mini potbelly pig

Question
My 1yr male potbelly pig is humping my sofa and is obsessed with doing so.  Is there any other suggestions other then neutering him. He is 40 lbs and I have no way to transport him to a vet.

Answer
Piggy's body is pumping out hormones that drive him to hump. He simply can not control this instinctive behavior.

Short of neutering, the only option is to provide him with a toy that's more acceptable than your couch. Some options include bean bag chairs, plastic buckets or pails, large rubber balls, and jumbo floor pillows.

The best way to transport a pig is in an airline approved plastic crate. A 40 lb pig should fit into a 36 or 48 long crate. Some crates come with wheels. Or, you can use a furniture dolly. These are just wooden or plastic squares with wheels attached.

To get piggy used to a crate, first sprinkle the inside generously with vanilla. Pigs simply can not resist the smell of vanilla. Then, feed piggy in the crate and only in the crate. Pretty soon, piggy will have no problem going into the crate at mealtime. Then, simply lock piggy in and slide the crate onto the furniture dolly. Presto - pig on wheels.

If the crate can be secured on wheels (ie, wheels locked or blocked so they can't roll), you can teach piggy to hop right in the crate (or walk up a low ramp into the crate).

Once the pig is in the crate on wheels, it's easy to wheel him up a ramp into the back of a rental van.

There's a list of vets that see pet pigs at www.farec.org. If there are no vets near by, contact the closest one and ask for a referral. Some areas have a mobile vets who make house calls.