't wait to see pics/video! Have you named him anything?

 

[gentle giants]

No name yet, I am still going over several possiblities. :?

 

[SunnyCait]

My ex's dad's personal pigs are called Sampson, Bella, and Breakfast.

My friend named his pig Shasta.

 

[gentle giants]

Awww, they're so cute!Those are potbellies, aren't they? My Hubby wanted to call my piggy "Bacon" but I said no way! LOL

 

[SunnyCait]

Yep that girl is a pot bellied pig. She's 4 weeks old in those pics.

I liked the name Breakfast for some reason, haha!

 

[mouse_chalk]

Awwwwww! I'm afraid I can't help at all on the info front, but I can join the growing queue waiting for pictures! :biggrin2:

I LOVE pigs! (Who am I kidding, I love all animals lol...) He sounds just sooo cute. Good luck bringing him up, and congratulations on taking him in! How did you come to get him, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[gentle giants]

mouse_chalk wrote:

How did you come to get him, if you don't mind me asking?

Ok, so here is the story behind my little pigger: I went to the small animal auction on Monday night to sell some old cages. This place has a large animal auction on Monday mornings, and then small animals sell Monday night. So I was taking my cages to the evening sale to hopefully make a few bucks.

At the morning sale, someone had brought a sow and her 11 pigs and sold them as a lot. The buyer decided he didn't want 11 piglets, picked out six and left them there to sell in the evening auction. He left them out in wire cages in 60 degree weather, with no water or food of any kind, from about 9am to 9pm when it was their turn to sell. One lady who was worried about them getting cold had bought one fo the "leftovers" from the guy and taken her home and fed her already, so that left only five little piggers sitting there.

By about 5pm when I came for the evening sale, all five were shivering and dehydrated, and my little guy was so weak and cold he couldn't stand up anymore. I spentalmost fourhours carrying him around wrapped in my shirt to keep him warm, and myself and a couple of other people who had seen that they were not doing well had managed to get them some water. We went and made a complaint at the sale barn office about the owner leaving them there with no care, and one of the senior guys that has been working there a long time came and looked at them. He was unhappy about it, but he said that since they were already registered to sell they had no choice but to sell them. So he moved them up so they would sell sooner and we could take them home and feed them.

The lady that had bought the first little piglet in the morning ran to her hosue and brought me some of the milk replacer she had bought for her pig, because by this time all the stores were closed and I wouldn't have been able to get him anything. It was very iffy for a coupleof days as to whether or not he was going to make it, but I think he is out of the woods now. Sorry that got so long, LOL.

 

[JadeIcing]

You and the other people who helped them rock.

 

[BSAR]

That is good that you all helped out!
Pot belly pigs are so cute!

I am looking foward to pics of your guy!