Pet Information > ASK Experts > Exotic Pets > Pot Bellied Pigs > indoor peeing

indoor peeing

21 18:00:47

Question
Alvin is my 14 week old pbp. Alvin was neutered last week
and since then he has been peeing indoors.  At first I thought
that since he uses the dog door that it was rubbing on his incision so we let him out our sliding glass door.  But now he's in and out the dog door constantly but comes in and pees.
I immediately clean up the very large pool of pee with a disinfectant
then tried ammonia but no help.  Is there an odor that would be
unpleasant.  Our floors are ceremic.
Please help every other time you answered my questions and you were 100 percent right.
Thanks,
Joan

Answer
Pigs learn to potty in a particular spot. Pigs learn very quickly but unlearn very slowly. You can teach piggy to potty in a new spot. But it will be hard for piggy, because unlearning things are hard for pigs.

Young pigs need to pee often. And they usually don't realize they have to go until it's almost too late. If they are too far away from the correct potty place, they'll pick a spot nearby.

So the only solution is to start potty training all over at square one. Keep piggy confinened to a fairly small area with a litter box. Make piggy potty in the box before letting him out of his space (or take him directly from his space to outside, then let him back in). Keep him on a harness and lead. Take him to potty as soon as he wakes up from naps, before each meal, and at least once every two hours. The idea is to keep him so empty he can not make a mistake.

Piggy needs to stick to this busy potty schedule for at least two months. It sounds like a long time, and it is. Piggy will catch on to the new routine quickly. That isn't the problem. The problem is he will remember the bad potty habits for a very long time. He will need your guidance until he remembers only the correct potty habits.

I am not a flooring expert at all. But I do know that most ceramic tile made for floors is sealed, so moisture of any sort can not seep in and crumble the tile. But, the grout in between the tile can be porous and absorb all sorts of odors and stains. Usually, any quality product with active enzymes designed to remove pet odors will work. If the grout has absorbed urine, it may take two cleanings to get all the odor out.

Do not let piggy linger near these accident spots. Keep him on a harness and lead when he is in that room with you, and encourage him to walk quickly past the accident spots. This is a critical point if he must past the accident spot on the way to the correct potty spot. Being a pig, he will want to potty in the "handy" accident spot! Keeping him on a harness and lead and walking past the spot to the right potty spot will help him get to the right place.