fruits and vegetables

Question
QUESTION: I recently became the owner of an 8 week old mini Juliana cross pig. She is amazingly easy to train and loves everything we have been feeding her. The breeder said to feed her a half cup of pellets twice a day and from what I've been reading, that may be too much. My question is...so far she has not been out in the yard to root in the grass, I have no idea how much fruits and vegetables to give her to supplement her diet. She loves cabbage, zucchini, bananas, apples, etc. I've only been giving her a few small pieces here and there but she always seems hungry.. or is that normal pig behavior? I just don't want to make her over-weight! The sugary fruits i only give a small portion of but the green vegetables i give a bit more. Also....i thought giving ice-burg lettuce was not good for them. It can be very confusing. I have the book "Tea-cup pigs or Micro pigs, the complete owners guide" but it's very vague as to what kinds of fruit and vegetables and how much. I'd appreciate any help you could give me. Thank you, Cheryl

ANSWER: Feeding pigs is more art than science. Each pig is different, and each situation is different.

The general rule of thumb is 1/2 cup of pellets per 15 lb of piglet, no less than 1/2 cup. Adult pigs get 1/2 cup per 25 lb of adult pig. This is just a starting point. Piglets can often eat more without gaining weight, sedate older pigs may need slightly less.

The pellets should be divided into two meals, three is better for younger piglets.

Pigs can eat anything that people can eat. But people eat a lot of unhealthy things. Any kind of fresh vegetable is ok. Leafy vegetables are best. Starchy vegetables, like potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, etc, have a bad reputation, but are fine in moderation. Any sort of raw potato is better than a handful of potato chips or a cheese filled potato skin!

Iceberg lettuce has a particularly bad reputation. Compared to other leafy greens, like spinach, it has little nutrients. That's actually a good thing if you want to feel full but consume few calories. Many professional chefs frown on iceberg lettuce. They feel it's too wet and leaves salads watery, or that it has no flavor. Well, pigs aren't interested in what professional chefs have to say, and watery vegetables like watermelon and iceberg lettuce can help piggys consume enough water, particularly on hot days.

I highly suggest the book Pot-Bellied Pig Behavior and Training by Priscilla Valentine. Pris really understands how pigs think and why they do the things they do. Two other excellent resources for training and care are There's A Pig in the House and Amazing Pig Tricks from Top Hogs www.tophogs.com Some good websites are www.farec.org, www.pigs4ever.com, and www.petpigs.com

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QUESTION: I'm very grateful for the information you provided and it was very helpful. What i do need to know is how much fruits and veggies.....like just bits here and there or like a cup.....half a cup at a time? i feed her pellets at 8am and again at 5pm...about 10am i like to give her a few slices of fruit......at 12 noon...i give her cabbage,about a half a cup and a few slices of cucumber or zuccinni. about 3 pm...a few more slices of veggies. after 5pm,,,a few more veggies....is this to many fruits and veggies? As i said, she always seems hungry!

Answer
It sounds like you are offering the right amount of veggies. Pigs are extremely food oriented, particularly younger piglets. Take advantage of this food craziness by using it to train piggy.

Cheerios, raisins, and slices of carrot are good training tricks. A good time to train is after piggy eats the morning or afternoon snacks. When piggy is too hungry, it's too hard to concentrate and learn.