What continues to amaze me is that I am still shocked by what some people will do and say when it comes to pot bellied pigs. I KNOW BETTER...SHAME ON ME!!! We found out a couple of weeks ago that MacGyver, my rescue pig who was being sold as a butcher pig because he was neutered and therefor of no use to the owners who wanted to breed MORE pigs into this area...is NOT neutered. I've had my doubts all along because he just looks (slightly...which is what threw me) different from my neutered boys, but because I have not had any experience with adult boars, I didn't know what I was looking for...and he was not displaying any of the normal boar traits. Over the last few weeks...maybe because spring is in the air, or maybe it has something to do with my other little rescue female...he has been showing me his true colors. For those of you who have not had any experience with boars, believe me when I say...it's NOT something you want to have to deal with (and it starts very young). Needless to say, tomorrow afternoon, after months of building trust with him, we have to load him up and take him to be neutered. :o(
Once again, I will send my husband to do the dirty work. He trusts me now and I don't want to damage that trust. He's a bit of a man hater anyway (no doubt he has good reasons) and still doesn't quite trust Scott. If Scott moves into MacGyver's space, he will bark at him and back away. He doesn't do that for me. Scott will have to start from square one with him again I am sure. Maybe that's not fair of me...but it's the way it's going to be. I spend more time with them so I win the discussion! Besides, I tend to cry during these things. There's not much out there that breaks my heart like the cry of a terrified pig. :o(
The frustrating part is, we would have taken him even if he wasn't neutered. We would have had him fixed right away and it would be over and done with now. It wasn't necessary to lie. So often this happens with pot bellied pigs. The truth of who and what they are and will become is hidden and people often do not realize what they are getting into. If the truth were told, there would be much fewer people rushing out to get one of those adorable little pigs on Kijiji. We were also told that he was 1 and a half years old. It was obvious just looking at him that he is at least 5. We knew this as soon as we saw him, so what was the point in lying?
Just be aware that ALL pot bellied pig breeders are in it for the money. If they weren't, they would be aware of what is happening and they would not be breeding anymore. They will tell you whatever you want or need to hear to get you to reach into your wallet and pull out the cash. They don't care that you will not be prepared for what is to come, and they don't care what becomes of the pig they sell you. They don't care that adult pigs are almost impossible to rehome and that is what you will be faced with if and when things don't work out for you (because of their lies). I have 5 pigs here now and know of hundreds of others who prove this is true. When I contacted Piper's breeder, she offered nothing. The pig...that SHE brought into this world...was no longer her concern. This is a breeder from Camrose who often advertises her pigs on Kijiji. Her website "looks" very good. Unfortunately, her ethics are not.
PLEASE don't buy from a breeder just because the pictures they post are adorable. Bear cubs are adorable too, but they are not the pet for the average person. Pigs are no different. Those babies grow up fast and don't look like that for very long. Buy from a pig rescue if you are sure a pot bellied pig is for you. A pig rescue won't lie because they truly care about their pigs, even though they are not the ones responsible for bringing them into the world. You will get the truth, be able to make an informed decision, help the under funded rescues and save a life in the process. What could be better?
Remember...a pig is a pig is a pig is a pig. If you bring a pig into your home, you are getting a pig in your home. Don't expect anything different or let anyone tell you that is not the case! Spend some time observing pigs in the wild doing what pigs do. Don't expect that these things will change once you bring them into your home.
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