Mini-Pig
Information..............................................................................................
Mini-Pigs-
live up to 10 - 15 years, they are Clean, Social and very
intelligent and they even Outsmart a Dog.
They will come to their Name, Learn Tricks, go for a walk on a
Harness and they are very Loyal.
They like a clean, dry place to sleep and they will pick one corner of
their night pen to go to the toilet,
So really they
are very clean
animals.
The only
reason there is the fallacy that pigs are a dirty animal is only due to
the way People kept them.
I tell
everyone... that if you were put in a 10x10 pen and you had to Sleep,
Eat and go to the Toilet in that small
pen.... You would
Stink Too....!
How
Big is a Mini Pig ???
|
Above...... A
Normal size Pig
Right.............An
Oz-MiniPig
This is Paris
(adult mini-pig)
with Krystal
(6)
& Dylan
(4) |
|
...............................................................................................................................................................Close
Understanding a
Mini-Pig...........................................................................................
Mini-pigs are a herd animal, meaning that
they hang in a group.
In that group they will always have a
lead-pig, even in a litter of piglets there is always
one lead-piglet.
The lead-pig is the Boss so he/she is the
Dominate one of the group and the one that warns the
other mini-pigs
against any impending danger.
When your mini-pig first comes into your
Family group he/she needs to know from the start that
you are the Boss.
Because of their high intelligence they
will try to be the dominant one to see what they can get
away with.
When you become a new mini-piglets owner
you will become your mini-piglets mother. So you need to
teach
him/her how you would like them to behave.
You will need to say “NO” when they are
naughty and not give into them if they squeal.
Mini-pigs are very much like a 2 year old
child, if you give into one of their tantrums they will
try it again and again.
Also mini-pigs don’t like to get picked
up, they hate their hoofs to be off the ground as they
feel unsafe and
vulnerable.
The only defence a mini-pig has against
predators is to squeal and to run.
This is why they like to keep all four
hoofs on the ground in case they feel threatened they
can run away.
All of our mini-piglets for-adoption are
named “piggy piggy” it is easier if they all have one
name for training,
feeding and also when we call them
they will come to us to be put in the back yard or to be
put to bed.
They love routine, repetition and
rewards.
When you become a mini-piglets new owner
and continue using the training techniques that we use,
your mini-pig
will learn to trust and adore you.
...............................................................................................................................................................Close
Housing a
Mini-Pig.....................................................................................................
You will need a shelter eg- small garden shed, large dog kennel or a
home made shelter with a wooden floor.
Mini-Pigs have a high body temperature (39 degrees) so they feel the
cold.
They need clean mulch hay or blankets for their bedding.
(Of a day they are let out to graze)
It is a good idea to
have a pen attached to their housing so they can be put to bed if you need to do
something and
you don't want your Mini-Pigs help.
When mini-pigs are in their outside pen they will only poo in
one place, usually at the opposite end to where they
eat and sleep, so
it's easy to keep their pens clean and it makes a great fertilizer in
your compost heap.
Photo of pig in dog kennel
...............................................................................................................................................................Close
Water for your Mini-Pig..............................................................................................
A mini-pig needs clean drinking water.
You will need to secure their Water Bowl
or get a heavy one, as they love to play with it and
knock it over.
but this needs to be cleaned everyday.
The best water bowl I have used is a –
Mini Drink-O-Mat. (email us for supplier)
It is a gravity fed water bowl with a nib
inside that only releases water when your mini-pig has
his/her snout pressed against it.
Or you can purchase
pig-nibs; they let
out water when the mini-pig presses on it.
(You can buy these at
your Produce - Store).
WARNING !!! If your mini-pig doesn't have sufficient drinking water it
will dehydrate and get
salt-poisoning of the brain it is incurable.
Symptoms include: walking in small circles, incoherent, won't eat or
drink.
...............................................................................................................................................................Close
Vaccinations & Worming............................................................................................
Vaccinations
Mini-pigs are
Vaccinated with Lepto-Eryvac at 4 weeks and 6 weeks of
age.
Then Once a year they have a
booster.
Eryvac prevents Leptospirosis and
protection against Swine Erysipelas caused by insidiosa infection.
Worming
We use
Panacur 100 to worm our Mini-Pigs
Piperazine Solution (For Poultry and Pigs) is another type of worming
treatment you can get from your local
Produce Store. Or you can ask your Vet for a suitable wormer.
