Also called the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig after its origin, the miniature pig is fashionable. But however cute it is as a baby (who wouldn’t melt at that little ball that fits in your hand?), it should not be forgotten that its adult weight is between 35 and 60 kg! Standing 35 to 55 cm at the shoulder, the miniature pig lives around fifteen years.
Intelligent, curious and with quite a personality, the minipig can be trained every bit as well as a dog: it is very clean and will learn in a flash to do its business outside or in a litter tray. It is, however, very greedy and loves to eat, which is why weight problems are very common in this animal. Particular care must therefore be taken over its diet.
Its diet should be vegetarian, even if it won’t say no to a few invertebrates found in the garden. In every case it needs a diet low in protein and fat and rich in fibre and crude cellulose. There is a ready-made feed for miniature pigs that contains all it needs. To this, add fresh vegetables and fruit every day, along with grass: let the pig graze every day, as grass gives it plenty of fibre and water.
The care it needs, on top of basic care such as cleaning the eyes and ears for example, includes worming twice a year, vaccination (mainly against swine erysipelas, an infectious skin disease, and atrophic rhinitis, a disease of the airways), trimming the hooves (filing down the horn of the feet) and, where necessary, clipping the tusks (especially in males).
The miniature pig seems the ideal companion. That is true — if you can give it an environment that suits its species. Because you can forget the idea of keeping a miniature pig in a flat! Pigs need to spend hours every day rooting and turning over the ground, and even walking them for several hours a day will not be enough to satisfy their instinct. They absolutely must have a patch of earth to dig and turn over! A piece of garden or a pen where they can put their snout to work is therefore essential.
If you want to let your pig into the house, you will need to secure any cupboards and storage within its reach: as it loves to rummage everywhere, sooner or later it will work out how to open the drawers or the fridge door.
So if you have a bit of land you are willing to “sacrifice”, and of course the time to give it and the patience to tame and train it, the miniature pig can bring a great deal of joy into the home!
Source for all enquiries: www.groingroin.org