Teacup Potbelly Pig

Question
QUESTION: I've recently bought a 10 month old teacup pig and just wanted to get some tips on some things. First off, he's great. He still needs to warm up to my family still, but he's good. He doesn't like my dog or cats although all my animals are very well behaved. My dog couldn't care less that the pigs even here and my cats are interested in him but not swatting or hissing or anything like that. Whenever the pig sees them though he starts making all these noises at them and then jumps and like fake bites. I believe he really would bite if we didn't say no to him. What can I do to get him to like them. All my cats are cuddlers but now they stay in the basement and won't come up. It's only been a couple of days since we got the piggy, but I don't want him to think he's the boss of everyone...

Next....He's very well trained...He can sit, comes when you call his name, and can stand on his hind legs and kind of dance. He's litter trained to pee in the house and poop outside although he does pee outside as well. I'm not sure how often he should be peeing a day but he pees in his litter box like 6 or more times a day and also pees outside. I've tried to limit his water a bit.. Like I keep it empty unless I see him go to it for a drink and I don't fill the bowl all the way because he'll drink it all.
I've also noticed that he's seems to be passing gas quite often, which brings me to my next question....
I understand not to give him avocado, chocolate, or other types of junk food, but is there any fruits and vegetables that will cause him to pass gas more often and also can they eat dairy, like cheese?

Thanks for being available and I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions...Joe

ANSWER: Hello,
It will take time for this new member of your family to feel comfortable in his new surroundings.  The older they are the longer it will take.  
To introduce him to the other animals it is a good idea to put him in an inclosure that he can see out of but can't actually make contact with the other pets. I use a metal dog exercise pen. You can put his litter box in with him as well as a bed, food and water.
He should have water available at all times.  These little guys drink a lot and pee a lot also.  
Aggressive behavior can also be from his diet.  There is only one feeding program that I know of that is actually designed for small pigs.  It combines a complete feed along with a vit/min. supplement that ensures that they are getting a well balanced nutritionally complete diet.  You can find it at royaldandie.com on the there product page.
I also recommend the Infinity Plus Training Harness/leash and training link.  This i the best training method out there for training, retraining an controlling your piglet.
Feeding your piglet the proper diet will also help with the gas problem.  Don't over due on the treats.  Treats
even fruit are full of sugars and calories.  Limit snacks to once a day and very small amounts.  Seedless grapes, apple, carrots, lettuce, celery etc.  
Pigs cannot have chocolate, salt or caffeine.  Some plants are also poisonous to them.  You can fin a list of these plants on line.
Hope this helps!
Patty  


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The food I'm feeding him is Mazuri youth...He's suppose to get 1 cup a day which I've divided into 4 servings throughout the day....I don't want him to be hungry....I thought he should be getting like 3-5 servings of fruit/vegetables a day...I don't want him hungry and also don't want him fat....How many servings should he get a day and should it be all at once or spread out through the day? Thanks again

ANSWER: How much you feed him depends on his age, size and daily activity.
If you feed him the proper feed he will be satisfied with his two meals a day and one snack time.
The feed you are feeding him is not satisfying him.  It can cause him to act out and not feel satisfied.
Send me a picture and I can let you know is he at a good weight for his age.
Patty

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: He looks healthy...He's like 30-40 lbs and he's 10 months old...The guy I bought him from weighed him like 3 or 4 weeks ago and he said the piggy was 30 lbs...I didn't re-weigh him but he looks the same as when I first saw him. The guy said that he gave him the equivalent of 3 apples a day plus his food.

Answer
If he is 30 to 40 lbs at 10 months of age he is not a Tea Cup. A Tea Cup pig should max out at 20 to 30 lbs.
He will grow until he least three years old.  I would guess his adult weight to be 70 to 100 lbs.
Unless I can see a picture I cannot advise on how much to feed him.  
Patty