The easiest way to
give a mini-pig the worming medicine is to put it onto a slice of bread
and then give it before
normal feeding.
I also give my mini-pigs half- teaspoon of yellow sulphur sprinkled over
there food,
This helps with he control of worms and any ticks or mites.
(it sours their blood) I
also use it in our Dogs food as well.
...............................................................................................................................................................Close
Mini-Pig Health...........................................................................................................
Miniature Pigs are
normally very healthy when they are kept as a domestic pet.
They don't normally get
the normal pig problems as they would in a commercial piggery.
Your
mini-pig will need to
be vaccinated with Eryvac once a year and
wormed every 3 months.
Is my Mini-Pig Sick….?
The first thing you will notice is that
he/she will not be interested in anything and be sullen.
He/she is not interested eating.
He/she is not interested drinking.
He/she is standing still with his/her
snout pointing to the ground.
You must take your mini-pig to the Vet …!
|
Mini-Pigs can get a Pig-Mite
(Pig mites don't live on any other animal or human)
You will notice your mini-pig is rubbing against a wall
or scratching.
They can also loose hair and get a rash.
We use Fido's Concentrate
Rinse on our mini-pigs as we also get the
paralysis tick here, you can purchase it from your Vet or Pet Store.
|
 |
Make sure that your mini-pig has access to shade and a wading pool for
them to cool off, as they can get sunburn
or
heat stroke. You can also use sunscreen on his/her ears.
If your mini-pig is allowed inside, make sure that he can't bite into
electrical cords and all chemicals are put out of
reach.
...............................................................................................................................................................Close
Nose Rings for Mini-Pigs..............................................................................................
|
Mini-pigs normally just graze on
grass of a day.
But they will dig the ground with their snout,
You can teach them not to dig but this does take time.
OR you can
get a Nose-Ring for their snout.
Mini-pig nose-rings work if they are put through the
Nostril
instead of through
the tip of the snout.
We do Sell nose rings for
Min-Pigs.
|
|
|
Mini-Pigs
Nose Ring
opened
|
|
|
Mini-Pigs
Nose Ring
Closed |
|
 |
Mini-Pigs
Nose Ring in
the Nostril of
a Mini-Pig |
|
...............................................................................................................................................................Close
Toilet Training a Mini-Pig..........................................................................................
1- Your Mini-Pig
needs to be put into a small area
Eg: bathroom, laundry or small pen.
2-
Put his/her water and food bowl in there.
3-
Put some newspaper in the corner opposite his/her bed, water and
food.
4-
If your mini-piglet has not gone to the toilet on the newspaper
move the
newspaper to where ever he/she has
chosen to go to the toilet.
5-
Once he/she has used this area for a couple of days you can move
it to
where you want it.
Put your mini-pig back to this room
every half hour for 5 minutes, so they get used to toileting on
the paper
He/she will eventually go back to
their area to go to the toilet by them selves.
Always clean up your mini-piglets
urine or poo straight away if he/she has gone to the toilet
where he/she is not
supposed to.
Also use a deodoriser to neutralise
the area so your mini-pig won’t go back to the same spot again.
Never put wood shavings or kitty
litter in your mini-pigs litter tray
(They make a huge mess).
Mini-piglets are like any other baby
animal they don’t have full control over their bladder until
they are at least 6
months old.
Teaching a Mini-Pig to Toilet Out-Side
When your mini-pig knows his/her
name and will come when you call.
You can train your
mini-pig to go out-side to go to the toilet.
Your mini-pig will learn to let you
know when they want to go out-side.
Usually they will stand near
the door or they will come up to you and then walk towards the
door.
You can even train them to open and
shut the door or how to use a pet door.
1-
Take
your mini-pig out-side every half to one hour and leave him/her
out there for 10 to 15 minutes before
bringing him/her back
inside.
2-
Always
tell your mini-pig what you want them to do.
Say – “toilet (Piggy’s Name)”.
If he/she goes to the Toilet give lots of praise.
Say – “Good - (Piggy’s Name)
Teaching your mini-pig to go
out-side to go to the toilet is a lot easier than cleaning
litter trays or picking up paper.
Mini-pigs enjoy the time out-side as
well and they are always very proud when they hear the praise in
your Voice.
