automatic piggy litter box

Question
Winter is on its way and I am interested in buying my one year old micro piggy a automatic litter box such as the litter maid. It is suggested to use corn litter in the littermaid box, although I'm a little concerned piggy might think it's food. I have always used pine shaving litter before. But I don't think pine shaving litter clumps well enough to be efficient in the litter maid. Any advice as to which litter or automatic litter box works best? Thanks a billion ;)

Answer
Almost anything, or nothing at all, can be used as pig litter. It's true that pigs will try to eat litter. Different pigs are driven to eat different kinds of litter, what one pig gobbles a different pig will ignore.

Cat litter is readily available but many pigs eat it. Eating plain litter can cause intestinal blockages, clumping or treated litter can be poisonous.

Pine or cedar shavings are inexpensive and readily available, but very messy.

Shredded newspaper is not as messy, but some pigs will eat it. Others prefer to use it as bedding, and will take the paper out of the box or sleep in the box and potty elsewhere.

Stall litter, like corn or pellets can work well if the pig doesn't see it as food. Some pigs do, some pigs don't.

Old towels or puppy pee pads keep the mess down. Pig berries can be picked up with a bit of toilet paper and flushed. Old towels are washed with a little bleach, puppy pee pads are tossed and replaced.

Nothing at all. Some people are fine with no litter at all, removing and flushing the pig berries and washing out the box with strong cleaner.

The box itself should be big enough for piggy to turn around in comfortably. Pigs prefer to turn around completely while pottying.

The box should have at least one very low side, so piggy can step in without stepping up. Pigs hate to step up to go potty, they prefer to step down.

The box should have a non-slip surface, so piggy doesn't have to worry about falling while doing the business. A rubber door or shower mat works well.

People have used water heater drain dishes, plastic storage bins, commercial litter boxes, and cardboard boxes lined with plastic garbage bags. Consider the size of your pig and the space for the box, and take a walk through a home improvement store looking for objects that will fit the bill, chances are you'll find a couple of options.

Buy a small amount of the litter to test your pigs reaction. Watch piggy carefully the first time you introduce the litter. If piggy promptly starts gobbling or even seems way to interested in eating it, try a different litter.

There seems to be (but may not be) a correlation between how much outdoor time piggy gets and how interested piggy is in eating litter. Pigs with less outdoor time might be more inclined to eat litter. Pigs actually get important trace nutrients, like minerals, by rooting in the soil. If they are confined indoors and can not root in soil, this may trigger an urge to root in and eat soil-like stuff, like clay cat litter.