Veggies

Question
My husband and I just adopted a pig.  She does not seem to like vegetables.  The first couple of days she ate carrots, but has not wanted them the past two days.  We tried giving her some mixed fresh greens, but she wouldn't even try them.  We also put some hay in her rooting box but she didn't eat any of it.  Should we be concerned?  Will it be detrimental to her health if she doesn't eat veggies?

Also, her sleep patterns are not very consistent.  For example, yesterday she was awake from 3 PM - 8:30 PM.  But, today, she has been sleeping on and off all afternoon.  Is this normal?

Thanks for your help!
Jana

Answer
Young piglets have a built in time table for learning to eat. Young babies under 4 weeks are not interested in any food except mothers milk. Between 4 and 6 weeks, they may taste, then spit out, foods they see their mother eating. By 8 weeks, Momma pig gets ready to start weaning her babies, and by the time they are 9 or 10 weeks old, healthy piglets are totally food crazy.

If your piglet is younger than 3 months, don't panic. Continue to offer different foods. Try some warm (NOT hot!) foods, some cold foods. You can try offering cooked veggies, they are softer and easier to chew.

It will take a while for her to adjust to her new surrounds and adapt her sleep patterns. Most young piglets sleep a lot. Piglets are most active between the ages of 3 months and 1 year. This is also when they do most of their growing and learning about the world around them.

I highly recommend the book Pot-Bellied Pig Behavior and Training by Priscilla Valentine. I also recommend the dvds There's a Pig in the House and Amazing Pig Tricks from topshogs.com Both these resources go into detail on training and explain what you can expect from your pig.