Adult Size of Mini-Pigs

Question
Our 18-year-old daughter purchased a "mini-pig" at a local flea market 4 days ago.  We took him to a local veterinarian today, and he (the vet) feels like he is approximately 6-8 weeks of age.  He also weighs 2 1/2 lbs.  There is no way of knowing how large the parents are, as our daughter was provided NO information.  We have been doing a great deal of research, and many sources insist that there is no such thing as a pbp that weighs under 100-150 lbs. grown (at 4-5 years of age).  I am seeing many questions on this site involving 8-month-old pigs that are anywhere between 5-12 lbs.  I realize there is no definite way to tell, but is there indeed a possibility our little piglet may actually be a miniature pot belly?  Is there really such a thing?  We will love him regardless, but just curious if this is possible.  BTW, his youth mini pig chow just arrived about 5 minutes ago, and once he is squared away on that (a week or two), we plan to have him neutered.  Love your site--many good answers to questions.

Answer
I've been involved with pot-bellied pigs for 20 years, and during that time I have seen perhaps a half dozen adult pigs under 100 lb, and most were not healthy. Pigs usually grow quickly until age 2, then slowly until age 4 or 5. But, lately a few rescues have taken in "teacup" pigs (complete with papers and sales contracts), that started out very small and had very late growth spurts, sometimes as late as age 3.

Your veterinarian has seen the pig in person, so I will trust the age guestimate. You might get more clues, depending on how piggy acts towards food. Pigs under 6 weeks are usually not interested in food, and may spit out treats. Pigs age 8 weeks and up are usually extremely interested in anything edible, and a few things that aren't!

The rule of thumb is 1/2 c food per 15 lb of piglet, with a minimum of 1/2 c per day.

Pigs are much denser than dogs. If you have a pig and dog the same size, the pig will weigh more, sometimes twice as much more. Rest assured, a 125 lb pig is about the size of a small-to-medium sized dog.

Some sites with excellent piggy information are www.farec.org and www.pigs4ever.com