...............................................................................................................................................................Close
Harness Training a Mini-Pig......................................................................................
|
As soon as
your mini-pig has bonded with you he/she will naturally
follow you without having a harness
on.
But to take your mini-pig for a walk, the same rules apply as a
dog and
they must be on a harness.
I find that getting your mini-pig used to getting
his/her harness put on
while they are eating is a no fuss way to
teach your mini-pig that the
harness is OK to wear…
Also tell your mini-pig what is happening at each
stage and don’t rush
your mini-pig.
As like all animals they don’t like to be
restrained, you have to teach
them that it is ok first
|
 |
1-
When your mini-pig is having breakfast, put
their harness on the
ground next to their food. Do this for a few days as this will associate
your mini-pig with the harness and
they will not think of it as an object of danger
as they have stood and walked on and over it. Also
pick up the
harness and put it back down while your mini-pig is eating.
2- While your mini-pig is having breakfast, pick up
the harness and put each leg through and do up the harness.
Let him/her wear it for 1-2 hours a
day until he/she is used to it. (No lead attached)
3-
After a few days, your mini-pig should be
used to wearing their harness; you can then put on the lead and
let
him/her walk around with it on.
But always
supervise your mini-pig when they have their lead attached.
4- When your mini-pig is used to wearing their harness and lead you
can then pick up the lead and with a treat
for encouragement, get your mini-pig to walk with you. Do not put any tension on their lead just walk
with
him/her.
5- When your mini-pig is used to their harness and
lead and is happy.You can now walk with your mini-pig
and give little treats every
now and then to get him/her used to going where your want them to go.
...............................................................................................................................................................Close
Training a Mini-Pig to Sit
...........................................................................................
|
If
your mini-pig is a Piglet,
kneel in front of your mini-pig.
If
your mini-pig is an Adult, Stand in front of your mini-pig.
Hold a treat just above his/her snout and say -
“Sit (Piggy’s -Name)”…
At the same time slowly move the treat back
towards his/her eyes until
he/she sits…
When your mini-pig has sat down…give him/her the
treat and say -
Good (Piggys Name)”.
If you are having trouble getting your mini-pig
to sit..?
Try practicing in a corner or in front of a wall,
so when your mini-pig
touches the corner or wall their bottom
automatically goes to the
ground…
|
 |
When he/she is comfortable doing this trick hide
the treat in your hand and get your mini-pig to sit by just
saying –
“Sit (Piggy’s -Name)” and only giving the treat
when he/she has sat.
When your mini-pig has mastered this trick, just
give a pat on his/her head. And only give a treat at alternate
times.
...............................................................................................................................................................Close
Training a Mini-Pig to Play Ball.................................................................................
At first it is better to teach this trick to your
mini-pig out side.
Put a smear of cheese spread in different places
on a hard plastic child’s ball, show it to your mini-pig and
place it
on the ground and say – “Kick ( Piggy’s Name)”.
Once
your
mini-pig gets the idea that there is a treat on
the ball, kick the ball with your foot softly so it moves about
60cm and keep saying “Kick -( Piggy’s name)”.
continue this and he/she will get some of the
cheese spread off the ball and will have heaps of fun.
When your mini-pig is used to performing this
trick, don't put any spread on the ball, give a treat instead
when
he/she has pushed the ball a few times eventually only
getting a treat when he/she has pushed the ball at least 7-10
times.
This is a fun game to teach you mini-pig, as
children love to play ball with their mini-pig.
...............................................................................................................................................................Close
How to Bath a Mini-Pig...............................................................................................
|
Giving your mini-pig a bath is just a personal
preference.
You can just let him/her clean them selves in a
small kids shell pool.
Put some baby oil in the water to keep their skin
from getting too dry and
flaky.
The best that I have found to wash your mini-pig
with is an
Anti-dandruff shampoo.
As mini-pigs have a very dry and sensitive skin.
When you bath your mini-pig he/she needs to feel
secure, so you need
to put a small hand towel or a bath mat on
the bottom of the bath.
You will also need a sponge.
Put
him/her into the bath, hold his/her front legs together in your
left
hand and put your right hand on his/her shoulders so he/she
is in a sitting
position and Say in a gentle voice – Good
“Piggys Name”.
