FOOD

Question
I HAVE A 1 MONTH OLD BABY POT BELLIED PIG.  CAN YOU TELL ME IF I SHOULD BE GIVING HER ANY SUPPLEMENTS ALSO ANY INFO ON HOW TO GET HER USED TO US TOUCHING HER. SHE'S VERY JUMPY AND YELLS IF WE GO TO PICK HER UP. SHES OUR FIRST SO WE ARE JUST LEARNING.

Answer
In nature, Momma piglet never, ever picks up her piglets, and she does not lick them the way a cat or dog would. In fact, the only time a piglet is lifted is when he's about to be a predator's meal! So piglets have a strong instinctive fear of being lifted or touched.

Start by making a safe space for the baby. It should be fairly small, like a laundry room, bathroom or closet. A penned off corner of a bedroom is good, too. Put baby's bed, litterbox, and water dish there. Sit on the floor, speak quietly, and let baby come to you.

Always tell baby what you're going to do before you do it. For example, say "Touch piggy belly" then try giving a couple of little scratches on the tummy. Pigs love belly rubs.

At age one month, baby is a little bit young to be away from Momma pig, and a little too young to be ready for your most robust training tool, food treats. At 4 weeks, a piglet is naturally still nursing, and just starting to explore new ways of eating. They might sample a treat, then spit it out. By age 8 or 9 weeks, piglets adore treats of any sort.

The best diet is pot-bellied pig pellets supplemented with veggies, fruits, grazing time and training treats. The rule of thumb is 1/2 cup of food per 15 pounds of piglet, no less than 1/2 cup per day (small piglets may not finish it all). Divide this into two meals.

To teach her to be held, start by feeding her only from your hand. No food in the dish. Sit on the floor in her safe space, let her come to you to eat from your hand. Always tell her what you're going to do before you do it. At each meal, start by gently hugging her, then holding her securely. After a couple of meals, when she's comfortable being held, you can start lifting. Support her entire spine, remain seated on the floor, and gently lift her just a bit off her feet. Then do this on your knees, and finally, feed her while you are standing up and holding her.

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 by Top Hogs www.tophogs.com Also, Yahoo has several groups devoted to pot-bellied pigs. PigInfoAndChat is a good one.