The newest ad on Kijiji for piglets states...
"it is true They make GREAT pets!"
...yes they do. What is not mentioned is the fact that they are extremely destructive, and can also be very dangerous if not trained properly (and this training must be maintained throughout their lives)
"they are on a solid diet at just 2.5 weeks old they are ready to come home to play with you."
GOOD GRIEF!!! This is absolutely FALSE!!!! Taken from mom at that age is WRONG in every way. They do not develop properly socially when this happens. A pig should stay a minimum of 3 months with mom. Selling them too soon is a marketing tactic used to feed the lie of "tiny" pigs. Yes...babies are tiny. Adults are not.
"Did you know you can litter train these amazing friendly pets?"
Yes, it can be done, but let me tell you how gross this would be. Pig poop stinks BAD (sorry to add more common sense into the equation). If a pig poops in your house...even in a litter box...that smell will be overwhelming. Pigs need to be allowed outside to potty and to root and to wander and to just be pigs. The reason most people want to litter train a pig is to keep them out of the yard so they won't root it up. Your house will not stand up to this logic. Pigs root a LOT and if you prevent them from doing it...they WILL use that excess energy and strength (and they have a lot of both) to destroy your home.
Please also be aware that the city bylaw in Grande Prairie is being written to include pot bellied pigs in the list of animals NOT ALLOWED within city limits.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE use your common sense when dealing with breeders. Like I've said many times before...a pig is a pig is a pig is a pig. If it sounds too good to be true...IT IS!!! If you buy from someone who is lying to you...you will have problems. Please don't support this. If you are serious about getting a pig...PLEASE contact a rescue. They have no reson to lie to you, so you will get the truth and be able to make an informed decision.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Piper Update
Well, she's STILL in the kitchen. I am lost as to what to do to cure her mean streak towards my other pigs. I am hoping once spring finally comes and they can be outside more that they will work things out between them in the yard rather than in the house where things get destroyed in a pig fight. This worries me a little because she's much younger and still quite a bit smaller than they are and she has no tusks yet...but she just might need a good lesson to get her to stop. Nothing else seems to be working.
I still can't give her access to water at all times either. She will drink until she convulses. I wonder if she wasn't denied water as a house training technique...as she was very difficult to house train and still will go in the house if you don't watch her closely. That might explain why she feels the need to drink whatever water she can when she has the chance. I don't know. Not sure what I will do in the hot summer when there has to be water down at all times.
She is destroying the walls in my kitchen. I think she has chewed every corner in there and ripped of any trim she can reach. We are seriously thinking of putting puck board (???) up the bottom 3 ft of our walls! She digs in my cupboards constantly, has chewed most of my Tupperware lids so they no longer fit and her new favorite game is opening the drawer on my stove and standing in it (I have to admit...that one is kind of cute!)
She's also grown quite a bit. She was sold as a "mini" who was suppose to be much smaller (40-60 pounds) than a "normal" pot bellied pig (110-200+ pounds), but is showing no signs of being any smaller than my other 4 "normal" males. For anyone thinking that there are such things as a teacup, micro mini, royal dandy, juliana, etc, etc, etc... that grow to be any smaller than a regular pot bellied pig, please be aware that there is not. They are ALL pot bellied pigs. The pictures you see of tiny pigs are BABIES. If the parents are small, it's because they were bred too young and are STILL babies. Breeders take these young pigs, breed them and then don't feed them properly to keep them small. This does not make for a healthy pig or a long life. Piper (who was assured to weigh between 40-60 pounds full grown) is already 50 pounds and she is only 8 months old. Pot bellied pigs grow until they are 3 years old! She's got a LOT of growing to do yet and is right on par with the growth of my other boys (110-200+ pounds). THERE IS NO DIFERENCE!!! Please don't fall for what breeders tell you. It's a business and nothing more. Who WOULDN'T want a cute little piglet that stayed the size of a cat? They are very easy to market that way because that idea is so sweet...but it is just an idea. Please don't fall for it and find yourself with the almost impossible task of trying to rehome a large adult pig once you learn this truth the hard way. There is NO MARKET for an adult pet pig. :o(
Please also be aware that the Animal Control bylaw in Grande Praire has been rewritten to include pigs (and goats) in the list of animals NOT LEGAL in Grande Prairie, AB.
I still can't give her access to water at all times either. She will drink until she convulses. I wonder if she wasn't denied water as a house training technique...as she was very difficult to house train and still will go in the house if you don't watch her closely. That might explain why she feels the need to drink whatever water she can when she has the chance. I don't know. Not sure what I will do in the hot summer when there has to be water down at all times.
She is destroying the walls in my kitchen. I think she has chewed every corner in there and ripped of any trim she can reach. We are seriously thinking of putting puck board (???) up the bottom 3 ft of our walls! She digs in my cupboards constantly, has chewed most of my Tupperware lids so they no longer fit and her new favorite game is opening the drawer on my stove and standing in it (I have to admit...that one is kind of cute!)
She's also grown quite a bit. She was sold as a "mini" who was suppose to be much smaller (40-60 pounds) than a "normal" pot bellied pig (110-200+ pounds), but is showing no signs of being any smaller than my other 4 "normal" males. For anyone thinking that there are such things as a teacup, micro mini, royal dandy, juliana, etc, etc, etc... that grow to be any smaller than a regular pot bellied pig, please be aware that there is not. They are ALL pot bellied pigs. The pictures you see of tiny pigs are BABIES. If the parents are small, it's because they were bred too young and are STILL babies. Breeders take these young pigs, breed them and then don't feed them properly to keep them small. This does not make for a healthy pig or a long life. Piper (who was assured to weigh between 40-60 pounds full grown) is already 50 pounds and she is only 8 months old. Pot bellied pigs grow until they are 3 years old! She's got a LOT of growing to do yet and is right on par with the growth of my other boys (110-200+ pounds). THERE IS NO DIFERENCE!!! Please don't fall for what breeders tell you. It's a business and nothing more. Who WOULDN'T want a cute little piglet that stayed the size of a cat? They are very easy to market that way because that idea is so sweet...but it is just an idea. Please don't fall for it and find yourself with the almost impossible task of trying to rehome a large adult pig once you learn this truth the hard way. There is NO MARKET for an adult pet pig. :o(
Please also be aware that the Animal Control bylaw in Grande Praire has been rewritten to include pigs (and goats) in the list of animals NOT LEGAL in Grande Prairie, AB.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
YAY! New by-law says Pot Bellied Pigs are NO LONGER allowed in Grande Prairie!!!!
YAY!!!!!! I couldn't be happier. Pigs don't belong in the city...and this new by-law will keep them out. Although I know the problem isn't only with city pigs, I hope this will have a huge impact on pigs being abandoned once they out grow city living.
Please be aware...and tell your friends...
:o)
Please be aware...and tell your friends...
:o)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)