If your mini-pig starts to jump around, push down
on his/her shoulders
with your right hand and say in a gentle
voice…
|
 |
Good “Piggys Name” until he/she calms down.
Sit your mini-pig in this position till he/she is
used to the water and keep saying to him/her…Good “Piggys Name”.
Always hang onto your mini-pigs front legs so
they stay in a sitting position and then they feel secure and
with your
right hand pick up the sponge and gently put water on
his/her back.
When
he/she is used to this you can then put some shampoo on and wash
him/her.
When your mini-pig is used to having a bath you
will no longer have to hold onto his/her legs as he/she will be
used
to having a bath and will just sit while you give him/her
their shampoo bath.
...............................................................................................................................................................Close
What to Feed a Mini-Pig and When............................................................................
Your mini-pig
should be fed in the morning and in the afternoon and
allowed to graze on grass of a day.
We feed our
mini-pigs Natural Grain in the morning and in the
afternoon for dinner they get Fruit & Veg or
Grain .
We also give
them treats once a day when we are training our
mini-pigs.
Never... feed your pet pig Meat.
It is illegal in Australia to feed any
pig, meat or meat product.
As it can cause Foot and Mouth Disease..
Put your mini-pigs food into a bowl, if
it is put onto the ground he/she will continually go
back to this area looking for
their food and if there is
no food there they will start to dig around in that area
causing a mess…
The only one who has control of the food
is You, so Don’t let your mini-pig become demanding for
food.
Never give food to your mini-pig if
he/she gets impatient and starts to squeal.
They only try this to see if they can get
away with it and to get you to hurry up and feed them.
The best thing to do is to walk away from
getting their food ready and tell them that you won't
get dinner by
squealing.
Then try again in 5 minutes....
- if there is no squealing give them their dinner.
-if they squeal again, walk away and wait another 5
minutes.
They only try this as piglets.... their
natural mother won't tolerate it, so neither should you.
Their natural mother will lay down on her
belly so they can't get to her teats
and only when they stop squealing will
she roll over so they can feed.
If
you do feed a squealing piglet he/she will soon work out
that the squealing gets them food….
Real Quick….
And when this happens…? Congratulations…!
Your Mini-Pig has just Trained You to
feed him/her as Quick as Possible…
So Don’t give in….!
They are very
smart and if they think they can get you to give them
more food they will....!
Food is their
main passion as piglets.. so it is up to you to take
over from their mother and teach them when
breakfast and
dinner is...
Mini-pigs Do Not get the… “I’m
Full Feeling.”
This is why the meat industry loves pigs;
they will eat huge amounts of food and grow very
quickly.
This gives the meat industry or the
farmer a quick mass meat turnover in less time than any
other meat animal.
They are slaughtered before they are 1
year old so no long term health issues from over feeding
are a concern.
This is why you have to measure your
mini-pigs food and only feed him/her once in the morning
and of an afternoon.
In between, they graze on grass and
have some fruit when training.
Remember that he/she is not really hungry
but for hundreds of years they have been fed huge
amounts of food and
now as pets they need to be
retrained to be fed correctly.
Other wise you will be shortening you
mini-pigs life by Years…!
Mini-pigs are very much like humans and
can get the same health problems we get from over
eating. If we let
ourselves gorge on food just for the
sake of eating our lives are threatened and shortened by
heart disease from too
much fat around the heart,
clogged arteries, liver and kidney problems plus
obesity.
So please Do Not over feed your
Mini-pig!
It’s ok to give your mini-pig treats when
you are training them but once he/she has learned one
particular trick you
lessen the treats and just continue
with voice commands and just giving a treat every now
and then.
Mini-pigs also love to forage for food it
is a natural instinct for them to find treats in the
ground. If you don’t want
your mini-pig to dig in your
garden or the lawn, you can make them a sand pit Or use
a nose ring.
If you live
in Residential I do recommend a nose ring for your
miniature pig.
Make
a Sand Pit for your Mini-Pig...
Either out of timber or using a child's shell pool.
Fill
it with sand and hide some river rocks in the sand and then once a day
put some carrots or other
treat hidden in the sand and under the rocks.
This
will teach your mini-pig to dig in this spot and it will keep him/her
amused for hours,
so then when they
get out of
their sand pit they just want to graze on the grass.
...............................................................................................................................................................Close